Sooners in Top 25 Women's Basketball Action Wednesday

MEDIA INFORMATION

No. 8 Texas Tech
(23-4, 9-4 Big 12)
at
No. 23 Oklahoma Sooners
(17-7, 7-6 Big 12)

Date & Time: Wed., Feb. 25 @ 7 p.m.
Site: Lloyd Noble Center (12,000) - Norman
Series Record: Texas Tech leads 19-9
Radio: Sooner Sports Network - KMGL-FM (104.1); Brian Brinkley (play-by-play) & Tara Robinett (analyst).
TV: Red Raider Network (Lubbock)
Real-Time Stats: Live in-game statistics and broadcasts are available through OU's athletics web site.
Tickets: Ticket prices range from $5 to $10. To purchase call 405-325-2424.
Rankings: OU is ranked 23rd and Texas Tech is eighth in the AP poll.
Web Sites: Oklahoma (www.SoonerSports.com), Texas Tech (www.goladyraiders.com)

PROBABLE STARTERS
OKLAHOMA (17-7, 7-6)                                                  PPG       RPG
10   F   Caton Hill (6-1, Sr., Ada, Okla.)                           12.3       5.9
24   F   Leah Rush (6-1, Fr., Amarillo, Texas)                    8.2        4.7
34   G   Erin Higgins (5-9, Fr., Oklahoma City)                    7.3        2.5
35   G   Dionnah Jackson (5-9, Jr., St. Louis, Mo.)             11.3     6.0
05   G   Maria Villarroel (5-9, Sr., Margarita, Venezuela)   14.6     5.3

TEXAS TECH (23-4, 9-4)                                                  PPG     RPG
05   F   Chesley Dabbs (6-0, So., Plano, Texas)                5.8       2.7
41   F   LaToya Davis (6-1, So., Houston, Texas)              7.0      5.4
33   C   Jolee Ayers-Curry (6-2, Sr., Canyon, Texas)        4.7      4.0
14   G   Erin Grant (5-8, So., Arlington, Texas)                  7.9      4.6
55   G   Alesha Robertson (6-0, Fr., Plainview, Texas)     12.3    3.7

WEDNESDAY PREVIEW
The Lloyd Noble Center will be the site of top 25 women's basketball action Wednesday, Feb. 25, as No. 23 Oklahoma (17-6) host No. 8 Texas Tech at 7 p.m. The Sooners upset the Lady Raiders, 68-62, in Lubbock three weeks ago, ending Tech's 17-game home winning streak.

Texas Tech (22-4) stunned No. 1 Texas, 73-68, Sunday in Lubbock to push its Big 12 Conference record to 8-4. TTU, who has lost its starting center (Cisti Greenwalt) and shooting guard (Jia Perkins), has remained tough as they are tied for third place in the league.

OU enters Wednesday's game coming off a disappointing 77-62 loss to No. 19 Baylor in Waco, but the Sooners dismantled then-No. 13 Colorado, 78-58, a week ago in Norman. Oklahoma sits in sixth-place in the conference with a 7-6 record.

Special ticket promotions for the OU-Tech game include “Faculty/Staff Night!” In appreciation of all OU Faculty/Staff members, the OU Athletics Department is offering general admission tickets to all OU Faculty Staff for just $2. To order tickets at this special rate, call the Athletics Ticket Office at 325-2424 and identify yourself as an OU Faculty/Staff member by providing the ticket office representative with your discount code - FS100. You can also purchase these tickets in person at the OU Athletics Ticket Office, located on the ground level of the Asp Avenue Parking Facility, or at the Lloyd Noble Center Box Office on the day of the game by presenting your Faculty/Staff ID.

Wednesday's halftime entertainment will feature a performance by the amazing Red Panda Acrobat. She dazzled the crowd at intermission of the men's game versus Texas last Saturday.

OU-TEXAS TECH SERIES
The Oklahoma and Texas Tech series has been one of the most entertaining match-ups for the league. The last 11 games have been decided by an average of 9.4 points.

The Sooners took game-one, 68-62, on Feb. 10 in Lubbock, while Tech swept the two-game series a year ago.

Wednesday will mark the 29th meeting between the two teams. Tech leads the all-time series 19-9 and owns a slim 7-5 advantage when playing the Sooners in Norman.

OU has won six of the last eight outings.

Oklahoma Head Coach Sherri Coale is 7-9 against Texas Tech.

The Sooners swept the 2001 and 2002 two-game series, including a matchup in the NCAA Elite Eight.

OKLAHOMA (17-7, 7-6 BIG 12)
Oklahoma sports an overall record of 17-7 and a Big 12 Conference mark of 7-6. The Sooners are lead by junior sensation Dionnah Jackson. Jackson ranks among the league's best in seven different categories when facing Big 12 teams. She's the team leader in rebounds (6.3), assists (5.6), steals (2.8) and defensive rebounds (5.1) per game vs. conference opponents. In overall games, Jackson averages 11.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.6 steals per game.

