Join Sherri Coale & Sooners in Celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day Saturday.

MEDIA INFORMATION

Kansas Jayhawks
(9-12, 2-8 Big 12)
at
NR/24 Oklahoma Sooners
(15-6, 5-5 Big 12)

Date & Time: Sat., Feb. 14 @ 4 p.m.
Site: Lloyd Noble Center (12,000) - Norman
Series Record: KU leads 27-19
Tickets: Ticket prices range from $5 to $10. To purchase call 405-325-2424.
Radio: Sooner Sports Network - KOMA-AM (1520); Mark Rodgers (play-by-play) & Tara Robinett (analyst). All broadcasts also are available through the OU athletics web site.
TV: FOXSports Network; Kevin Eschenfelder (play-by-play) & Brenda VanLengen (analyst)
Rankings: OU -AP, not ranked & #24 ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls ... KU, not ranked
Real-Time Stats: Live in-game statistics are available through OU's athletics web site.
Web Site: Oklahoma (www.SoonerSports.com), Kansas (www.kuathletics.com)

PROBABLE STARTERS
OKLAHOMA (15-6)                                                                 PPG    RPG
10    F    Caton Hill (6-1, Sr., Ada, Okla.)                               12.4         6.1
24    F    Leah Rush (6-1, Fr., Amarillo, Texas)                       8.2         4.6
34    G    Erin Higgins (5-9, Fr., Oklahoma City)                        6.2          2.4
35    G    Dionnah Jackson (5-9, Jr., St. Louis, Mo.)                11.4         6.1
05    G    Maria Villarroel (5-9, Sr., Margarita, Venezuela)     13.7        5.2

KANSAS (9-12)                                                                       PPG      RPG
11    F    Aquanita Burras (5-9, Jr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) 10.6       6.1
40    F    Crystal Kemp (6-2, So., Topeka, Kan.)                     13.6       5.3
22    C    Tamara Ransburg (6-4, So., Kansas City, Mo.)         8.0        6.0
13    G    Larisha Graves (5-9, Jr., Terry, Miss.)                      7.2        3.4
23    G    Erica Hallman (5-8, So., Covington, Ky.)                    6.7        1.3

SATURDAY PREVIEW
      Oklahoma (15-6, 5-5 Big 12) is set to host a two-game homestand with Big 12 Conference North opponents Kansas and No. 12 Colorado. OU host Kansas (9-12, 2-8 Big 12) on Saturday, Feb. 14, inside the Lloyd Noble Center at 4 p.m. The game will be carried live on KOMA radio (1520 AM) and broadcast nationally by FOX Sports Network.
      The Sooners slate isn't easy heading down the stretch as four of OU's six remaining games will be against ranked teams.
     Oklahoma is coming off a stunning 68-62 victory over No. 7 Texas Tech in Lubbock Tuesday, ending the Lady Raiders 17-game home winning streak. Kansas has lost three consecutive games and is under the new direction of interim head coach Lynette Woodard.
     OU is currently seventh in the Big 12 standings, while KU sits at No. 11.
     Oklahoma is a well-balanced team as three players average better than 10-points and five rebounds per game. Seniors Maria Villarroel and Caton Hill sports 13.7 and 12.4 points per game, respectively, while junior guard Dionnah Jackson averages 11.4 ppg and team bests of 5.1 assists and 2.6 steals per game. Jackson and Hill also leads the Sooners with 6.1 rebounds each.
     The Jayhawks are lead by sophomore Crystal Kemp's 13.6 and junior Aquanita Burras' 10.6 ppg. Freshman Lauren Ervin grabs a team-best 6.9 rebounds per game, while Burras and Tamara Ransburg each gets 6.1 and 6.0 rpg, respectively.

OU-KANSAS SERIES
      The Oklahoma and Kansas series dates back to the 1975-76 season when KU won the first three games by an average margin of 31 points. However, Oklahoma has won the last five meeting between these two team by 19.2 or more points.
      The Sooners defeated KU by 12 points last season in Lawrence and recorded the largest margin of victory for OU in Norman when they won by 22 points in 2002 (79-57).
      Oklahoma Head Coach Sherri Coale is 5-3 against Kansas.

