OU Women Set to Open Tournament on Sunday

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma (17-12) is set to participate in its sixth-straight and eighth overall NCAA Tournament. The Sooners earned an eighth seed in the Knoxville sub-regional (Chattanooga Region) and will face No. 9 seed Arizona inside Thompson-Boling Arena, the largest on-campus arena in the country, on Sunday, March 20 at 12 p.m. EST.

Since current coach Sherri Coale's arrival, Oklahoma has appeared in a post season tournament in seven of nine seasons. OU's first NCAA tournament under Coach Coale was during the 1999-2000 campaign when the Sooners upset then-defending national champions Purdue on its home court.

OU battled back from a double-digit disadvantage in the second half for the victory. OU was a fifth seed in that tournament. The Sooners received its lowest seed of No. 10 last year. OU has gone 6-3 in NCAA action over the past three years including a national title run during the 2002 season where Oklahoma lost to undefeated Connecticut in the championship game.

OU 2005 NCAA Tournament Central | Tournament Notes (PDF)

The Wildcats finished regular season action with an overall record of 19-11 and are members of the Pac-10 Conference. UA has made a total of seven NCAA appearances and will appear in its third straight Sunday. Arizona is 5-6 all-time in NCAA Tournament games and has lost in the first round just twice, in each of the last two years.

The deepest the Cats have ever advanced was to the East Regional semifinals in 1997-98. The Wildcats have been seeded as high as No. 3 (1997-98) and as low as No. 9 (last year and this year).

No. 9 seed Arizona (19-11) vs. No. 8 seed Oklahoma (17-12)

Sunday, March 20 12 p.m. EST ESPN2
Thomson-Boling Arena (24,563)
Knoxville, Tenn.

TOURNAMENT DATES: Sunday, March 20, and Tuesday, March 22

TOURNAMENT SITE: Thomson-Boling Arena (24,563) in Knoxville, Tenn.

TOURNAMENT HOST: University of Tennessee

FIRST ROUND GAME: (Eastern Standard Time Zone)
Game #1: (9) Arizona vs. (8) Oklahoma --- 12 p.m.
Game #2: (16) Stetson vs. (1) LSU --- 30-mins. following

SECOND ROUND GAME:
Winners of Game 1 & Game 2 --- Time - TBA

TV: ESPN or ESPN2 or ESPNU
Calling the action for ESPN2 will be Mark Jones (play-by-play) and Anne Meyers (analyst). Beth Mowins will serve as the sideline reporter.

RADIO: All games involving Oklahoma will be carried live on the Sooner Basketball Radio Network on KOKC-1520 AM as well as www.SoonerSports.com.

OKLAHOMA PROBABLE STARTERS
24 F Leah Rush (6-1, So., Amarillo, Texas, 15.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg)
35 G Dionnah Jackson (5-9, Sr., St. Louis, Mo., 14.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg)
34 G Erin Higgins (5-9, So., Oklahoma City, Okla., 9.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg)
12 G Lauren Shoush (5-11, Sr., Oklahoma City, Okla., 6.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg)
33 G Britney Brown (5-8, So., Norman, Okla., 1.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg)

ARIZONA (19-11)
After waiting over a week for an at-large selection Arizona is set to participate in its seventh NCAA Tournament. UA enters the event with a 19-11 overall record.

Arizona boasts the Pac-10's top two active career scoring leaders in Dee-Dee Wheeler and Shawntinice Polk. Wheeler currently has 1,937 career points, while Polk has scored 1,448 points in her three seasons at Arizona. The duo rank second and fourth all-time at Arizona in career points. Lisa Leslie is the all-time scoring leader with 2,414 points.

Both players earned All-Pac-10 first team honors and are among the final 48 for Kodak All-American honors.

The Wildcats are coming off of a 0-1 performance at the Pac-10 Tournament. Arizona fell to USC, 74-66, in the quarterfinals at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. In that game, Wheeler earned a team-best 15 points and even rebounds while Polk added eight points and six boards.

