OU Hosts Bedlam In Women's Hoops Saturday

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MEDIA INFORMATION

No. 15/16 Oklahoma Sooners (12-2, 2-1 Big 12) vs. Oklahoma State Cowgirls (6-8, 1-2 Big 12)

Date & Time: Sat., Jan. 17 @ 6 p.m.
Site: Lloyd Noble Center (12,000) - Norman
Series Record: OU leads 37-34
Tickets: To purchase tickets call the OU's Athletic Ticket Office at 800-456-GoOU.
Radio: Saturday's game will be aired on KOMA-AM (1520) with Brian Brinkley (play-by-play) and Tara Robinett (color analyst) calling the action. All broadcasts also are available through the OU athletics web site.
TV: Sooner Sports Network (KSBI-TV) Mark Rogers (play-by-play) and Patti Phillips (color analyst)
Real-Time Stats: Live in-game statistics are available through OU's athletics web site.
Web Site: Oklahoma (www.SoonerSports.com), Oklahoma State (www.OKState.com)

PROBABLE STARTERS
OKLAHOMA (12-2)                                 PPG           RPG
10    F    Caton Hill                                     13.6             6.4
24    F    Leah Rush                                   9.1              4.6
34    G    Erin Higgins                                 4.8              2.4
35    G    Dionnah Jackson                        10.1            5.7
5    G    Maria Villarroel                           15.6           5.6

OKLAHOMA STATE (6-8)                     PPG          RPG
55    F   Trisha Skibbe                             22.2            8.8
05   F    Destaine Sykes                          2.0              2.8
50    C    Eliz Gomes                                 7.6              3.9
02    G   Lori Allen                                   4.8              3.4
00    G    Nina Stone                                10.9             4.5

SATURDAY PREVIEW
     The Bedlam Series presented by the Bank of Oklahoma and Your Oklahoma Ford Dealers between 15th-ranked Oklahoma (12-2, 2-1 Big 12) and Oklahoma State (6-8, 1-2 Big 12) women's basketball teams will play its first of two regular season games on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 6 p.m. inside the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman.
      Saturday's game will be broadcast by Sooner Sports Network with Mark Rogers and Patti Phillips calling the action on KSBI-TV. The matchup can also be heard on KOMA-AM (1520) radio.
      Oklahoma, who's tied for second place in the Big 12 standings, has won four of its last five games, while OSU has lost five of its last six. OU heads into Saturday's action with an overall record of 12-2 and a 2-1 mark in the conference. OSU is 6-8 overall and 1-2 in league play.
      Oklahoma has three players averaging better than 10 points and four players with 5.0 rebounds or more a game. The Sooners offensive charge is lead by senior guard Maria Villarroel's 15.6 ppg, followed by senior Caton Hill's 13.6, junior guard Dionnah Jackson's 10.1 and freshman forward Leah Rush's 9.1 ppg. As a unit, Oklahoma scores 77.6 ppg and averages 43.6 rpg.
      Leading the Cowgirls is senior forward Trisha Skibbie who ranks third in the nation and leads the Big 12 Conference in scoring with a 22.2 points per game. She is assisted by junior guard Nina Stone's 10.9 ppg. As a team, OSU is averaging 61.8 points and 36.0 rebounds per game.

See how the Sooners stack up against OSU in the Bedlam Series presented by the Bank of Oklahoma and Your Oklahoma Ford Dealers!

OU-OKLAHOMA STATE SERIES
The Sooners hold an all-time series advantage of 37-34 against Oklahoma State. OU coach Sherri Coale is 11-5 vs. OSU and has won nine straight against the Cowgirls and 11 of the last 12 meetings.

