Big 12 Home Opener Sunday at 2 p.m.

Texas A&M (9-2, 0-1 Big 12)
At
Oklahoma (8-4, 0-1 Big 12)

Date: Sunday, Jan. 9, 2005
Location: Norman, Okla.
Arena: Lloyd Noble Center (12,000)
Tip-Off: 2 p.m.
TV: None
Radio: KOKC (1520 AM)
Series: OU leads the all-time series, 18-8.
Rankings: Neither team is ranked but OU is receiving votes.
Tickets: General admission tickets are $8 (adults) and $5 (youth).
Promotions: Hometown Hero Day...first 500 children will receive a commemorative fire and police badge. Free finger printing and child safety/car seat information will be available.
Up Next: OU faces No. 3/5 Baylor at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 16, in Waco, Texas.

Game Notes in PDF | Tickets

Oklahoma (8-4, 0-1 Big 12) opens its 2005 Big 12 home schedule on Sunday, Jan. 9 when the Sooners host Texas A&M (9-2, 0-1 Big 12) inside the Lloyd Noble Center at 2 p.m. OU currently sports a 5-0 record when playing at home.

Sooner fans can listen to Brian Brinkley and Tara DeGiusti call the action on KOKC-AM (1520). The game will also be broadcast via radio and video on the O-Zone at www.SoonerSports.com.

Women's basketball single game tickets are still available just $10 for adult reserved seats or general admission prices are $8 for adults and $5 for youth.

Sunday will also be Hometown Heroes Day as the Sooners honor members of local police and fire departments. The first 500 children age 12 and younger will receive commemorative fire and police badges. In addition, the Norman Police Department will provide free fingerprinting for children and child safety/car seat information. The newest member of the squad, their HAZMAT robot, will also be in attendance. The Norman Fire Department will have fire fighting equipment on display as well as information on medical response and fire safety.

The FM Acrobat Team will perform at halftime. The FM Acrobat Team is annually rated as one of the top halftime acts in the country and can be seen in NBA and collegiate arenas around the nation. This group of over 30 acrobats will amaze Sooner fans with a jaw-dropping performance that you won't want to miss!

Oklahoma and Texas A&M lost its Big 12 opener Wednesday. OU fell to No. 13/12 Texas Tech, 70-64, in Lubbock, while No. 3/5 Baylor defeated host TAM, 64-50, in College Station.
The Sooners shot a solid 45.6 percent from the field but managed to give up 20 offensive rebounds to the Lady Raiders, resulting in 16 second chance points. The Sooners lead, 34-31, at intermission. OU's Leah Rush had 16 of her game-high 23 points in the opening 20 minutes and was 6-of-9 from the field. She ended the game 10-of-14 from the field and had six rebounds. Senior Dionnah Jackson was one assist shy of her second triple double with 13 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists. Sophomore Chesli Welch ended the evening with 12 points.

Following Sunday's game, Oklahoma will take Wednesday off before resuming Big 12 action on Sunday, Jan. 9, at No. 3/5 Baylor (9-1, 1-0 Big 12) in Waco, Texas.

PROBABLE STARTERS
OKLAHOMA
24 F Leah Rush (6-1, So., Amarillo, Texas 13.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg)
34 G Erin Higgins (5-9, So., Oklahoma City 7.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
35 G Dionnah Jackson (5-9, Sr., St. Louis, Mo. 14.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg)
11 G Laura Andrews (6-0, Jr., Washington, Okla. 3.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
00 G Chelsi Welch (5-9, So., Plainview, Texas 8.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg)

TEXAS A&M
24 F Patrice Reado (6-0, Fr., Houston, Texas 10.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
30 F Tamea Scales (6-0, Jr., Memphis, Tenn. 12.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg)
01 G A'Quonesi Franklin (5-3, Fr., Tyler, Texas 4.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg)
03 G Charlette Castile (5-8, Sr., Duncanville, Texas 10.1 ppg, 1.8 rpg)
20 G Erica Roy (5-8, Jr., Little Rock, Ark.) 6.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg)

OKLAHOMA (8-4, 0-1 BIG 12)
Even though Oklahoma opened Big 12 action with a six-point loss to Texas Tech, the Sooners are playing well. OU held Tech, one of the top offensive teams in the country, to just 36.5 percent shooting from the field and 15.4 percent from beyond the arc (2-of-13).