For the season, Wheeler tops the club with 17.8 points per game, followed by Polk's 12.9 ppg. The duo are the only two Wildcats averaging in double digits. Polk also sports a team-best 8.1 rebounds per game.

Arizona has lost three of its last four games. UA averages 71.4 points and 38.0 rebounds per game while shooting just 64.8 percent from the free throw line. Overall, the Wildcats are hitting 43.8 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from the three-point line.

ARIZONA PROBABLE STARTERS
11 G Dee-Dee Wheeler (5-6, Sr., Chicago, Ill., 17.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg)
20 G Jessica Arnold (5-4, Fr., Tucson, Ariz., 8.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg)
23 G Natalie Jones (5-10, Jr., Anchorage, Ala., 9.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
44 F Danielle Adefeso (6-2, Sr., Los Angeles, Calif., 6.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg)
00 C Shawntinice Polk (6-5, Jr., Hanford, Calif., 12.9 ppg, 8.1 rpg)

STETSON (17-13)
Stetson earned its first ever NCAA birth by winning the Atlantic Sun Championship. The Hatters enter the tournament at 17-13 and on a five-game winning streak.

Stetson is led by 6-2 senior Kristy Brown who led the conference in scoring (16.8 ppg) and rebounding (10.9 rpg). Nefertiti Walker, a 5-7 junior guard, ranks second on the team with 15.7 ppg. As a team, Stetson averages 65.3 ppg but gives up 67.1.

STETSON PROBABLE STARTERS
50 F Kristy Brown (6-2, Sr., Marietta, Ga., 16.8 ppg, 10.9 rpg)
13 F Janene Maclin (5-10, So., Chicago, Ill., 8.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg)
12 G JoAnn Smith (5-4, Sr., Hammond, Ind., 8.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
21 G Lucy Martinez (5-7, Fr., Miami, Fla., 3.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
23 G Nefertiti Walker (5-7, Jr., Riverdale, Ga., 15.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg)

LSU (29-2)
LSU (29-2) is the overall top seed in the 2005 NCAA Tournament and will be playing on a familiar court as the Lady Tigers are members of the Southeastern Conference along with host Tennessee.

LSU is a dominating team that has two potential All-Americans on its roster and the 2005 SEC Player of the Year in Seimone Augustus. The Lady Tigers is led by first year coach and SEC Coach of the Year in Pokey Chatman. LSU won the SEC regular season title but stumbled at the conference tournament, losing the Tennessee, 67-65, in the title game.

LSU will be making its 15th NCAA Tournament appearance. They are 20-4 in 14 national championship tries.

LSU PROBABLE STARTERS
34 F Wendly Jones (6-1, Jr., Blytheville, Ark., 5.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg)
52 F Tillie Willis (6-3, Sr., Mabelton, Ga., 3.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
33 G Seimone Augustus (6-3, Jr., Baton Rouge, La., 20.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
02 G Temeka Johnson (5-3, Sr., New Orleans, La., 10.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg)
32 G Scholanda Hoston (5-10, Jr., Miami, Fla., 8.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg)

SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma's series records against the three teams in the first and second rounds are slim. The Sooners have only faced one of the three possible opponents and it just happens to be OU's first round foe Arizona. OU lost to the Wildcats, 75-59, during the 1999-2000 campaign in the Hawaiian Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii.

SERIES RECORD
OU vs. Arizona UA leads 1-0 75-59 in Honolulu (2000)
OU vs. Stetson First Meeting First Meeting
OU vs. LSU First Meeting First Meeting

OU IN THOMSON-BOLING ARENA & IN TENNESSEE
Oklahoma has played inside Thomson-Boling Arena once. OU lost to host Tennessee, 94-68, in the State Farm Tip-Off to open the 2002-03 season.