Leading the Sooners in overall scoring are seniors Maria Villarroel (14.6 ppg) and Caton Hill (12.3 ppg). Villarroel also owns a team best field goal percentage of 58.1 percent (of players making more than 15 shots). Hill's 5.9 rebounds per game ranks second on the team.

Redshirt-freshman Erin Higgins has been more consistent as a scoring threat for opponents as she's averaging 2.38 three-pointers against Big 12 teams. Higgins also has hit 34 of her 57 3s in the last 12 games.

As a team, Oklahoma is averaging 73.7 points and 41.1 rebounds per game, compared to its opponents 60.5 ppg and 34.8 rpg.

TEXAS TECH (23-4, 9-4 BIG 12)
Texas Tech has had a warrior mentality as the Lady Raiders keep fighting through adversity. TTU is tied for third (9-4) in the Big 12 Conference after losing starting center Cisti Greenwalt to a broken ankle last week and shooting guard Jia Perkins to medical reasons in January. At one point Tech was ranked No. 1 in the country. Stepping up for the Lady Raiders has been freshman guard Alesha Robertson and sophomore guard Erin Grant. Robertson is the only player averaging in double digits with a team-high 12.4 points per game. She also shoots 42.5 percent from the three-point line and 79.3 percent from the free throw stripe. Grant is the team's top assists leader with 176 on the season (6.8 apg). She is the only Lady Raider who has played and started all 26 games.

Stepping up for head coach Marsha Sharp against Texas Sunday was senior center Jolee Ayes-Curry, in place of Greenwalt. Ayes-Curry scored 14 points, grabbed eight rebounds and held UT's Stacy Stephens to just seven points and seven rebounds. LaToya Davis led the team with 15 points, while Grant added 11 and a game-high nine assists. Casey Jackson came off the bench for a team-best nine rebounds in 25 minutes of play. Tech shot 40.6 percent from the field and went 8-for-9 from the free throw line for an 88.9 accuracy.

UP NEXT
Oklahoma travels to Stillwater for Bedlam on Saturday, Feb. 28. The Sooners will take on the Cowgirls at Noon inside Gallagher-Iba Arena, a place where OSU has upset two top 25 teams this season.

OSU sports an overall record of 8-17 and a Big 12 mark of 3-11, which is 10th best in the league. The Cowgirls will have a full week to prepare for the Sooners as OSU is idle Wednesday.

WHAT'S REMAINING
Oklahoma has three games to play before concluding the 2003-04 regular season schedule. However, they will not be easy as the Sooners are set to face two ranked Big 12 teams as well as go to Oklahoma State for Bedlam. OU host No. 8 Texas Tech (Wed., Feb. 25), go to Oklahoma State (Sat., Feb. 28) and host No. 5 Texas (Tues., March 2).

OU VS. RANKED TEAMS
Oklahoma is 1-2 against teams ranked in the top 10 and 3-5 vs. teams in the top 25 this season.

Under Sherri Coale, the Sooners are 28-42 vs. top 25 programs; 5-25 vs. top 10; and 1-11 vs. top 5 teams.

The last time OU upset a top-10 team was earlier this season when the Sooners handed then No. 7 Texas Tech a 68-62 loss in Lubbock. It also marked the first time OU had defeated a top 10 team on its home court since beating then-10th ranked Baylor, 65-60, in Waco, Texas, on Feb. 5, 2002.

SOONER BORN, SOONER BRED
On Monday, Feb. 23, 2004 at 11:22 a.m. Hudson Riley Thrailkill was born at Norman Regional Hospital. He is the son of Chad, OU's Director of Basketball Operations, and April Thrailkill and brother to Shelby (5) and Brayden (2). Hudson Thrailkill weight 8lbs., 10oz. and was 20 inches long. Hudson and April are doing well.

RUSH WILL FACE FORMER TEAMMATES
Freshman Leah Rush is set to face former teammates and friends from her prep career Wednesday night. OU's Chelsi Welch and Rush along with Texas Tech's Brooke Baughman and Alesha Robertson were all West Texas Star Hawks who won the AAU National Championship 16-and-under title. That team was coached by Betsy Baughman, Brooke's mom.

In addition, Rush also played with Tech's Natalie Ritchie. Ritchie was a high school senior when Rush was a freshman at Amarillo High.

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 149 career victories and will be going for her 150th win against Texas Tech Wednesday.