OKLAHOMA (12-2, 2-1 BIG 12)
      As of late, the Oklahoma has had difficulty putting the basketball in the hoop. Since the start of Big 12 play OU is down to 64.3 points per game compared to its 81.3 ppg in non-conference action.
      However, the Sooners rebounding efforts and defense have remain consistent. OU is averaging better than 43 boards per game and ranks second in the Big 12 for best three-point field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to just .257 percent from the arc.
      The Sooners have a well-balanced attack from its front and back courts. Senior guard Maria Villarroel (15.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, .580 FG%) has been a vital piece of Oklahoma's transition game for the past two seasons. She has scored in double digits in all but one game (Utah) and leads the team with 15.6 points per game. She scored a season-high 24 points in the win at Stephen F. Austin by hitting 10-of-12 shots. Against Texas A&M Wednesday, she had her second career double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds, the most rebounds from a guard in Big 12 play. She currently ranks fourth in the league for best field goal percentage, shooting 58.0 and averages 9.5 points and 5.5 rebounds when playing OSU.
      Junior Dionnah Jackson (10.1 ppg, team-high 5.2 apg, 5.7 rpg, .821 FT%) is in her second season as the everyday point guard for the Sooners. Jackson is getting her points as a slasher, driving to the basket and creating havoc for opposing defenses. When playing OSU, she averages 11.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Jackson recorded her career-high 23 points on a personal-best 11 made field goals against Oklahoma State in the first round of the 2002 Big 12 Tournament, helping her earn all-tournament honors. In conference games, she ranks second in the Big 12 in steals (3.33), third assists (5.67) and blocked shots,
fifth in assists/turnover ratio (1.8) and seventh in defensive rebounds (6.33) per game. Jackson earned a spot on the Pepperdine All-Tournament team, after averaging 12 points, three rebounds and three steals per game plus shot 68.8 percent from the field.
      Senior forward and preseason All-America candidate Caton Hill (13.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg, three double-doubles) has lived up to her accolades. She leads the team in three-point field goal shooting (.405) and threes made per game (1.1). Since the start of the Big 12 play, Hill has almost doubled her rebounding efforts. She's grabbing 9.3 rpg in Big 12 action as to 5.1 rpg against non-conference opponents. She was named OU's MVP of the Bertha Teague Classic on Nov. 22 after scoring 17 points with the assistance of three 3s against ORU in the season opener. She then piled up back-to-back double-doubles on the road at SMU (14p, 10r) and Montana State (23p, 10r). At MSU, she hit a career-best 8-of-10 shots (80%), was 4-of-4 from the arc (100%) and 3-of-4 from the foul line (75%). She now has a school record 32 career double-doubles and moved up to No. 2 on the all-time rebounding list after collecting nine against then-No. 2 Tennessee on Dec. 21. She's 134 shy of tying the school record in this category.
      Freshman forward Leah Rush (9.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg, .511 FG%) has been outstanding in the last two games. During this time span, she's averaging 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Plus hitting 47.8 percent of her shots from the field and 83.3 percent from the free throw line. She appeared in her first starting lineup Wednesday at Texas A&M, producing a career-best 17 points and 10 rebounds. Rush was named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week after scoring 15 points and grabbing six boards as well as shooting 50 percent from the field against No. 3 Texas in Austin last Saturday. She also made and attempted career-best 7-of-14 field goals. Rush has scored 10-plus points in six games
      Sophomore guard Laura Andrews (5.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, .366 3pt-FG%) and redshirt-freshman Erin Higgins (4.8 ppg, .306 3-pt. FG%) have been splitting time at the shooting guard position as of late. Andrews, a native of Washington, Okla., has been gradually increasing her playing time over the past five games. She's gone from playing 11.4 minutes to 20.0 minutes per game. Andrews scored a season-best 11 points against Illinois and Wichita State and has hit 10 of her 15 three-pointers during this time span.
      Higgins came off the bench Wednesday to end a four game streak of going scoreless from the three-point line. The three-point specialist canned two crucial treys in OU's come-from-behind 65-56 overtime win at Texas A&M.
      Continuing to make OU's bench one of the deepest in the Big 12 Conference are players like sophomore Beky Preston (6.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, .506 FG%), junior Lauren Shoush (5.1 ppg, 1.5 apg, .474 FG%) and freshman Britney Brown (2.6 ppg, 1.1 apg, .387 FG%). Each have made important contributions to the team's success this season.
      Preston has appeared among the top five in 13 games. She ranks third on the team with 5.6 rebounds per game and was named MVP of the Pepperdine Invitational in November. Shoush has been the spark plug off the bench for the Sooners. She has scored 10-plus points twice (10 at SMU and a career-high 18 at Montana State). Brown has played valuable minutes in relief of Jackson at the point guard position. She took then-No. 19/23 Utah for a career-high 10 points, burying two three-pointers and hitting 4-of-7 shots in the 73-65 OU win.