The Sooners are just 2-6 when playing teams from the state of Tennessee. [0-1 vs. Tennessee-Chattanooga and Tennessee Tech; 0-2 vs. Tennessee and Memphis and 1-0 vs. Vanderbilt and Middle Tennessee State]

BROWN STEPS UP IN BIG 12 TOURNAMENT PLAY
Sophomore Britney Brown is fresh off an impressive Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, Mo. The 5-8 guard re-entered the starting lineup at Oklahoma State on March 3 and has been solid since.

In her two Big 12 Tournament games, she averaged 11.0 points and dished out 5.0 assists per game, both ranked second best on the team. The Norman, Okla., native also registered a career-best 12 points in the opening round game against Texas A&M, followed by 10 point performance against No. 10 Texas in the quarterfinals. Her four steals against Texas matched a personal-best, as well as her seven field goals made against the Aggies.

Over the last three games, Brown has continued to be strong defensively and assisted OU with 8.0 ppg 4.7 apg and 3.0 rpg.

IN SEARCH OF 500TH PROGRAM WIN
Oklahoma is THREE wins shy of reaching its 500 career victory. The 31-year old women's basketball program has 497 wins.

JACKSON FINALISTS FOR KODAK ALL-AMERICA HONORS
Oklahoma senior Dionnah Jackson is one of 48 finalists for the Division I Kodak Women's All-America Basketball Team. The All-Big 12 first team selection ranks among the Big 12's best in 10 of 13 statistical categories including points (14.5 ppg), assists (5.8 apg), steals (2.2 spg) and rebounds (8.2 rpg). After dishing out 15 assists at the Big 12 Tournament last week, Jackson is now tied for second on OU's all-time assists list with 601. She also ranks fourth on the Big 12's all-time assists list, two shy of third.

The St. Louis, Mo., native has been named the Big 12 Player of the Week twice and has produced 10 double-doubles and one triple-double this season. She has also scored in double digits in 23 of 29 games as well as being the team's leading rebounder 19 times.

Under current coach Sherri Coale, OU has had three previous players to earn Kodak All-District honors; Stacey Dales-Schuman (2001, 2002), LaNeishea Caufield (2002) and Phylesha Whaley (2000). Dales-Schuman went on to become a two-time All-American for Oklahoma.

The Kodak/WBCA All-America Basketball Team will be announced on April 2, 2005.

BIG 12 TOURNAMENT RECAP
The Sooners returned from Kansas City, Mo., with a 1-1 Big 12 Tournament record. OU picked up an 86-65 victory over a scrappy and athletic Texas A&M team, followed by a tough six-point loss, 65-59, to No. 10 Texas in the quarterfinals.

In OU's two games, the Sooners averaged a tournament-best 72.5 points and 19.5 assists per game and earned a +8.5 rebounding margin. Oklahoma also shot 47.3 percent from the field (53-112), 41.4 percent from the three-point line (12-29) and 87.1 percent from the free throw line (27-31) for tournament best figures. The team outrebounded their opponents 35.5-27.0.

Oklahoma's win over Texas A&M established seven 2005 Big 12 Tournament bests. OU had tournament high figures in points scored (86), field goals made (30), field goal percentge (.545), three-pointers made (8), three-point field goal percentage (.533), free throws made (18), free throws percentage (.947) and steals (13). The Sooners also had the second-best figures in rebounds (42) and assists (20) against TAMU.

NEUTRAL SITE ACTION
Oklahoma is 3-3 when playing on a neutral court this season. The Sooners defeated Louisiana Tech, Akron and Texas A&M while losing to Iowa, Tulsa and Texas.

SOONERS NAMED TO ALL-BIG 12 TEAM
A pair of Oklahoma players was honored by the Big 12 Conference. Senior Dionnah Jackson was named to the All-Big 12 first team, while sophomore standout Leah Rush collected second team accolades. All-Big 12 honors were voted on by the league coaches.

