OU to Play Two Games in Three Days

vs. Southeast Missouri State (0-0)
Friday, Nov. 19, 2004

vs. Texas State (0-0)
Sunday, Nov. 21, 2004

Tipoffs: 7 p.m. Friday & 2 p.m. Sunday
Location: Norman, Okla.
Arena: Lloyd Noble Center (12,000)
Television: O-Zone (www.SoonerSports.com)
Radio: KOKC-AM (1520)
Records: Oklahoma - 0-0; SE Missouri State 0-0; Texas State 0-0
Rankings: OU - No. 22 AP/No. 25 USA Today/Coaches
Promotions: Friday is `Almost Free-For-All' -- $3 general admission tickets available

Oklahoma takes on Southeast Missouri State on Friday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m., followed by Texas State (formally Southwest Texas) on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 2 p.m. Both games will be played at the Lloyd Noble Center and broadcast live on KOKC-AM (1520). In addition, all games not televised will be shown live via the O-Zone at www.SoonerSports.com. Brian Brinkley and Tara DeGiusti will be calling the action.

Friday's contest is an “Almost Free-For-All” event. Fans can purchase general admission tickets for the Southeast Missouri State game for only $3 each, a $5 discount off the regular adult general admission price. Fans entering the arena on the east side of the Lloyd Noble Center will be greeted by search lights, red carpet and the inflatable Schooner used during the football's team entrance onto Owen Field.

For the second consecutive year, OU will open its home schedule against Southeast Missouri State. The Sooners defeated SEMO, 83-48, a year ago and owns a 21-6 home opening record. Overall, OU is 16-14 in season openers but has won six straight home openers at the Lloyd Noble Center. Oklahoma won last year's season opener, 90-42, against ORU at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City.

After two solid exhibition performances, the Oklahoma women's basketball team is set to tip off the 2004-05 regular season campaign. The Sooners enter this weekend's action ranked 21st in the Associated Press and 25th in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches polls.

*OKLAHOMA (0-0)                PPG    RPG
24 F Leah Rush                    5.5          8.0
14 F Beky Preston                11.0       5.5
34 G Erin Higgins                  8.0         1.5
35 G Dionnah Jackson          9.5          5.5
00 G Chelsi Welch                 15.5       0.5

*SE MISSOURI STATE (0-0)   PPG    RPG
11 F Natalie Purcell                 5.5        3.0
25 F Chandra Brown              14.0     4.5
15 C Tatiana Conceicao          15.0    8.0
01 G Tiffanne Ryan                 3.5      0.5
22 G Brandi Russia                 7.0       3.0

*TEXAS STATE (0-0)                PPG    RPG
40 F Tamara Thompson           7.0     4.0
33 F Tori Talbert                      13.0     2.0
01 G Ashley McGruder           7.0      4.0
13 G Ally Kelly                        9.0    1.0
21 G Jeana Hoffman               6.0        3.0

* 04-05 Exhibition Stats

SERIES HISTORY
The history between these teams are short. Friday's game will mark just the third time, but for the third consecutive year, OU and Southeast Missouri State will face each other. OU has won each outing in Norman by a +31.5 margin.

Dec. 28, 2002 W, 87-59 (+28)
Nov. 24, 2003 W, 83-48 (+35)

Sunday's match up pits OU and Texas State against each other for just the second time in program history. The Sooners faced the Bobcats in San Marcos in 1988, winning 92-74.

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE
With two exhibition wins, Southeast Missouri State enters Saturday's game battle tested. SEMO picked up an easy 75-40 victory over Christian Brothers University on Nov. 8, before being challenged by SIU-Edwardsville, 69-63, on Nov. 12.

The Otahkians went 16-13 and finished fourth (10-6) in the Ohio Valley Conference a year ago. This season, SEMO is predicted to finish fifth but is loaded with veterans (3 seniors, 7 juniors) and returns senior center Chandra Brown, a preseason OVC second teamer. Brown is the only returning starter from a year ago. She, along with three other letterwinners, welcomes 11 newcomers to the program, six are junior college transfers.

Head coach B.J. Smith is in his second season with SEMO. He has produced a two-year record of 35-24. Coach Smith is a 1989 graduate of Southwestern College (Okla.) and sports a six year career coaching record of 150-45.

TEXAS STATE
In its only exhibition game of the season, the Texas State Bobcats lost 88-63 to Everyone's Internet on Nov. 11. TSU will face ORU on Friday before seeing the Sooners on Sunday.

In preseason predictions, Texas State is expected to place sixth in the Southland Conference.