THE RECORD TO WATCH - LOOKING TO BE ELITE
Senior Caton Hill has 1,542 points and needs 11 rebounds to reach 1,000 and two steals for 200. If she reaches the 1,000 rebound and the 200 steal marks she will become the ONLY Sooner in school history to score 1,500 points, collect 1,000 rebounds and pocket 200 steals in her career.

Molly McGuire is the only Sooner to hold the honor of being a 1,500 and 1,000 club member. She scored 2,187 points and grabbed 1,071 rebounds from 1980-1983.

SOONERS & LADY RAIDERS AMONG NCAA ELITE
Both teams have individuals that rank in the lastest NCAA Ranking Summary (Feb. 16, 2004). Tech's Erin Grant ranks eighth for most assists per game, dishing out 6.8 per game, while Cisti Greenwalt ranked 26th in blocked shots per game with 2.2. OU's Maria Villarroel sits at No. 22 for best field goal percentage of 57.0 and junior Dionnah Jackson ranks 44th in assists per game (5.2).

Team wise, both rank in the top 30 in scoring (TTU 18th, OU 26th) as well as in the top 20 in scoring margin and rebounding margin. Statistics reflect time of NCAA release.

IT'S RAINING THREES
Redshirt-freshman Erin Higgins remains at to No. 2 on the Big 12 Conference list for 3-pointer field goals made per game with 2.62 vs. league opponents.

The Oklahoma City native nailed a career-best six 3s against Kansas (Feb. 14) and Baylor (Jan. 24). Higgins also attempted a career-high and school record 14 treys vs. KU, which also ties for first in the Big 12.

For the season, she's contributing 7.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per game plus of her 53 field goals made, 47 have been threes.

HOME SWEET HOME
Oklahoma has been pretty impressive inside the Lloyd Noble Center since the 1999-2000 season. At one point, OU owned a 25-game home winning streak the stretch over three seasons (1-10-01 to 12-5-02). The Sooners also went through the 2001-02 campaign with a flawless 14-0 record.

Oklahoma ranks 15th in the nation with a per game home attendance average of 5,776 fans.

CHARITY STRIPE REWARDING
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 (.846), freshman Leah Rush (.822) and junior Dionnah Jackson (.814) ranks seventh, ninth and 10th, respectively, in Big 12 overall games.

Colorado, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State each have two players ranked among the top 15.

JACKSON DISHES OUT A PERSONAL BEST IN ASSIST
Junior guard Dionnah Jackson (St. Louis, Mo.) distributed a career-high 11 assists in OU's 20-point win (78-58) over No. 13 Colorado, pushing her single season total to 129 assists which now tied for 11th-best on OU's single season chart. Last year, she distributed 164 for fifth best in a single season. Her career total is 397 assists which is third best on the all-time chart. Former Sooner Sharee Mitchum ranks second with 601 assists and Sooner great Stacey Dales-Schuman holds the school record with 764 assists.

In Big 12 play she's averaging 5.6 assists per game, third best in the league. She also ranks third in overall games with 5.4 apg. Texas A&M's Toccara Williams leads the Big 12 with 7.3, followed by Texas Tech's Erin Grant's 6.8 apg. Jackson, a 5-9 point guard, has dished out four or more assists in 19 different games and has had more assists than turnovers 20 times this season.

THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED....
Maria Villarroel currently ranks No. 5 on OU's single season field goal percentage chart, shooting 58.1 percent.

Erin Higgins now ranks 11th on OU's single season chart for most made treys with 47. She also ranks 11th for most attempted 3s with 127.

Caton Hill now ranks second on the single season list with an solid 84.6 free throw percentage. She has hit her last 10 free throws. Dionnah Jackson and Leah Rush also rank among the single season best for their performances at the stripe. Rush ranks eighth with a 82.2 free throw accuracy, while Jackson ranks No. 10 with a 81.4 percentage.

Dionnah Jackson is six steals shy of breaking into the top 15 on the single season list. She has 62.

SINGLE GAME RECORD CHANGES...
Maria Villarroel currently holds the school record for most points per game of players that have only played two seasons for OU. Villarroel has scored 830 points in 56 games for a per game average of 14.8 ppg. The previous record of 13.0 ppg held by Vickie Green (1985, 1986).

Erin Higgins tied the school record for most attempted three-pointers in a single game when she launched 14 against Kansas. Higgins matched two other Sooners.

JACKSON IMPROVES AT FREE THROW LINE
Junior Dionnah Jackson ranks among the top three in 10 of OU's 16 statistical categories, including first in defensive rebounds (4.8), assists (5.4), steals (2.6) and blocked shots (0.7) per game. Jackson's biggest jump this season has been at the free throw line where she's hitting 81.4 percent (57-of-70). A year ago, she connected on just 69.3 percent of foul shots taken.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooners in Top 25 Women's Basketball Action Wednesday

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