OKLAHOMA (15-6, 5-5 BIG 12)
      Oklahoma sports an overall record of 15-6 and a Big 12 Conference mark of 5-5. The Sooners are lead by junior sensation Dionnah Jackson. Jackson ranks among the league's best in eight different categories when facing Big 12 teams. She's the team leader in rebounds (6.7), assists (5.1), steals (2.9), defensive rebounds (5.4) and block shots (0.9) per game vs. conference opponents. In overall games, Jackson averages 11.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.6 steals per game.
      Leading the Sooners in overall scoring are seniors Maria Villarroel (13.4 ppg) and Caton Hill (12.2 ppg). Villarroel also owns the team's best field goal percentage mark of 56.4 percent (of players making more than 10 shots). Hill's 6.1 rebounds per game is tied for first with Jackson.
      A bright spot for OU has been redshirt-freshman Erin Higgins performance from beyond the three-point line. Higgins has connected on 15-of-34 attempts for a 44.1 accuracy over the last five games. Another pleasant surprise has been sophomore Antoinette Wadsworth. Wadsworth has improved her averages to 4.8 points and 3.8 rebounds over the last five games. She has also hit 8-of-12 field goals for a solid 66.7 accuracy.
      As a team, Oklahoma is averaging 73.6 points and 42.0 rebounds per game.

KANSAS (9-12, 2-9 BIG 12)
      Kansas (9-12, 2-9 Big 12) is riding a three-game losing streak and have lost seven of its last eight, including an 81-51 home loss to state-rival Kansas State Wednesday. KU was led for the first time this season by sophomore guard Erica Hallman's 14 points followed by junior guard Larisha Graves' 10 against KSU. Freshman forward Lauren Ervin came off the bench to grab a team-high eight rebounds.
      For the season, Kansas is led by sophomore Crystal Kemp with 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Aquanita Burras is the only other Jayhawk in double-figures with 10.6 points per game. Ervin paces KU with 6.9 boards per game.
      The Jayhawks rank 10th in the Big 12 with 62.0 points per game and 10th in scoring defense, allowing opponents to score 64.1 ppg. KU is shooting 42.6 percent from the field and pulling down 36.9 rebounds per game, however, opponents are shooting 41.1 percent shooting and grabbing 35.6 boards per outing.
      On Jan. 29, Kansas coach Maria Washington stepped aside for medical reasons leaving fourth-year assistant coach and KU great Lynette Woodard to close out the 2003-04 season. Woodard won her first game she coached against Oklahoma State on Jan. 31, 74-61. The four-time Kodak All-American and the all-time women's collegiate scoring champion, Woodard is the most storied player in the history of Kansas women's basketball. She enjoyed a successful professional playing career overseas, for the Harlem Globetrotters and in the WNBA. She also played for numerous U.S. National teams.
      KU returned seven players and five starters from last year's team that went 11-18 overall and 3-13 Big 12.

UP NEXT
Oklahoma will face its sixth-ranked team of the season when the Sooners welcome No. 12 Colorado (19-3, 8-2 Big 12) to the Lloyd Noble Center on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. CU will be OU's last Big 12 North opponent for the regular season.
Colorado sports an all-time series record of 33-14 when playing OU. The Buffs won both meetings a year ago, including a 73-68 elimination win in the quarterfinals of the 2003 Big 12 Tournament in Dallas.

MISSING IN ACTION
Since Oklahoma returned to Norman Tuesday night, senior Caton Hill has been missing in action. Why? The 6-1 power forward has been interviewing for medical school at the University of Kansas and United States Uniform Health Services (USUHS).
Hill will be in the starting lineup Saturday against Kansas.

HAVE YOU SEEN IT?
Monday night the OU women's basketball team went to see the movie Miracle. It's a true story of Herb Brooks, the player-turned-coach who led the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team to victory over the seemingly invincible Russians.
Tuesday, the Sooners upset No. 7 Texas Tech, 68-62, ending TTU's 17-game home winning streak, in Lubbock.

WHAT A DAY - NGWS!
      The Oklahoma Athletics Department has numerous activities planned in honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day and Valentine's Day Saturday.
      National Girls and Women in Sports is a national celebration designed to recognize and promote the importance of sports in girls and women's lives. It was created as a celebration to honor the achievements of girls and women and encourage participation of girls and women in sports. This celebration started in 1987 to remember Olympic Volleyball player Flo Human for her athletic achievements and her work to assure equality for women's sports.
      OU will host a post game group autograph session for female athletes from cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, tennis, track and field and volleyball. Fans will receive a commemorative National Girls and Women in Sports Day poster at the autograph session.
      To make the day even more special, Lewis Jewelers will be giving a pair of diamond earrings away to one lucky Sooner fan.
      Saturday's game sponsor, Love's Travel Stops, will sell $1 hearts to benefit the Children's Hospital and Children's Miracle Network.

