It's OU-Texas for Big 12 Tournament Title

DALLAS (AP) -- Oklahoma's Maria Villarroel and Leah Rush couldn't do much the first time they faced Kansas State.

Villarroel only played two minutes and didn't score before being benched in Kansas State's 78-64 victory in January. Rush played nine minutes and scored four points

In the rematch, Villarroel scored 23 points and Rush added 18, and No. 19 Oklahoma used a barrage of 3-pointers to upset eighth-ranked Kansas State 78-66 Thursday night and earn a spot in the Big 12 tournament title game.

Big 12 | Notes

"I used that game for motivation," Villarroel said. "I wanted to go harder on the court, and I used my speed like Coach told me. I took whatever they gave me. When I saw her (Amy Dutmer) on me, I said, 'Oh yes.' I went baseline all the time."

Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale, whose team has won nine of 11 since that loss to Kansas State, joked Thursday about her decision to bench Villarroel.

"That was an Einstein moment on my behalf to bench her in a game where she could have had 20 points in one half," Coale said. "I felt like that was the turning point in the year. Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom."

The Sooners (22-8) face rival Texas (28-3) on Saturday for the championship and an NCAA tournament berth.

Oklahoma roared to a 49-35 halftime lead after hitting 8-of-11 3-pointers, and regular-season co-champion Kansas State (24-5) never recovered. The Sooners made 53 percent (10-of-19) of their 3-point shots.

Villarroel hit her first three 3-pointers and was 7-of-10 from the field for 21 points in the first half. She finished 3-of-5 on 3-pointers. Rush made her first seven shots and had 16 points midway through the first half. She was 7-of-8 in the half, 2-of-3 on 3-pointers.

"Our motion was moving well," Rush said. "I was getting looks. My teammates were getting me the ball. There's a time when you feel it. I feel like we were playing well together tonight."

The Wildcats pulled within 10 points twice in the second half, but never really threatened.

Kansas State did have one consolation, with two-time Big 12 player of the year Nicole Ohlde setting the league record for career scoring. She had 18 points, giving her 2,193 for her career.

Ohlde passed the 2,187 points Phylesha Whaley scored for Oklahoma from 1997-2000, hitting a short turnaround jumper that cut the deficit to 69-57 with 2:30 remaining.

"I didn't even know about it," Ohlde said of the record. "I'm just very disappointed in this game and the way the whole thing turned out. Give OU some credit."

Laurie Koehn also hit the record books, making four 3-pointers for a Big 12-record 288 in her career. She passed Megan Taylor of Iowa State, who had 287.

Koehn scored 18 points but was 6-of-20 from the field. Kendra Wecker added 13 points, but she was 6-of-17 as the Wildcats shot just 37 percent.

"OU came out with a reckless abandon," Wecker said. "And looking back at the game we just weren't mentally in it. They threw the first few punches, and we weren't able to come back."

Dionnah Jackson added 15 points for Oklahoma, and Erin Higgins had nine, all on 3-pointers. Villarroel was 3-of-5 on 3-pointers, and Rush was 2-for-3.

After Kansas State tied the score at 12, Oklahoma went on 24-8 surge. Villarroel had seven points, three assists and two steals in the run.

Villarroel added 12 rebounds for Oklahoma, which won the battle of the boards 43-28.

It will be Oklahoma's third appearance in the tournament final in the past four years. The Sooners beat Baylor in 2002 and lost to Iowa State in 2001.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

It's OU-Texas for Big 12 Tournament Title

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