OU Concludes Successful Season With Team Banquet

Norman, Okla. The 2003-04 Oklahoma women's basketball team put the finishing touches on a successful season Thursday night as the team hosted its annual banquet at the USPS National Center for Employee Development.

Nearly 400 Sooner fans participated in OU's celebration as they shared dinner, watched the awards ceremony and enjoyed a season highlight tape at the conclusion of the banquet.

Head coach Sherri Coale guided OU to its fifth consecutive NCAA appearance and its second Big 12 Tournament title in three years. OU finished the season with an overall record of 24-9, marking the 10th time the program has won at least 20 games in a single season and the fourth time in the last five years.

Team Banquet Photo Gallery

OU completed its Big 12 slate with a solid 9-7 performance, then became the first school to capture the Big 12 Tournament crown with four wins in five days (men or women).

Coale distributed eight awards throughout the evening.

Junior point guard Dionnah Jackson (St. Louis, Mo.) walked away with the team's most valuable player, best defender and most assists awards for the second straight year. The two-time All-Big 12 second teamer led OU with 5.0 assists per game and ranked second in points with 12.5 and third in rebounds with 6.0 per game.

Jackson was also named the MVP of the Big 12 Tournament after averaging a team-best 17.0 ppg and 8.3 rpg, second best among the Sooners. She currently ranks third on OU's all-time assists list with 433.

Senior Maria Villarroel (Margarita, Venezuela) captured the team's best rebounder award, collecting 211 boards this season. Villarroel, a third round WNBA Draft pick, was named to the All-Big 12 third team as well as the Big 12 All-Tournament team. The 5-8 guard averaged a double-double in tournament play with 16.0 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. She also grabbed a tournament single-game best 14 boards vs. Colorado in the quarterfinals.

Villarroel was the Sooners top offensive and defensive threat as she accounted for 14.3 ppg and 6.4 rpg. She concluded her career ranked among Sooners all-time greats in scoring average (7th/14.6), free throw percentage (8th/73.5), blocked shots (10th/40), free throws made (13th/238) and minutes played averaged (13th/28.7).

Villarroel and senior Caton Hill (Ada, Okla.) also earned the team's Nail and Glue Awards. Villarroel was the nail that keep the team playing hard, while Hill was the glue that held the team together. Hill completed her five-year career ranked in 18-of-22 categories, including first in defensive rebounds with 745, games played (140) and games started (139).

She also finished in the top 10 in 13 categories such as total rebounds (2nd/1,052), offensive rebounds (2nd/307), free throw percentage (3rd/.799), three-point field goal percentage (3rd/.396), steals (5th/217) and points scored (5th/1,653).

This year's most improved player award went to sophomore Antoinette Wadsworth (Grand Prairie, Texas). Wadsworth played in 26 of the team's 33 games and averaged 2.3 points, 2.5 rebounds per game. She also shot 44.6 percent from the field, hitting 25 of 56 shots. A year ago, she contributed just 1.6 ppg and 2.0 rpg in 24 outings.

John Gibbs, President of Tri Power, was the recipient of the Sooner Service Award for his countless hours he devoted and supported the women's basketball program during the regular season and the NCAA Tournament.

Most Valuable Player Award
Dionnah Jackson

Most Improved Player Award
Antoinette Wadsworth

Best Defensive Player Award
Dionnah Jackson

Best Rebounder Award
Maria Villarroel

Most Assists Award
Dionnah Jackson

Nail & Glue Awards
Nails - Maria Villarroel
Glue - Caton Hill

Sooner Service Award
John Gibbs

University of Oklahoma Athletics

OU Concludes Successful Season With Team Banquet

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