OU Opens Big 12 Play Wednesday at 7 p.m.

MEDIA INFORMATION

No. 15/16 Oklahoma Sooners (10-1) vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-1)

Date & Time: Wed., Jan. 7 @ 7 p.m. CST
Site: Lloyd Noble Center (12,000) - Norman
Series Record: Tied 21-21
Tickets: Tickets still available. To purchase call 405-325-2424.
Radio: All Oklahoma games are broadcast live on KOMA-AM (1520) with Brian Brinkley (play-by-play) and Tara Robinett (color analyst). These broadcasts also are available through the OU athletics web site.
TV: None
Real-Time Stats: Live in-game statistics are available through OU's athletics web site.
Web Site: Oklahoma (www.SoonerSports.com), Nebraska (www.huskers.com)

PROBABLE STARTERS
OKLAHOMA (10-1)              PPG               RPG
10 F   Caton Hill                    14.7                5.5
14 F Beky Preston              6.7                  6.2
35 G   Dionnah Jackson       11.1                5.5
34   G   Erin Higgins                5.4                  1.9
5   G Maria Villarroel          14.5                5.1

NEBRASKA (10-1)                  PPG                  RPG
42   F   Alexa Johnson             11.7               4.7
53   C   Katie Morse                    8.9                  7.5
44   G   Kea Cannon-Johnson    10.7               9.2
22   G   Margaret Richards         12.2               7.6
20   G    Jina Johansen                3.4                 1.8

WEDNESDAY PREVIEW
      Wednesday is the Big 12 Conference opener for 10 of the 12 teams in the league. The 15th-ranked Oklahoma Sooner and the Nebraska Cornhuskers tip off their eighth conference slate on Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. inside the Lloyd Noble Center. Texas Tech and Iowa State will be the only two teams in the conference not in action Wednesday.
      OU and Nebraska closed out its non-conference schedule at 10-1. Both team losses came against SEC foes. Then-No. 2 Tennessee defeated OU, 71-55, on Dec. 21, while Nebraska went down to Ole Miss, 69-66, on Nov. 28.
      The Cornhuskers, who received five votes in the AP poll this week, are on an eight-game winning streak and could tie the school's long winning streak with a victory over the Sooners. However, OU has won two consecutive games at home and four of five conference home openers. The Sooners have produced an overall home conference record of 27-5 within the last four years. Outside of last season, OU had only lost two games inside the Lloyd Noble Center since the 1999-2000 season.
      OU pours in 81.3 points per game while Nebraska scores 71.5 ppg. The Cornhuskers have the edge on the boards, 46.7 to 43.5 but the Sooners shoot 48.8 percent from the field to NU's 40.7 percent.
      Both teams have three players averaging in double digits and return some missing pieces from last year's squads.

