OU Women Face Baylor In Game Two of Doubleheader

MEDIA INFORMATION

No. 15/15 Oklahoma Sooners
(13-3, 3-2 Big 12)
vs.
No. 19/24 Baylor Lady Bears
(15-3, 3-2 Big 12)

Date & Time: Sat., Jan. 24 @ 3:30 p.m.
Site: Lloyd Noble Center (12,000) - Norman
Series Record: OU leads 15-4
Tickets: Ticket prices range from $10-$5. To purchase call 405-325-2424.
Radio: Sooner Sports Network - KOMA-AM (1520); Brian Brinkley (play-by-play) and Tara Robinett (analyst). All broadcasts also are available through the OU athletics web site.
TV: none
Rankings: OU - #15 AP & ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls ... BU - #19 AP & #24 ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls
Real-Time Stats: Live in-game statistics are available through OU's athletics web site.
Web Site: Oklahoma (www.SoonerSports.com), Baylor (www.BaylorBears.com)

PROBABLE STARTERS
OKLAHOMA (13-3)                   PPG           RPG
10    F    Caton Hill                        13.3            6.1
24    F   Leah Rush                      8.9             5.3
34    G    Erin Higgins                    4.9              2.5
35    G    Dionnah Jackson           10.7            5.5
5    G    Maria Villarroel               14.8            5.4

BAYLOR (15-3)                            PPG            RPG
33 F Sophia Young                        17.3             8.6
45 F Steffanie Blackman                14.3             6.4
02 G Chlsea Whitaker                     5.4              2.8
10 G Jessika Stratton                     9.1              2.8
32 G Ebony Jackson                       6.6             1.5

SATURDAY PREVIEW
      The 15th-ranked Oklahoma women's basketball team looks to rebound from a frustrating 69-51 loss to Iowa State this weekend. OU host No. 19/24 Baylor on Saturday, Jan. 24 in Lloyd Noble Center at 3:30 p.m. This will be a true doubleheader as Coach Kelvin Sampson and Sooners host Kansas State at 12:45 p.m. in an ESPN-Plus televised game.
Saturday's matchup between Oklahoma (13-3, 3-2 Big 12) and Baylor (15-3, 3-2 Big 12) features two of the top offensive and defensive teams in the Big 12 Conference.
      The Lady Bears rank first in the league in points per game (80.3) and three-point field goal defense (.258) as well as fourth in scoring defense (56.0). The Sooners dropped to fifth in the Big 12 in scoring (76.6) and scoring defense (57.9) plus ranks third in three-point field goal defense (.273).
      Individually, OU's Maria Villarroel ranks eighth in the league in scoring (14.8 ppg), while Baylor's Sophia Young ranks fourth (17.3 ppg). Young also ranks second in rebounding (8.6 rpg) and field goal percentage (.646). Dionnah Jackson leads the Sooners with 4.9 assists and 2.6 steals per game, third and second best in the league, respectively.
Both teams like to play a fast pace game, shoot three-pointers and apply intense defense.
      The Sooners are 6-1 when playing at home while BU has lost two of its three games on the road.

OU-BAYLOR SERIES
Oklahoma leads the all-time series 15-4 and has won the last 11 games against Baylor. The Sooners have not lost to the Lady Bears since they fail victim in the two-game series in 1996-97 and 1997-98.
Oklahoma is the ONLY team in the Big 12 Conference that Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson has not defeated. She is 0-7 against Sherri Coale's Sooners.