OKLAHOMA STATE (6-8, 1-2 BIG 12)
      Oklahoma State enters Saturday's game with an overall record of 6-8 and Big 12 mark of 1-2. The Cowgirls have registered a top-25 win over then-No. 24 Michigan State (62-60) in Stillwater. OSU is 0-2 vs. top 10 teams and 1-2 against top 25 programs.
      Senior forward Trisha Skibbie ranks third in the nation and leads the Big 12 Conference in scoring with a 22.2 points per game. However, since the start of league play Skibbie's offensive production has dropped to 14.7 ppg. She also averages 8.8 rebounds per game plus shoots .507 percent from the field and has 21 blocked shots to her credit.
      Skibbie is assisted by junior guard Nina Stone's 10.9 ppg and a team-best 4.0 assists per game.
      As a team, OSU is averaging 61.8 points and 36.0 rebounds per game.
Head coach Julie Goodenough (Texas-Arlington, 1991) returned one starter (Skibbie) and just four letterwinners that produced an 8-21 record and 3-13 mark, 11th-best in the Big 12, a year ago. Coach Goodenough, who's in her second season with OSU, earned her 200th career win against Fresno State on Dec. 6.

UP NEXT
Oklahoma travels to Iowa State (8-5, 1-1 Big 12) for a 7 p.m. game on Tuesday, Jan. 20. The Cyclones most recently upset No. 2/1 Texas Tech, 64-63, Wednesday in Ames.
Oklahoma is 24-15 against Iowa State.

RUSH SHINES IN FIRST START
      Freshman Leah Rush produced her first collegiate double-double against Texas A&M Wednesday in College Station to assist OU to a 65-56 overtime victory. In her first start, Rush recorded a career-high 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds (three offensive and seven defensive) while playing a personal-best 37 minutes. She also made and attempted a career-high 9-of-11 free throws, including four in overtime. The Amarillo, Texas, native scored six of OU's 10 points in OT.
      She ranks second on the team with eight block shots and is shooting a solid 51.1 percent from the field and 78.0 percent from the free throw line.
      She is one of five Big 12 freshmen that rank among the league's top 10 in five different categories. Iowa State's Lyndsey Medders is the only Big 12 freshman that ranks among the top 10 in six different categories.
      Rush grabbed a career-best 11 boards in her collegiate debut against ORU on Nov. 22, and has scored in double digits six times.

SOONERS SAVE BEST FOR LAST
Oklahoma seems to be saving the best for last as the Sooners are currently averaging 37 points in the final 20 minutes of play against Big 12 teams, as opposed to 24 ppg before intermission.
In OU's only overtime game of the season, Oklahoma outscored its opponent (Texas A&M), 10-1.

VILLARROEL STEPPING UP PLAY
      Senior Maria Villarroel has stepped up her play since the start of the Big 12 Conference schedule. The 5-8 guard is currently the ONLY player in the league that ranks in the top-15 in scoring (2nd), field goal percentage (6th), steals (7th), defensive rebounds (9th) and rebounding (13th).
      In Big 12 play, she's averaging an impressive 19.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Before conference play, she was scoring 14.5 ppg and had 5.1 rpg.
      Baylor's 6-1 forward Sophia Young comes close to Villarroel, ranking in the top 15 in four of the five categories but she ranks 17th in scoring.

REBOUNDING WARRIOR
Senior Caton Hill has proven she's a warrior on the boards by becoming Oklahoma's all-time defensive rebounder before being sidelined last year. The 6-1 forward has 659 defensive boards for her career and currently averages a Big 12 best 8.67 per game against league opponents
The Ada, Okla., native also ranks fourth in Big 12 rebounding (9.3), 13th in assists (3.33), 14th in assists/turnover ratio (1.1) and 28th in scoring (9.7). (in Big 12 games)

HIGGINS BREAKS OUT
Redshirt-freshman Erin Higgins came off the bench Wednesday night to end a four game streak of going scoreless from the three-point line. The three-point specialist canned two crucial treys in OU's come-from-behind 65-56 overtime win at Texas A&M. She ended the night with six points and a career-high five rebounds.
Higgins contributes 4.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. Of her 19 field goals made, 15 have been from beyond the arc.

COALE'S IMPROVES OVERTIME RECORD
With the 65-56 overtime win at Texas A&M the Sooners improved their record to 4-2 in extra periods under coach Sherri Coale. Ironically, Coale's first overtime loss came against current TAM coach Gary Blair when he served as Arkansas' head women's basketball coach in 1999. The Razorbacks defeated OU in overtime in the second round of the WNIT, 97-93, in Fayetteville, Ark., on March 14, 1999.
OU was down by as many as 13 points in the second half, the largest deficit of the season that the Sooners have come back to win.

RUSH NAMED BIG 12 ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
      Freshman Leah Rush was named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week after scoring 15 points, 11 in the second half, against No. 3 Texas last Saturday. She also had six rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot in 27 minutes of action against UT, where her older sister (Katie) attends school. The Amarillo, Texas, native canned 50 percent of her shots, hitting a career-best seven-of-14 field goals.
      Rush's points and rebounds against the Longhorns were the second-most for the freshman at that time since then she scored a career-high 17 points and grabbed 10 boards at Texas A&M Wednesday.
      She averaged 8.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 block last week.

TIME SHARE
Head coach Sherri Coale has her deepest team in eight years. The Sooners can go as deep as 10 and currently have nine players averaging better than 10 minutes per contest. All but one player averages five minutes or more per outing.
Seven players have played in all 14 games and 11 have seen action in at least 11 games.

HILL PRODUCES 32ND CAREER DOUBLE DOUBLE
      Oklahoma senior forward Caton Hill scored 13 points and had 10 rebounds at Texas for her 32nd career double-double and her fifth double-double against the Longhorns. Hill hit 6-of-15 shoots from the field and dished out two assists and pocketed three steals for the day.
      The Ada, Okla., native has recorded all three of her double-double performances away from the Lloyd Noble Center. The other two occurred at SMU and Montana State. Against the Mustangs, Hill had 12 points and 10 rebounds and at MSU she had a season-high 23 points and 10 boards. She also hit a career-best 8-of-10 shots (80%), was 4-of-4 from the arc (100%) and 3-of-4 from the foul line (75%).
      When playing Oklahoma State Hill averages 8.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. She has hit 49.0 percent of her shots from the field, 50.0 percent from the three-point line and 62.5 percent from the free throw line against the Aggies. Hill also grabbed her career-high 19 rebounds at Oklahoma State as a sophomore (2-10-01).
      The 6-1 power forward past former Sooner great Phylesha Whaley on Oklahoma's all-time rebounding chart against Tennessee on Dec. 21. Hill now owns 937 career rebounds for second best on OU's chart.
      Hill has surpassed several milestones already this season including moving up to No. 9 on Oklahoma's all-time scoring list. She surpassed Tami Rogers for the ninth spot after scoring a season-high 23 points at Montana State. Hill has a total to 1,434 points in three-plus years. Hill already holds the school record for most defensive boards (659).

JACKSON SOLID ACROSS THE BOARD
      Junior Dionnah Jackson may not be flashy in how she scores, rebounds or passes the basketball but her production across the board deserves a standing ovation. The St. Louis, Mo., native has one of the most impressive stat line in the Big 12 Conference.
      Jackson averages 10.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.6 steals per game plus shots 45.8 percent from the field and 82.1 percent from the free throw line as a 5-9 point guard. She ranks among the league's best in five categories (steals [4th], assists/turnover ratio [4th], assists [4th], defensive rebounds [10th], scoring [28th]) and is OU's third best rebounder at 5.7 rpg. She also is OU's second best free throw shooter, hitting 23-of-28 foul shots (82.1 FT%).
      Over the last four games, she's dished out 6.6 assists, pocketed 3.6 steals and grabbed 6.2 rebounds per game, while scoring 7.6 points a game.
      Jackson has had more assists than turnovers in 12-of-14 games, including seven assists to zero turnovers in the season opener against ORU, six assists to zero turnovers vs. Nebraska and seven assists to just one turnover against then-No. 2 Tennessee.

RACKIN' UP
Oklahoma is one of the best offensive scoring teams in the Big 12 Conference. The Sooners are averaging 77.6 points per game (fourth best in the league) and have racked up 80-plus points against seven different opponents this season. OU has also surpassed the 90-point plateau three times.

SOONERS STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE STRONG
      Oklahoma currently ranks 21st in the most recent (Jan. 12) WBCA-Summerville RPI Rankings.
      Six of OU's opponents are ranked in the AP Top 25, while two another are receiving votes in the either the AP or ESPN/USA Today Coaches Polls.
      On the slate are eight teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament and four to the WNIT a year ago --- Pepperdine, Utah, Tennessee, Illinois, Texas (Final Four), Kansas State, Texas Tech (Elite Eight) and Colorado (Sweet 16). WNIT participants from the 2002-03 season are Montana State, Siena, Baylor (runner-up) and Missouri.

HOME ATTENDANCES RANKINGS OUT
      OU's game against Tennessee ranks as the 15th best attended women's basketball game of the 2003-04 season. OU-UT drew a record setting 12,080 fans, the most ever to witness a women's basketball game in the state of Oklahoma. The previous best was 11,245 set during the NCAA Tournament second-round game between OU and Villanova on March 18, 2002. The previous best for an OU regular season home game was 10,713 when the Sooners hosted Connecticut on Dec. 29, 1999.
      Connecticut ranks No. 1 for the sixth-straight week, bringing in an average of 13,996 fans per home game. Oklahoma ranks 14th in the nation with 5,677 fans per home game (as of Jan. 11).
      Eight of the Big 12's teams rank among the nation's top-50 in home attendance average, including four in the top-12.

OU AMONG ELITE PROGRAMS
Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Texas are the only Universities in the Big 12 Conference to have its men's and women's basketball teams ranked among the AP top-25. Overall, seven universities across the nation have both programs ranked: Connecticut, Duke, Stanford, North Carolina, Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma.

JACKSON ON EDGE OF ASSISTS MARK
Junior Dionnah Jackson dished out seven assists against No. 2 Tennessee on Dec. 21 and eight vs. Illinois to move up to the No. 5 spot on Oklahoma career assists list. She currently has 348 and looks to move past Angie Alexander's 367 (+26) and LaNeishea Caufield's 377 (+36) before season ends.

SOONER BENCH POWER
Out of Oklahoma's 1,087 points scored this season 34.0 percent (370 points) has come from its bench. The Sooners have scored 20-or-more points from its non-starters in 10 of OU's 14 games.
As a group, OU reserves have outscored the opponent subs 370-197. The largest differences between the two benches was when OU got 37 points to Southeast Missouri State's 6 (+31).

JUST IN CASE YOU WANTED TO KNOW
Oklahoma has shot 40 percent or better from the field in 10 games, while holding eight opponents to below that figure ... no team has shot 50 percent or better against the Sooners ... from the three-point line only one team has shot over 40 percent vs. OU (Tennessee, 43.8% [7-of-16]) ... OU ranks second in the Big 12 Conference in three-point field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to just 25.7 percent from beyond the arc ... Oklahoma has dished out more assists than its opponent in every game this season and has had more steals in all but one game (vs. Tennessee) ... the Sooners have been outrebounded four times ... OU freshmen class account for 26.9 percent of the team's total offense (292 points) while the starters are responsible for 68.5 percent of the points (745) and 56.6 percent of its rebounds (345) ... largest margin of victory this season has been 48 points over ORU (N22) ... the Sooners have hit 50 percent or better from the field in seven games ... OU has set two team record under the Sherri Coale Era, most team rebounds (68) and most attempted shots (80) against ORU (N22).

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OU Hosts Bedlam In Women's Hoops Saturday

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