OKLAHOMA (10-1)
      Ten games into the season, Oklahoma has proven its can score and play defense as the Sooners are averaging better than 80 points per game and holding opponents to 60 ppg and a 38.4 field goal percentage. OU ranks third in the Big 12 Conference in offensive production (81.3 ppg) and ranks among the league's top 5 in six other categories, including second in three-point field goal percentage defense (.250).
      Oklahoma has recorded 80-plus points against seven opponents and hit the 90-point plateau three times (90 vs. ORU and at Montana State, plus 95 at Pepperdine) this season.
      The Sooners have a well-balanced attack from its front and back courts. To date, 56.2 percent of OU points are from the guards and 43.8 percent are from post players.
      Senior guard Maria Villarroel (14.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg, .570 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 this season and ranks second on the team with 14.5 points per game. She scored a season-high 24 points in the win at Stephen F. Austin by hitting 10-of-12 shots. Villarroel opened the season by hitting her first 17 free throws.
      Junior Dionnah Jackson (11.1 ppg, team-high 5.1 apg and 5.5 rpg, .826 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 ranks fourth in the Big 12 in assists (5.1) and steals (2.36) per game. Jackson earned a spot on the Pepperdine All-Tournament team, after averaging 12 points, three rebounds and three steals per game and shot 68.8 percent from the field.
      Senior forward and preseason All-America candidate Caton Hill (14.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg, two double-doubles) has lived up to her accolades. She leads the team in scoring and three-point field goal shooting (.452). 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 vs. 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 31 career double-doubles and moved up to No. 2 on the all-time rebounding list after collecting nine against No. 2 Tennessee on Dec. 21. She's 162 shy of tying the school record in this category.
      Redshirt-freshman Erin Higgins (5.4 ppg, .333 3-pt. FG%) has slid into the starting lineup after sophomore Chelsi Welch was sidelined in November with a season ending ACL injury. She leads the Sooners with three-pointers made (1.4) and attempted (4.3) per game.
      After averaging only four points and four rebounds per game last year, sophomore Beky Preston has almost doubled her scoring output (6.7 ppg). She also owns a team-best 6.2 rpg. In addition, she is showing offensive diversity by adding a few extra post moves to her arsenal over the summer months. Preston was named MVP of the Pepperdine Invitational in November after leading the Sooners in scoring and rebounding.
      Freshman forward Leah Rush (8.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg, .565 FG%), junior guard Lauren Shoush (5.9 ppg, 1.9 apg, .471 FG%) and freshman guard Britney Brown (3.4 ppg, 1.3 apg, .400 FG%) have made important contributions this season. Rush has scored 10-plus points in four games including a team-high 16 points in the home-opening win against Southeast Missouri State, hitting 6-of-7 shots. Shoush has been the spark plug off the bench for the Sooners the past two seasons. Her main contributions don't show up on the stat sheet but her energy level and work ethic is noticed by all. She has scored 10-plus points twice (10 at SMU and a career-high 18 at Montana State). The Oklahoma City native has started the last two games against Illinois and Wichita State. Brown has played valuable minutes in relief of Jackson at the point guard position. She took No. 19/23 Utah for a career-high 10 points, burying two three-pointers and hitting four of seven shots in the 73-65 OU win. Brown also dished out a personal-best four assists against Siena (N28).

NEBRASKA (10-1)
      Second year head coach Connie Yori looks to extend Nebraska's eight game winning streak come Wednesday. With a win, the Cornhuskers would match their longest winning streak in school history at nine. NU is off to an impressive 10-1 start and are currently receiving top 25 votes in the AP poll.
      Nebraska goes into Big 12 Conference play riding the thrill of five consecutive last-minute victories, including wins over No. 13 Ohio State (60-55), Louisiana-Lafayette (61-59), Creighton (70-62), Rice (59-56) and St. Bonaventure (69-62).
      The Huskers have been dominant in the closing minutes of games in recent weeks. During NU's eight-game winning streak, the Huskers have outscored the opposition 61-30 in the final four minutes. Nebraska has won seven of those games by eight points or less and trailed with four minutes remaining in three of those contests.
      Several Huskers have contributed individual heroics during NU's eight-game winning streak, but senior Margaret Richards has been Nebraska's most frequent contributor. She leads the team with 12.2 points and ranks second with 7.6 rebounds per game. She also makes 81.5 percent of her free throws (53-of-65). Richards is assisted by Alexa Johnson who averages 11.7 ppg and 4.7 rpg and Keasha Cannon-Johnson's 10.7 ppg and a team-best 9.2 rpg.

OU-NEBRASKA SERIES
      The all-time series between these two teams is tied at 21 each but Oklahoma has won the last five games.
      Nebraska opened and ended its 2002-03 season against Oklahoma. The Sooners defeated NU, 57-43, to open conference play in Lincoln and concluded the Cornhuskers season with a 71-52 loss in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament in Dallas. In that game, OU had three players in double digits led by Dionnah Jackson's 14 points, followed by Maria Villarroel's 13 and Theresa Schuknecht's 12 points. Schuknecht also had a game-high 10 rebounds for her fifth and final double double of the season. Alexa Johnson led NU with 11 points while Margaret Richards had a team-high eight boards. Johnson had seven boards. The Sooners shot 46.9 percent from the field to Nebraska's 32.8 percent. OU also out rebounded NU by 10, 44-34.
      In the first meeting, freshman Chelsi Welch and Villarroel had 17 point a piece, while Jackson grabbed a team-high eight boards, all defensive. Welch drained 3-of-4 treys, while Villarroel hit 7-of-10 free throws and pocketed four steals. Nebraska earned a 44-43 edge on the boards but only shot 24.1 percent from the free throw line and had 25 turnovers to OU's 23. Oklahoma shot 35.7 percent from the field but connected on 42.9 percent of its three-pointers.
      Coale is 5-3 against Nebraska.

CONFERENCE OPENERS
Oklahoma is 6-1 in Big 12 openers and 4-1 in Big 12 home openers.

UP NEXT
      Oklahoma heads to Austin, Texas to face third-ranked Texas on Saturday, Jan. 10 at 1 p.m. in a Sooner Sports Network broadcast.
      The Longhorns are 12-1 on the season and on a five game winning streak.
      This will be the third ranked opponent for the Sooners this season.

COALE SET TO BECOME ALL-TIME WINNINGEST COACH
If Oklahoma beats Nebraska Wednesday night, eighth-year head coach Sherri Coale becomes the Sooners all-time winningest women's basketball coach. The Healdton, Okla., native tied Maura McHugh's 142 career wins after defeating Wichita State on Dec. 30. Coale's 62.0 winning percentage also ranks second to McHugh's 67.0.
Coale is the only coach to have guided five Sooner teams to post season tournaments. McHugh took two teams to post season action, including OU's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 1986.

ANDREWS STEPPING UP
Sophomore Laura Andrews has come off the bench the last two game to average an impressive 11.0 points and 20 minutes per game. The Washington, Okla., native canned a team-best 54.5 percent of her three-pointers, hitting 6-of-11 treys, between those two games. Andrews also contributed 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the field (8-of-17).

HIGGINS BACK IN ACTION
Redshirt-freshman Erin Higgins returns to the court Wednesday after missing two games (Illinois and Wichita State). The Oklahoma City native was sidelined for precautionary reasons after hyperextending her left knee in practice, the same knee she torn her ACL while a senior in high school.
The three-point specialist is averaging 5.4 points and attempting 4.3 threes per game.

MOORE SEES JERSEY RETIRED
      Freshman Kendra Moore high school jersey (No. 10) was retired on Dec. 29, 2003 during a pregame ceremony at Ardmore High School in Ardmore, Okla.
      Moore missed her senior season (2002-03) due to rehabbing an ACL injury that happened during Sooner Sessions team camp in July 2002. Without playing a game, she earned Oklahoma Girls Basketball Coaches Association All-State honors last season. Her prep career averages 18.0 points, 8.0 steals, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
      Moore, who was a two-time Southern Conference Player of the Year, verbally committed to Oklahoma after being named the Oklahoma Player of the Year after her junior season (2002).

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 11.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.4 steals per game plus shots 49.0 percent from the field and 82.6 percent from the free throw line as a point guard. She ranks among the league's best in four categories (scoring [24th], assists [4th], steals [4th], assists/turnover ratio [7th]).
      Over the last two games, she's dished out 8.0 assists, pocketed 4.0 steals and grabbed 6.0 rebounds per game, while scoring 9.0 points a game.
      Jackson has had more assists than turnovers in nine of 11 games, including seven assists to zero turnovers in the season opener against ORU and seven assists to just one turnover against No. 2 Tennessee.

RACKIN' UP
Oklahoma is one of the best offensive scoring teams in the Big 12 Conference. The Sooners are averaging 81.3 points per game (third 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.

SHOUSH PROVIDES A SOONER SPARK
      Junior Lauren Shoush has been one of the most consistent players for the Sooners over the past two seasons. More important than the numbers she produces, Shoush's intensity has sparked Sooner runs in several games this season. Players feed off of her energy as she dives for loose balls, jump into passing lanes and battle for every rebound.
      Through 11 games, the Oklahoma City native has scored 59 points (5.9 ppg) and owns an assist/turnover ratio of 1.7, second best to Dionnah Jackson's 1.9. She is also shooting a much improved 47.1 percent (24-of-51) from the field and 33.3 percent (8-of-24) from the three-point line. Last year, she shot 35.1 percent (34-97) from the field and 22.5 percent (9-40) from the arch. Shoush has already connected on eight three-pointers this year.
The Putnam City North High School graduate is averaging 5.9 points, 1.9 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game.
      Shoush appeared among the top five against Illinois and Wichita State and started eight games last year.

RUSHING THROUGH THE GATES
      Freshman Leah Rush has been instrumental in the early going, playing an average of 18.6 minutes a game. Rush is fourth among Big 12 freshmen and on the team in scoring (8.5 ppg). The Amarillo, Texas native is one of five Big 12 freshmen that rank among the league's top 10 in six different categories.
      Iowa State's Lyndsey Medders is the only Big 12 freshman that rank among the top 10 in six categories.
      Rush grabbed a career-best 11 boards in her collegiate debut against ORU and scored a personal-best 16 points in her first Lloyd Noble Center outing.

HOME ATTENDANCES RANKINGS OUT
OU's game against Tennessee ranks as the 12th 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 fifth-straight week, bringing in an average of 14,543 fans per home game. Oklahoma ranks 11th in the nation with 5,962 fans per home game.
Eight of the Big 12's teams rank among the nation's top-36 in home attendance average, including five in the top-12.

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

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 324 and looks to move past Angie Alexander's 367 (+43) and LaNeishea Caufield's 377 (+53) before season ends.
Sooner great and ESPN analyst Stacey Dales-Schuman holds the school record with 764 assists. Dales is the only player to have scored more than 1,900 points, grabbed 700 plus rebounds and dished out more than 700 assists in a Sooner uniform. She was the first Oklahoma women's basketball player to earn academic and athletic All-America honors in the same year (2002). Dales was a two-time Associated Press All-American, consensus All-American, Kodak All-American, USBWA All-American, Women's Basketball News Service All-American and Kodak District V All-American in 2002 and 2001 and was selected as the Big 12 Player of the Year twice (2001, 2003) and Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year as a senior.

VILLARROEL RANKS AMONG ALL-TIME BLOCKERS
Standing at 5-8, senior Maria Villarroel has blocked five shots this season, ranking her 14th on OU's all-time shot blocking chart (26). She concluded last season with a team-best 21 blocked shots. Villarroel and freshman forward Leah Rush each has a team-best five blocked shots this season.

SUPPORTING CASE
In all but two game (at SFA, vs. Tennessee) at least one bench player has produced double digits in the scoring column for the Sooners. Krista Sanchez started things off with 13 points vs. ORU (N22), while freshman standout Leah Rush carried the load for the next three games (16 vs. SEMO (N24); 13 vs. Siena (N28); 10 at Pepperdine (N29); 13 at SMU (D3)). Sophomore Lauren Shoush also stepped up during the SMU game, scoring 10 points. Norman native and freshman Britney Brown was a surprise when she took No. 19/23 Utah (D7) for a career-high 10 points (two threes plus a pair of free throws). Shoush followed that performance with a personal-best 18 points at Montana State (D10), hitting a career- and game-tying four 3s. Sophomore guard Laura Andrews most recently produced a season-best 11 points against Illinois and Wichita State.

SOONER BENCH POWER
     Out of Oklahoma's 894 points scored this season 35.3 percent (316 points) has come from its bench. Freshmen Leah Rush's 93 points account for 29.4 percent of the bench scoring.
      The Sooners have scored 20-or-more points from its non-starters in nine of OU's 11 games.
      As a group, OU reserves have outscored the opponent subs 316-159. The largest differences between the two benches was when OU got 44 points to Wichita State's 17.

JUST IN CASE YOU WANTED TO KNOW
Oklahoma has shot 40 percent or better from the field in 10 games, while holding six of 11 opponents to below that figure this season ... 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 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 in just three games this season ... OU freshmen class account for 27.7 percent of the team's total offense (248 points) while the starters are responsible for 63.4 percent of the points (567) and 54.9 percent of its rebounds (263) ... 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 of 11 games ... OU has set two team record under the Sherri Coale Era, most team rebounds (68) and most attempted shots (80) against ORU (N22).

University of Oklahoma Athletics

OU Opens Big 12 Play Wednesday at 7 p.m.

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