OKLAHOMA (13-2, 3-1 BIG 12)
      Oklahoma's shooting woes reappeared in Ames, Iowa, as OU shot just 10 percent from the three-point line hitting two of 20 attempts. The Sooners also were only able to muster up 34 percent from the field while being out rebounded for just the fifth time this season, 33-32. OU scored a Big 12 season-high 87 points vs. OSU but, three days later, the Sooners recorded a Big 12 season-low 51 points at Iowa State.
      Freshman Leah Rush produced her second career double-double with 12 points (eight from the free throw line) and 12 rebounds. Junior guard Dionnah Jackson battle the entire game producing a team-best 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
      While shooting is something the Sooners are working on daily, rebounding and defensive pressure remains strong focal points for the team. OU currently ranks first in the Big 12 Conference for best scoring defense, allowing only 55.2 ppg, field goal percentage, holding opponents to just 32.4 percent, and steals, pocketing 11.2 spg in Big 12 play. OU's +7.8 rebounding margin also ranks third best in league play.
      The Sooners have a well-balanced attack from its front and back courts. Senior guard Maria Villarroel (14.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, .578 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 two games (Utah, Iowa State) and leads the team with 14.8 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, 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 fifth in the league for best field goal percentage, shooting 57.8 and averages 11.0 points when playing BU.
      Junior Dionnah Jackson (10.7 ppg, team-high 4.9 apg, 5.5 rpg, .813 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. She hit the game winning three-pointer at Baylor last season and averages 7.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game vs. BU. In conference games, she ranks second the Big 12 in steals (3.20), sixth in assists (4.4) and seventh in blocked shots (1.40) per game plus eighth in assists/turnover ratio (1.6). 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 Caton Hill (13.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg, three double-doubles) leads the team in three-point field goal shooting (.386). Hill has faced the Baylor Bears seven times, winning all seven with averages of 12.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. She also shots an impressive 61.8 percent from the field against BU. Since the start of the Big 12 play, Hill has improved her rebounding efforts. She's grabbing 7.2 rpg in Big 12 action as to 5.1 rpg against non-conference opponents. Hill 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 127 shy of tying the school record in this category.
      Rush (8.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, .800 FT%, .480 FG%) has been outstanding. She's averaging 10.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game against Big 12 opponents and has produced two double-doubles. She appeared in her first starting lineup 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. She also made and attempted career-best 7-of-14 field goals. Rush has scored 10-plus points in seven games.
      Sophomore guard Laura Andrews (4.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg, .329 3pt-FG%) and redshirt-freshman Erin Higgins (4.9 ppg, .306 3-pt. FG%) have been splitting time at the shooting guard position. Andrews, a native of Washington, Okla., has been gradually increasing her playing time. She's gone from playing 11.4 minutes to 20.2 minutes per game. Andrews scored a season-best 11 points against Illinois and Wichita State and has hit 11 of her 16 three-pointers over the course of the last six games.
      Higgins came off the bench at Texas A&M 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 also hit two threes against Oklahoma State and at Iowa State.
      Continuing to make OU's bench one of the deepest in the Big 12 Conference are players like sophomore Beky Preston (5.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg), junior Lauren Shoush (4.9 ppg, 1.8 apg) and freshman Britney Brown (2.6 ppg, 1.2 apg. Each have made important contributions to the team's success this season. Preston has appeared among the top five in 13 games. She is tied for fourth on the team with 5.3 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.

BAYLOR (15-3, 3-2 BIG 12)
      Baylor finished the non-conference portion of their schedule at 12-1. After defeating Kansas, 85-66, Wednesday, Baylor season record now stands at 15-3 and 3-2 in Big 12 action.
      Three Lady Bears are averaging double figures in scoring lead by sophomore standout Sophia Young who tops the team in both points (17.3) and rebounds (8.6) per game. Young also ranks among the NCAA best in scoring and field goal percentage. Steffanie Blackmon ranks second in both categories with 14.3 and 6.4 rebounds, while freshman Emily Niemann is averaging 10.1 points
      BU is outscoring their opponents by 24.3 ppg and is shooting a league-leading .491.

UP NEXT
      Oklahoma heads North to face two Big 12 North opponents next week in Missouri (9-6, 0-4 Big 12) and No. 9/10 Kansas State (13-2, 4-0 Big 12).
      The Sooners will see the Tigers on Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m. inside the Hearnes Center. OU defeated Missouri, 74-69, in its only meeting last season but MU holds an overall 27-19 all-time series advantage.
      MU is currently winless in Big 12, while Kansas State is sitting in first-place with a perfect 4-0 record.
      OU journeys to Manhattan, Kan., to face the Wildcats at 2 p.m. in a Sooner Sports Network televised game at Bramlage Coliseum on Jan. 31, Super Bowl weekend.
      K-State dealt the Sooners one of their worst losses of the 2002-03 season, 74-45, in Norman and leads the series 22-20.

OU VS RANKED TEAMS
Oklahoma is 1-12 against teams that are ranked in the top 5 and 26-39 vs. teams ranked among the top 25 under current coach Sherri Coale.

