Women's Basketball Hosts Lamar Thursday at 7 PM

NORMAN, Okla. -- The Oklahoma women's basketball team (3-1) returns to the Lloyd Noble Center to host Lamar (3-0) on Thursday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m. Single game general admission tickets are available for just $8 for adults and $5 for kids. OU students get in free with a valid I.D.

Live game action will be available on KOKC-AM (1520) and on the O-Zone at SoonerSports.com. Brian Brinkley and Tara DeGiusti will be calling the action on both outlets.

Oklahoma looks to bounce back after a disappointing loss to Iowa (54-47) in the championship game of the Junkanoo Jam Lucaya Division last weekend in the Grand Bahamas. The Sooners shot a frigid 23.9 percent from the field, hitting just 16-of-67 field goals against the Hawkeyes. However, OU dismantled Akron (88-40) in its opening game by picking up a 48-point victory, which ties the school's fourth largest winning margin away from the Lloyd Noble Center.

Game Notes in PDF | Watch Game Live on the O-Zone | O-Zone?

OKLAHOMA (3-1) vs. LAMAR (3-0)
Date: Thursday, Dec. 2, 2004
Tipoff: 7 p.m.
Location: Norman, Okla.
Arena: Lloyd Noble Center (12,000)
Internet/Television: O-Zone
Radio: KOKC-AM (1520)
Series: First meeting
Tickets: General admission tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for kids. FREE admission to OU students with valid I.D.
Promotions: Holiday Family Packs are on sale!

For the two-game tournament, OU was led by senior Lauren Shoush's 12.5 points per game, followed by Dionnah Jackson's and Leah Rush's 9.0 ppg. Erin Higgins and Chelsi Welch each added 8.0 ppg. As a team, OU averaged 67.5 points and 45.0 rebounds to its opponents 47.0 points and 37.0 rebounds per outing. However, the Sooners only shot 34.9 percent from the field and 28.1 percent from the arc for the two games.

Lamar enters the game riding a three-game winning streak. The Lady Cardinals have beaten up on a trio of NAIA schools most recently, Texas College (72-24), Loyola-New Orleans (69-53) and Wiley College (92-52).

Following Thursday's game, Oklahoma travels to Tulsa to compete in the Quick Trip Bertha Teague Classic for the seventh consecutive year. OU, Tulsa, Oklahoma State and host ORU will participate in the one-day event. Oklahoma tips off against Tulsa at 11:45 a.m., followed by ORU and OSU at 2:05 p.m. inside the Mabee Center.

PROBABLE STARTERS
OKLAHOMA (3-1)
24   F Leah Rush (6-1, So., Amarillo, Texas - 9.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
14   F Beky Preston (6-3, Jr., Albuquerque, N.M. - 5.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg)
34   G Erin Higgins (5-9, So., Oklahoma City - 9.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
35   G Dionnah Jackson (5-9, Sr., St. Louis, Mo. - 12.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
00   G   Chelsi Welch (5-9, So., Plainview, Texas - 8.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg)

LAMAR (3-0)
15 F Audrea Samuel (6-0, Jr., Beaumont, Texas - 11.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg)
31 F   Chelsea Gugliotta (6-0, Fr., Bicknell, Ind. - 9.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg)
45 F Shaquita Coffey (6-1, Fr., Beaumont, Texas - 7.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg)
25 G   LaToya Carson (5-9, So., Long Beach, Miss. - 14.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg)
03 G   Demela Lowe (5-6, Sr., McAlester, Okla. - 6.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg)

SERIES HISTORY
Thursday will be the first meeting between OU and Lamar. Oklahoma is 23-9 when facing teams from the Southland Conference.

LAMAR (3-0)
With a 3-0 record, Lamar matches its 1990-91 Elite Eight team for best school start. Ten of LU's first 12 games will be played inside its Montagne Center. Thursday is Lamar's first road game of the season.

The Lady Cardinals defeated Texas College Monday night, 72-24. In that game, two players scored in double digits; LaToya Carson (13) and Megan McDougald (10). LU out rebounded Texas College, 68-26, and forced 34 TC turnovers.

LU has won its three regular season matchups against NAIA teams by a +34.7 scoring margin.

Carson sports a team best 14.7 points per game, followed by Audrea Samuel's 11.7 ppg. Five players average at least five rebounds per game, lead by Chelsea Gugliotta's 7.0. Carson and Samuel each average 6.3 rpg, while Shaquita Coffey ranks second with 6.7 rpg.

LU is out rebounding its opponents by 27 boards a game, 61.0 to 33.7. Lamar also boasts a 46.5 field goal accuracy. However, LU is only making 20 percent of its 3-pointers and 56.0 of its foul shots.

Leonard Drake is in his third season as head coach for Lamar's women's basketball program. The Central Michigan graduate (1978) has produced a two-year record of 7-46 but returned four letterwinners that finished at 4-22 last season. Lamar also tied for 10th in the Southland Conference a year ago.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SINGLE GAME & HOLIDAY FAMILY PACKS
Women's Basketball Holiday Family Packs are now on sale! Holiday Family Packs include your game ticket, a regular hotdog, a small Coke and an OU t-shirt (redeemable at OU Authentic) all for just $10 (minimum order of four packages required). To purchase the Holiday Family Packs visit www.SoonerSports.com.