Over the last five games, OU has held its opponents to just 60 points and 36.6 rebounds per game. Also, the Sooners defense has caused teams to shoot just 25.6 percent from three point land and 33.4 percent from the field. OU averaged 76.6 ppg and 43.6 rpg as well as shot 37.8 percent from the arc and 45.4 percent from the field.

Oklahoma continues to be lead by senior All-America candidate Dionnah Jackson. The 5-9 point guard has been the team's leader for the past three seasons. She currently tops the squad in 10 categories including scoring (14.4), rebounding (8.3) assists (5.3), steals (2.5) and blocks (1.3).

Sophomore Leah Rush ranks second on the squad with 13.4 ppg and 7.0 rpg. OU has three additional players contributing five-plus points per game; Chelsi Welch (8.8), Erin Higgins (7.8) and Lauren Shoush (5.6).

Head coach Sherri Coale has 10 players that are averaging 10-plus minutes per game.

As a team, Oklahoma is averaging 71.8 points and 42.8 rebounds per game. The Sooners are shooting 32.3 percent from the three-point range and an improved 42.3 percent from the field. OU also holds a +5.8 edge on the boards, 42.8-36.9.

TEXAS A&M (9-2, 0-1 BIG 12)
Texas A&M begins its Big 12 road journey when they head to Norman to face Oklahoma Sunday. The Aggies had their nine-game winning streak snapped in their Big 12 opener against Baylor. The Lady Bears handed A&M a 64-50 loss in College Stations, Texas. Charlette Castile led TAM with 12 points, followed by Tamea Scales' 11. The Aggies forced Baylor into 22 turnovers but was only able to shoot 34.6 percent from the field. BU shot 47.9 percent from the field and hit 17-of-22 foul shots to win the game.

The Aggies currently have three players averaging double digits in scoring. Junior guard Tamea Scales averages a team-best 12.0 ppg, followed by freshman forward Patrice Reado's 10.5 and senior guard Charlette Castile's 10.1 ppg. Scales also tops the team with 6.2 rebounds per game while freshman forward Morenike Atunrase's 5.6 rpg is second.

Freshman guard A'Quonesia Franklin leads the Big 12 with an impressive 3.92 assist/turnover ratio (47 assists to 12 TOs). She also ranks seventh in assists per game with 4.27. Reado ranks third in the league in field goal percentage, shooting 58.1 percent (50-of-86). Also among the league's best is Atunrase, who ranks fourth in blocked shots with 2.0 per game.

Coach Gary Blair's newcomers account for 50 percent of the team's scoring while playing 49 percent of the available minutes.

Texas A&M returned two starters and seven letterwinners that went 9-19 and 2-14 in the Big 12 last year.

SERIES HISTORY
Sunday will be the 27th meeting between Oklahoma and Texas A&M. The Sooners hold an
18-8 edge when facing the Aggies. OU has won the last three games, all last year, and 12 of the last 13. Oklahoma is 11-1 when hosting Texas A&M in Norman.

HEAD COACHES
Sherri Coale (Oklahoma Christian, 1987) is in her ninth season as the head coach at Oklahoma. Coale has built an outstanding resume in that time, leading the Sooners to post season action the last six years, as well as one Final Four and three Big 12 regular-season titles. She has posted a 164-99 career record and coached in the national championship game in 2001-02, falling to undefeated Connecticut, 82-70. Since her arrival in 1996, more than 1 million fans have watched an OU women's basketball game. Before taking over the reigns of the OU program, Coale was the head coach at Norman High School from 1990-96, winning two Oklahoma 6A state titles in that time.