ANDREWS VS. BAYLOR
      Oklahoma has not been a solid three-point shooting team this season (except in practice). However, the color green seems to improve OU's accuracy from the arc. Last season against Baylor, the Sooners canned 19-of-50 three pointers 38%) in the two-game series.
      Eight of those 19 treys came from sophomore guard Laura Andrews. Andrews connected on 53.3 percent (8-of-15) of her three-pointers taken against Baylor, including a personal-best five in Waco which aided in a career-best 21 points. She also shot and attempted personal bests in field goals made (7) and attempted (14) plus three-pointers attempted (10).
      As a freshman, her three-point field goal accuracy was just 25.0 percent but it jumped to 53.3 percent when seeing the color green. The Washington, Okla., native hit nearly half of her treys for the entire season against Baylor, canning eight of her 20 against BU.
      This season, Andrews has already hit 16 threes.

NCAA J.J. JUMPER IN NORMAN
      J.J. Jumper, the official basketball mascot of the NCAA, is to appear at Oklahoma's men's & women's basketball games this Saturday, January 24. J.J. Jumper will perform throughout the game as part of the NCAA's commitment to promote youth basketball participation and sportsmanship.
      J.J. Jumper's purpose is to increase enthusiasm and awareness of NCAA Basketball, while engaging and educating youth on healthy physical, emotional and educational values. J.J's mission is to represent both genders and all races. J.J. Jumper is an attention-getting 6'5 green creature with orange hair, size 26 shoes and a big heart that motivates youth to do their best on and off the court. J.J. appears at men and women's basketball games, giving away NCAA Basketball promotional items and performing skits during timeouts and/or halftime.
      J.J. Jumper was created in 1999, in part to help member institutions reach their younger fans. J.J. Jumper was developed through a study done by NCAA Basketball, and the concept has received a positive response from both youth and adults.

SOONERS & BEARS AMONG NCAA ELITE
Both teams have individuals that rank in the lastest NCAA Ranking Summary (Jan. 19, 2004). Baylor's Sophia Young ranks fifth for best field goal percentage (64.5%), while OU's Maria Villarroel ranks 22nd in the category (58.0). Young also ranks 78th in scoring (17.1). Junior Dionnah Jackson ranks 45th in assists per game (5.1) for the Sooners.
Team wise, both rank in the top 10 in scoring (BU 6th, OU 8th) and in the top 20 in four other categories.

COALE WORKING TOWARD ANOTHER MILESTONE
Sooner Coach Sherri Coale looks to surpass another milestone in her coaching career this season. The eighth-year head coach has 145 career victories and looks to collect her 150th before season ends.

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 10.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.6 steals per game plus shots 48.2 percent from the field and 81.3 percent from the free throw line as a 5-9 point guard. She ranks among the league's best in SEVEN Big 12 only categories (steals [2nd], assists [6th], blocked shots [7th], assists/turnover ratio [8th], defensive rebounds [13th], field goal percentage [.467] and scoring [25th]).
      In addition, Jackson is OU's second best rebounder at 5.5 rpg and third best free throw shooter, hitting 26-of-32 foul shots (81.3 FT%).
In Big 12 games, she's dished out 4.4 assists, pocketed 3.2 steals and grabbed 5.4 rebounds per game, while scoring 9.8 points a game.
      Jackson has had more assists than turnovers in 13-of-16 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.

SOONERS SAVE BEST FOR LAST
Oklahoma seems to be saving the best for last as the Sooners are currently averaging 40.6 points in the final 20 minutes of play, as opposed to 35.3 ppg before intermission.
In the only overtime game of the season, OU outscored Texas A&M, 10-1.

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 664 defensive boards for her career and currently averages a Big 12 best 6.60 per game against league opponents
The Ada, Okla., native also ranks 11th in Big 12 rebounding (7.2) and 22nd in scoring (10.0). (in Big 12 games)

RUSH SHINES IN FIRST START
      Freshman Leah Rush produced her first collegiate double-double against Texas A&M in College Station to assist OU to a 65-56 overtime victory. Followed by a 12 point and a career-best 12 rebound performance at Iowa State Tuesday.
      In her first start, Rush recorded a career-high 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds 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 10 block shots and is shooting a solid 80.0 percent from the free throw line.
     She ranks among the Big 12 freshmen top 10 in four different categories including third in rebounding (5.3 rpg) and fifth in scoring (8.9 ppg).

University of Oklahoma Athletics

OU Women Face Baylor In Game Two of Doubleheader

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors