OU Faces Kansas State in Semifinals of Big 12 Tournament Thursday

Oklahoma (21-8) has never lost a semifinal game in the Big 12 Tournament and will face second seed Kansas State (24-4) Thursday at 8:30 p.m. inside Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas.

The Sooners will appear in their third semifinal game in the last four years after dealing 11th seed Texas A&M a 60-47 first round loss followed by a 63-56 quarterfinals victory over third seed Colorado Wednesday.

Big 12 Live Gametracker

OU won the 2002 Big 12 Tournament and finished second in 2001.

BIG 12 TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS
#6 Seed Oklahoma (21-8)
vs.
#2 Seed Kansas State (24-4)

Event: 2004 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball Tournament
Location: Dallas, Texas
Dates: March 9, 10, 11 and 13, 2004
Site: Reunion Arena (16,500)
Tickets: Reserved (All Session) 11 Games...$75; General Admission (All Session)...$45; Single game tickets are also available by calling 214-373-8000.

OU's semifinal game: Thurs., March 11 @ 8:30 p.m.
Opponent: Kansas State (24-4, 14-2 Big 12)
Seeds: OU is the sixth seed, while K-State is the second seed
Series Record: KSU leads 22-21
Radio: Sooner Sports Network - KOMA-AM (1520); Brian Brinkley (play-by-play) & Tara Robinett (analyst). All broadcasts also are available through the OU athletics web site.
TV: Fox Sports Net
Rankings: OU is ranked 19th in the AP poll and 20th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls ... KSU is ranked 8th in both polls.
Web Site: Oklahoma (www.SoonerSports.com), Kansas State (www.k-statesports.com)

PROBABLE STARTERS
OKLAHOMA (21-8, 9-7 BIG 12)                                     PPG    RPG
10   F   Caton Hill (6-1, Sr., Ada, Okla.)                             12.9     6.0
24   F   Leah Rush (6-1, Fr., Amarillo, Texas)                      7.9     4.5
34   G   Erin Higgins (5-9, Fr., Oklahoma City, Okla.)            6.8     2.4
35   G   Dionnah Jackson (5-9, Jr., St. Louis, Mo.)              12.0     6.1
05   G   Maria Villarroel (5-9, Sr., Margarita, Venezuela)    14.1     6.0

KANSAS STATE (24-4, 14-2 BIG 12)                                PPG    RPG
45   F   Amy Dutmer (6-0, Sr., York, Neb.)                           3.5      1.4
53   F   Kendra Wecker (5-11, Jr., Marysville, Kan.)            17.3    8.1
03   C   Nicole Ohlde (6-5, Sr., Clay Center, Kan.)               17.0    6.7
10   G   Laurie Koehn (5-8, Jr., Hesston, Kan.)                    13.7    2.3
34   G   Megan Mahoney (6-0, Jr., Sturgis, S.D.)                 8.1      7.1

OU VS. KANSAS STATE SERIES
Kansas State took a 22-21 edge in the all-time series between the two teams with a 74-65 win in Manhattan, Kan., on Jan. 31. Thursday marks the 44th meeting between the two teams.

K-State has won the last two meetings, but prior to that Oklahoma had won six straight, including a 69-49, win in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament on March 7, 2002. The Sooners also handed the Wildcats a 76-68 loss in Manhattan earlier that season.

Oklahoma head coach Sherri Coale is 6-4 against Kansas State.

HILL TOPS OU IN POST SEASON PLAY
Senior Caton Hill is leading Oklahoma in scoring and ranks fifth in Big 12 Tournament games with 18.5 points per game. Hill's 9 for 9 performance from the free throw line also tops the tournament figures, while her 6 for 9 showing from the arc appears seventh best (66.7%). The 6-1 forward has made six 3s in two games.

Hill has scored 10-or-more points 89 times in her career and has had double digits in rebounds 41 times.

STEPPING UP THE “D”
Oklahoma entered the Big 12 Tournament ranked fourth in the Big 12 in scoring defense. However, in Big 12 Tournament action the Sooners have stepped up their defensive pressure by holding opponents to a tournament low 51.5 points per game. OU also sports a tournament best +13.5 rebounding margin, second is Iowa State's and Texas Tech's +5.0.

The Sooners are also holding opponents to a tournament low 34.0 percent from the field and 23.8 percent from the arc (second best).

SHARING THE ROCK
Oklahoma has earned an assist on 30 of 42 field goals in Big 12 Tournament action. 71.4 percent of the Sooners field goals have been assisted.

VILLARROEL AVERAGING A DOUBLE-DOUBLE
At 5-9 and clearly the smallest player on the court Wednesday night, senior guard Maria Villarroel grabbed a career-and game-high 14 rebounds against Colorado. The Margarita, Venezuela native pocketed a personal-best 10 defensive boards while scoring nine points, dishing out three assists and pocketed two steals.

For the tournament, she's averaging a double-double with 11.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. She's also shooting 43.8 percent from the field (7-16) and 77.8 percent from the stripe (7-9).

JACKSON REMAINS BACKBONE OF OU
Junior Dionnah Jackson continues to be solid for the Sooners. Jackson is averaging 16.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 52.2 percent from the field in Big 12 Tournament action. She has also connected on 7-of-9 foul shots (77.8%).

TERRIFIC TRIO
Oklahoma's trio of seniors Maria Villarroel and Caton Hill plus junior Dionnah Jackson have scored 91 of OU's 123 points in Big 12 Tournament action (75.2%). The trio accounts for 45.5 points and 24.5 rebounds per game in two tournament games.

In 24 of 29 games, at least one of them has led OU in scoring and in 21 games one has been the top rebounder.

Wednesday they were responsible for 45 of the team's 63 points (71.4%) and 28 of 40 rebounds (70%). Against Texas A&M, the trio accounted for 76.7 percent of the Sooners' scoring (46 of 60 points) and 58.3 (21 of 36 rebounds) percent of the team's rebounds.

DRIVES, DISHES, SCORES
Junior Dionnah Jackson accounts for 36.1 percent of OU's made field goals and assists. While driving to the basket, she has scored 125 field goals and dished out 149 assists in 29 games.

OU VS RANKED TEAMS
Oklahoma is 2-3 against teams ranked in the top 10 and 5-6 vs. teams in the top 25 this season.

Under Sherri Coale, the Sooners are 30-43 vs. top 25 programs; 6-26 vs. top 10; and 2-12 vs. top 5 teams.

TWO-MINUTE STRETCH
Oklahoma sports a 68.8 free throw percentage in the final two minutes of the game. The Sooners have hit 64-of-93 attempted free throws down the stretch. Seniors Caton Hill and Maria Villarroel are perfect from the stripe in the final 120 seconds.

When playing Texas Tech, OU is a solid 80.0 from the stripe, hitting 20-of-25 foul shots down the stretch.

Player Performances Under the Two-Minute Mark
Players                    FTM    FTA    Pct.
Caton Hill                    22      22        1.000
Maria Villarroel             7        7        1.000
Dionnah Jackson        20       26        .769
Leah Rush                    5         7        .714

University of Oklahoma Athletics

OU Faces Kansas State in Semifinals of Big 12 Tournament Thursday

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