JACKSON NAMED TO SENIOR CLASS WATCH LIST
Oklahoma's Dionnah Jackson is one of 30 females to be selected to the 2004-05 Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS watch list. The award is presented annually to the nation's senior player-of-the-year from NCAA Division I women's basketball programs.

The Senior Class Award - an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement from Staying in School - was launched in the 2001-02 college basketball season. The women's award was established to encourage a continued emphasis on senior leadership.

TWO SOONERS LEAD THE BIG 12
Oklahoma has two players that lead the Big 12 Conference and seven that rank among league's best. Chelsi Welch tops the league for best free throw percentage, hitting all nine attempts. Leah Rush is tied for fourth with a 90.9 accuracy (10-of-11), while Casey Walker is tied for eighth, hitting 87.5 percent (7-of-8).

Dionnah Jackson is the league leader in steals per game, averaging 4.25. She also ranks 13th in blocked shots (1.25) and 15th assist/turnover ratio (4.3).

Lauren Shoush ranks 12th in three-point field goal percentage (.385). Beky Preston is tied for 12th in offensive rebounds, averaging 2.5 per game.

Sophomore Erin Higgins averages 2.5 threes per game for second best among Big 12 players. She is also tied for 14th for most minutes played (29.75) and 15th in defensive rebounds (4.25) per game.

HOME SWEET HOME
The Lloyd Noble Center has become one of the toughest venues for opponents. Oklahoma has produced a home court record of 68-14, an 82.9 winning percentage, over the last six years. The Sooners have only lost two non-conference games during this period (Connecticut, 2000 and Tennessee, 2004).

Nationally, OU currently ranks No. 12 on the unofficial 2004-05 women's basketball home attendance rankings compiled by the University of Wisconsin. The Sooners currently draw 4,734 fans to home games (fourth best in the Big 12 Conference).

JACKSON IS ON THE MOVE
With four games under her belt, senior Dionnah Jackson is climbing OU's career charts. Over the weekend, Jackson moved up in defensive rebounds and steals.

The St. Louis, Mo., native is now tied for fifth in career defensive rebounds (453) and steals (217). She pocketed 12 steals, including a personal-best nine against Iowa, and tallied five defensive boards for the moves. The 5-9 point guard also owns 43 career blocks, 11 short of the top five.

MIXING-AN-MATCHING
Head coach Sherri Coale is still searching for the right combination on the court. Coale has had the luxury of playing 10 of her 13 eligible players in three of the four games. Against Texas State and Akron all 13 Sooners that suited up played.

In addition, 11 of Coale's 13 players are averaging double digits in minutes played per game.

JACKSON AND RUSH NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Senior Dionnah Jackson and sophomore Leah Rush were named to the 2004 Junkanoo Jam All-Tournament team after guiding the Sooners to a second-place finish. Both players averaged nine points per game and were solid at the free throw line. Rush was a perfect 7-of-7 from the foul line while Jackson hit six of 10 shots. Jackson shot 50 percent from the field (6-of-12) as well. For the tournament, Rush ranked second on the team in rebounds with 6.5 per game. Junior Antoinette Wadsworth topped the team with 8.0 rpg.

IN SEARCH OF 500TH PROGRAM WIN
Oklahoma is 17 wins shy of reaching its 500 career victory. The 31-year old women's basketball program has 483 wins.

COALE TOPS EIGHT YEAR RECORD
Sooner coach Sherri Coale has produced 156 wins heading into the 2004-05 season, ranking her at the top of the list for most wins of an eight-year coach in Division I.

Kansas State's Deb Patterson ranked second with 151 victories, followed by Terri Mitchell's 150 wins at Marquette.

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.

Jackson kicked off the season in stellar fashion by scoring a career-high tying 23 points on nine of 11 shooting (81.8 field goal percentage) against Southeast Missouri State (N19). She also dished out a game-high eight assists.

At the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas, she picked up a personal-best nine steals in OU's game against Iowa.

Jackson is averaging team bests of 12.5 points, 1.3 blocks, 4.3 steals and 4.8 assists per game. She is also shooting an impressive 64.3 percent from the field, hitting 18-of-28 shots.

SOONERS' SIXTH MAN
Senior Lauren Shoush brings a ton energy to the court when she comes off the bench. Her biggest contribution won't show up on the stat sheets but they will make the team's highlight tapes. Shoush is averaging 4.0 rebounds per game and contributing 9.5 points per outing. She is also hitting 52.4 percent from the floor and 78.6 percent from the stripe.

MCGHEE SIDELINED
Freshman Stephanie McGhee is expected back on the court before OU's game at TCU on Dec. 9. She has missed a handful of games due to a stress fracture in her right fibula. McGhee was named the Preseason Big 12 and Media Freshman of the Year. She played in both of OU's exhibition games and averaged 8.5 points. Three of her five field goals made were 3s.

McGhee is the state's all-time leading scorer with 3,376 points, a mark that broke the previous record by more than 600 points.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Women's Basketball Hosts Lamar Thursday at 7 PM

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