Texas A&M is coach by Gary Blair (Texas Tech, 1974). Texas A&M is Blair's third stop as a head coach. The Texan has served in the same position at Stephen F. Austin (1985-93) and Arkansas (1993-2003), producing a career record of 426-184. He has produced 14 20-win seasons and has appeared in one NCAA Final Four (1998).

A YEAR AGO VS. TEXAS A&M
Oklahoma swept the two-game regular season series with Texas A&M last year. OU also eliminated the Aggies from the 2004 Big 12 Tournament in opening round action.

In OU's three games against TAM last year, the Sooners had three players that averaged 10-or-more points per game including returner Dionnah Jackson with 11.0 points, nine rebounds and five assists per game. Jackson also shot 45.5 percent from the field and hit 12-of-14 attempted foul shots (85.7%).

CONFERENCE HOME OPENERS
Oklahoma is 5-1 in Big 12 home openers.

IN SEARCH OF 500TH PROGRAM WIN
Oklahoma is 12 wins shy of reaching its 500 career victory. The 31-year old women's basketball program has 488 wins.

SOONERS SHUFFLE
Head coach Sherri Coale has put four different lineups on the court this season. But, Dionnah Jackson, Erin Higgins, Leah Rush, Chelsi Welch and Laura Andrews led OU to a 4-0 record prior to the Big 12 opener.

Only Jackson, Rush and Higgins have started all 12 games. Coale has played all available 13 players in three games and 10 players are averaging 10-plus minutes per game.

Record: Lineup
4-1: Andrews, Higgins, Jackson, Welch, Rush
3-1: Welch, Higgins, Jackson, Preston, Rush
1-1: Shoush, Higgins, Jackson, Preston, Rush
0-1: Sanchez, Higgins, Jackson, Brown, Rush

ONE FOR ALL, ALL FOR ONE
Oklahoma leads the Big 12 Conference in assists to field goals made ratio. OU has 222 assists to its 313 field goals made, meaning 71 percent of all of OU's field goals made are being assisted. This percentage is a clear reflection on how well OU's transition game and offensive execution is working this season. OU is the ONLY team in the Big 12 that has at least 70 percent of its field goals assisted.

Ranking second is Baylor with 69 percent, followed by Texas Tech and Kansas State with 66 percent of its field goals are being assisted.

Nine OU players have already dished out at least 10 or more assists, lead by Dionnah Jackson's 64.

RUSH CARRYING INSIDE LOAD
Sophomore Leah Rush is carrying most of the load for the Sooners at the post position. The 6-1 forward accounts for 48.0 percent of OU's rebounding and 43 percent of its scoring from OU's post players (six).

Overall, Rush is good for 19 percent of OU's points and 16 percent of its rebounds. The remaining five post players are responsible for 20% of the Sooners scoring and 22% of their rebounds.

Rush has scored in double digits in eight of 12 games and has had eight or more rebounds in six games. The Amarillo, Texas native ranks second to Dionnah Jackson in scoring (13.4 ppg), rebounding (7.0) and blocks (10). Rush also ranks second in free throw percentage, hitting 82.2 percent of her shots (37-of-45), of players shooting more than 20 foul shots.

IMPRESSIVE FIGURES
Oklahoma has shot 40 percent or better from the field in nine games. In OU's three losses, the Sooners shot below 38 percent. No opponent has shot 50 percent or better against OU this season. Only SMS has hit better than 40 percent vs. Oklahoma. In addition, only SMS and Southeast Missouri State has shot 30 percent from three point land.

In the last five games, OU has also cut down on its turnovers. Oklahoma had a season-low 14 turnovers at Texas Tech and against Henderson State, Tulsa (D4) and La Tech (D18). The Sooners are averaging 15.2 turnovers over the last five games. OU averaged 19.8 turnovers in its first five games.