GET IN FREE!
In honor of the National Girls and Women in Sports Day the OU Athletics Ticket Office is providing a special ticket promotions that includes “Bring a Kid to the Game!” Buy one general admission adult ticket and receive a youth ticket FREE!
Call the OU ticket office at 800-456-GoOU and mention the National Girls and Women in Sports Day special to receive this offer. Ticket prices range from $5 to $10.

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 147 career victories and looks to collect her 150th before season ends.

THE RECORD TO WATCH
Senior Caton Hill surpassed the 1,500 point milestone (1,507) with 16 at Texas Tech Tuesday. She is just 24 rebounds short of 1,000. If she reaches the 1,000 rebounds mark she will become just the second Sooner in school history to score 1,500 points and collect 1,000 rebounds. Molly McGuire is currently the only Sooner to hold this honor. She scored 2,187 points and grabbed 1,071 rebounds from 1980-1983.

JACKSON MOVES UP TO NO. 4 ON ASSISTS LIST
      Junior guard Dionnah Jackson (St. Louis, Mo.) distributed game highs in assists against Texas A&M (4) and at Texas Tech (5) to move up to No. 4 on Oklahoma's all-time assists list. Jackson is two shy of tying former Sooner LaNeishea Caufield for third (377). She now has 375 career assists and 107 on the season, 18 shy of breaking into the single season top 25 chart.
      In Big 12 play she's averaging 5.1 per game, fourth best in the league. She also ranks third in overall games with 5.1 apg. Texas A&M's Toccara Williams leads the Big 12 with 7.45, followed by Texas Tech's Erin Grant's 7.20 apg. Jackson, a 5-9 point guard, has dished out four or more assists in 16 different games and has had more assists than turnovers 17 times this season.
      Former Sooner Sharee Mitchum ranks second with 601 assists and Sooner great Stacey Dales-Schuman holds the school record with 764 assists.

CHARITY STRIPE REWARDS
Oklahoma is the only team in the Big 12 Conference that has three players ranked among the league's top 15 in free throw percentage.
Senior Caton Hill (.821), junior Dionnah Jackson (.817) and freshman Leah Rush (.803) ranks seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively, in Big 12 overall games.
Colorado, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Nebraska each have two players ranked among the top 15.

TERRIFIC TWOSOME COMES ALIVE
      After struggling over a four game span, Oklahoma seniors Maria Villarroel and Caton Hill are back on track offensively and defensively.
      Over the past two games, Villarroel has averaged 19.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals and one block shot per game, while shooting .542 percent from the field. Hill has averaged a double double with 14.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. She has also connected on 44.4 percent of three-pointers taken (4-for-9).
      Villarroel scored 16 of her game-high 19 points in the first half, marking the most points she has scored since recording 21 against the Aggies in College Station on Jan. 14. She also pocketed a career-best five steals. Villarroel topped that performance with a game-high tying 20 points in OU's upset win at Texas Tech on Feb. 10. She also had two blocked shots and hit five of seven free throws.
      Hill produced her fourth double-double of the season and 33rd of her career with 12 points and 10 rebounds against Texas A&M. She also moved up to No. 9 on OU's all-time steals list after she picked off four. At Texas Tech, Hill hit two three-pointers and all four free throws en route to scoring 16 points. The power forward also had nine rebounds, a block, a steal and an assists.
      The terrific twosome continues to lead the Sooners in scoring with 13.7 (Villarroel) and 12.4 (Hill) points per game. Villarroel also tops the team with a 56.5 field goal percentage, while Hill is tied for first in rebounding (6.1) and ranks second in steals (1.6) and assists (1.9) per game.

SOONERS STRONG WHEN...
Oklahoma has hit 50 percent or better from the field in seven games, producing a perfect 7-0 record. The Sooners are also undefeated, 13-0, when collecting more rebounds than their opponents.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Join Sherri Coale & Sooners in Celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day Saturday.

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