Head coach Suzanne Fox returns six letterwinners from last year's 8-19 team that finished seventh (8-8) in the conference. Fox also returns Southland Player of the Year selection Tori Talberts. Talberts averaged 15.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game a year ago. She looks to own TSU's career record for rebounds as she currently ranks second with 917.

TSU has one Oklahoman on its roster, senior Ashley Perkins from Edmond. Perkins transferred from Redlions Community College. The Bobcats also have a pair of twins on their roster in Jenna and Jeana Hoffman, freshmen from Mitchell, South Dakota.

Coach Fox enters her eighth season at Texas State. She led the Bobcats to the NCAA Tournament in 2003 and has an seven-year record of 76-120.

In the Bobcats' only exhibition game, Talbert scored a team-high 13 points.

O-ZONE TO SHOW WOMEN'S BASKETBALL GAMES
Every game that's not televised will be available for Sooner fans, parents and friends on the O-Zone, at www.SoonerSports.com.

Give it a try! Examine the O-Zone on a month to month basis and you'll see why thousands of Sooner fans all over the world have become hooked on the O-Zone. Catch all of the live basketball games offered by the O-Zone this season for just 39.95 or $8.95 for a monthly basketball pass, which provides fans access to O-Zone live basketball games. Offer runs from November 1 through March 31.

THANKSGIVING IN THE BAHAMAS
For the second time in program history, the University of Oklahoma women's basketball team will travel to the Bahamas. OU will participate in a two-day Junkanoo Jam Tournament hosted on the Grand Bahamas Island over the Thanksgiving Holiday break.

The Sooners will face Akron on Friday, Nov. 26, while Florida takes on Iowa. The winners of Friday's games will compete against each other on Saturday.

OU also competed in this tournament during the 1995-96 season, going 1-1.

JACKSON - THE COMPLETE PACKAGE
Preseason All-American Dionnah Jackson continues to be an `all-in-one' player for the Sooners and head coach Sherri Coale. In OU's two exhibition games, she was solid across the board, averaging 9.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.5 steals per game while playing just 19.5 minutes per contest. Jackson was also 5-of-10 from the field (50%) and was a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line.

WELCH RETURNS TO THE HARDWOOD
Sophomore Chelsi Welch has returned to action after missing last season due to an ACL injury to her left knee. The Plainview, Texas native led OU in exhibition play with 15.5 points and six threes. Even though she played 20 minutes or less, the guard managed to attempt 21 field goals, making a team-best 12.

Welch was the 2003 Big 12 co-Freshman of the Year. She averaged 12.1 points per game and earned All-Big 12 second team honors in 2003-03.

PRESTON IMPACTING OTHERS
Junior Beky Preston has been one of the most impressive players in preseason. The 6-3 center has continued to gain strength and confidence heading into the 2004-05 season. She wrapped up the exhibition play with an average of 11.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, both second best on the team. She also had five assists and two blocked shots.

MCGHEE SIDELINED
Freshman Stephanie McGhee will miss a handful of games due to a stress fracture in her right fibula. McGhee played in both of OU's exhibition games and averaged 8.5 points in each. Three of her five field goals were beyond the three-point line.

McGhee comes to OU as the state's all-time leading scorer with 3,376 points, breaking the previous record by more than 600 points.

WADSWORTH STELLAR VS. OCU
Junior Antoinette Wadsworth is coming off a stellar game against Oklahoma Christian. Wadsworth came off the bench to score 16 points and grab nine rebounds in 17 minutes of play. Her regular season personal bests are 13 points (vs. Fordham, 2003) and nine rebounds (at Missouri, 2004).

JACKSON & HIGGINS NAMED TEAM CAPTAINS
Senior Dionnah Jackson and sophomore Erin Higgins were voted unanimous team captains by their teammates for the 2004-05 season. This marks first time in head coach Sherri Coale's nine seasons that two players were unanimous picks.

ESPN TO AIR NCAA BANQUET COALE HOSTED
Sherri Coale, along with Olympic gold medalist Dr. Dot Richardson, co-hosted the 14th annual NCAA Woman of the Year Awards Dinner on October 31 at the Westin in Indianapolis, Ind. The NCAA Woman of the Year Banquet will be televised on ESPN 2 on December 3, 2004 at 3 p.m.

The NCAA Woman of the Year Award, one of the most prestigious that the NCAA bestows, honors senior student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership. The overall winner is selected from 10 finalists. The 10 finalists are selected from winners from each state and the District of Columbia.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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