In OU's first six games, the Sooners pocketed 11.5 steals per game. The last six games, OU has decreased in its steals with just 6.7 per game.

OU NOTABLES
Oklahoma's 62 rebounds against Henderson State on Dec. 29 is a Big 12 Conference single game best. The Sooners' 62 rebounds ties for second most under Coale. OU grabbed 68 against ORU and 62 vs. Oklahoma State last season. OU's 32 attempted treys against Akron (N26) ranks second in the league.

Leah Rush and Dionnah Jackson ranks among the Big 12 best for individual game performances. Rush hit 8-of-8 free throws vs. Southwest Missouri on Dec. 11, tying her for first, with three others, for best free throw percentage (100%) in a single game. Jackson's career-high nine steals against Iowa is also a single game best.

Dionnah Jackson is one of three players in the Big 12 Conference that has had six or more double doubles this season. Texas Tech's Cisti Greenwalt has a league best seven DD, while Jackson and Baylor's Sophia Young have produced six each.

OU is one of ONLY three teams in the Big 12 Conference that has made 80 or more three pointers. Iowa State has connected on 108 and Kansas State has made 94 treys. (as of Jan. 6)

OU has scored 80-plus points four times ... shot 50 percent or better from the three-point line three times ... has had 40-plus rebounds seven times ... 20 or more assists has been distributed in six different games, only one OU opponent has had a 20-plus assists game.

JACKSON'S CLIMBING RECORD CHARTS
Senior Dionnah Jackson continues to move up in numerous OU career categories. The 5-9 point guard broke into OU's all-time scoring and rebounding charts when she had 16 points and 15 rebounds against TCU (D9). Jackson ranks among OU's greats in nine categories.

She's registered 1,226 points, 673 rebounds, 231 steals and 497 assists to name a few. The St. Louis, Mo., native highest ranking is third in defensive rebounds (524) and assists.

Possible Chart Moves for Jackson vs. Texas A&M
Needs 6 rebounds for 9th
Needs 1 steal for 4th
Needs 1 block for 5th
Needs 3 free throw attempts for 11th

JACKSON FINALIST FOR COACH WOODEN CUP
Senior Dionnah Jackson heads to Los Angeles, Calif. Monday as one of six finalists, out of nearly 200 candidates, for the inaugural John Wooden Cup/Athletes for a Better World. Jackson is the only basketball player, male or female, to make the final cut.

The three-year letterwinner exhibits OU's commitment to give back to the community by participating in the team's community service projects and out-reach programs, as well as being a role model for better sportsmanship on and off the court.

John Wooden will be presenting the award. Trophy presentation will take place on January 10, 2005, in Los Angeles.

The six college finalists are:
Dionnah Jackson, Oklahoma (Women's Basketball)
William Betz, BYU (Men's Swimming)
Clark Lea, Vanderbilt (Football)
Caroline Renkin, North Carolina at Wilmington (Women's Soccer)
DeAngelo Williams, Memphis (Football)
Michael Williams, Stephen F. Austin (Football)

JACKSON GOING FOR 500TH CAREER ASSIST
Senior Dionnah Jackson currently ranks third all-time at Oklahoma with 497 career assists to date behind all-time leader Stacey Dales-Schuman (764) and Sharee Mitchum (601).

Jackson has had two-straight seasons with +100 assists and currently has 64 12 games into her final campaign. She is one of only three Sooners to have recorded 400 or more assists and one of only two to have had a pair +160 assist seasons (Dales-Schuman is the other).

TAKE THAT
Dionnah Jackson is currently the shortest player listed on OU's all-time blocked shot chart. Jackson stands at 5-foot 9-inches tall and ranks No. 6 on the list. Former Sooner Marla Duncan, who is No. 9 on the chart with 29 blocks, stood 5-10. The players ranked higher then Jackson are at least 6-foot tall.

Jackson is also the ONLY player shorter than 5-10 to rank among the Big 12's top-7 in blocks per game.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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