Jackson, a 5-9 guard, had previously been named to the 2004 and 2003 All-Big 12 second team. After ranking among the league's best in several categories, posting just the sixth triple-double in conference history and setting school and opponent records Jackson earned the recognition she has long deserved.

Earning her first All-Big 12 honor, Rush appears among the NCAA elite in free throw percentage, with a 84.0 accuracy. The Amarillo, Texas native has scored in double digits in 14-straight games and 24 of 29 this season. She's also registered 20-plus points against six different opponents this season.

Jackson and Rush accounts for 42.9 percent of the team's scoring and 36.6 percent its rebounds.

JACKSON AMONG BIG 12 ALL-TIME BEST
Senior Dionnah Jackson moved up to fourth on the Big 12 Conference all-time assists list. She dished out 15 in two conference tournament games, pushing her career number to 601, which ties for second best on OU”s all-time list. Jackson is 163 shy of the Big 12's and OU's all-time leader Stacey Dales-Schuman.

She also ranks seventh on the Big 12 all-time steals list with 265, three short of sixth.

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Oklahoma was one of the best defensive teams in the Big 12 Conference. The Sooners held their conference opponents to a league-best 28.3 percent (66-of-233) from three-point range and 40.8 percent from the field (379-of-929).

TWO-MINUTE STRETCH
Oklahoma sports an 86.7 free throw percentage in the final two minutes of the game. The Sooners have hit 26-of-30 attempted free throws down the stretch.

SHOUSH PROVEN TO BE A VALUABLE PLAYER
Since being reinserted into the Sooner lineup (vs. Baylor, Feb. 9), senior Lauren Shoush has been an accountable player who has made countless “effort” plays to spark Sooner runs.

Over the last nine games, she has upped her average to 8.8 points per game and has been shooting 51.9 percent from the field (28-for-54). Shoush netted a season-best 15-points against Missouri (F19), hitting 5-of-7 shots and 2-of-3 threes. She followed that with three 10 point showings against nationally-ranked Texas Tech (F23), state-rival Oklahoma State (M3) and No. 10 Texas in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament.

She has scored in double digits in four of the last six games and has made 11 three-pointers against the last seven opponents which nearly equals her previous total of 12 threes in the first 22 games of the season.

SOONERS SHUFFLE
Head coach Sherri Coale has used eight different lineup this season. Coale has played all available 13 players in several games and nine players are averaging better than 10 minutes per game.

Only Dionnah Jackson, Leah Rush and Erin Higgins have started all 29 games and average better than 30 minutes per game.

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 64.0 percent of its scoring from OU's post players (six).

Overall, Rush is good for 21.8 percent of OU's points and 16.4 percent of its rebounds. The remaining five post players are responsible for 12.2% of the Sooners scoring and 17.8% of their rebounds.

Rush has scored in double digits in 14 straight and 24 of 29 games, including seven 20-plus performances, and has had six or more rebounds in 19 games.

Rush produced her first double-double in Big 12 play with 15 points and 11 rebounds at Oklahoma State M3), followed by a 15 point and 10 rebound performance against Texas A&M (M8) in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament.

HIGGINS BOMBING AWAY
Sophomore guard Erin Higgins broke into OU's all-time record book when she hit her first three-pointer against Southeast Missouri State in the opening game of the season.

With Higgins five made 3s against Texas A&M (M8) in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament she now ranks fifth on the school's all-time three-pointers made chart with 133. Higgins is 42 three-pointers made shy of top honors.

The 5-9 Oklahoman has nailed a team-best 66 treys this season to rank third best on OU's single season best list.

OU's All-Time 3-Pointers Made Chart
1. 174 Etta Maytubby, 1993-96
2. 152 Carin Stites, 1991-92
3. 139 Sunny Hardeman, 1998-01
4. 136 Stacey Dales, 1998-02
5. 133 Erin Higgins, 2002-current
6. 129 Caton Hill, 2000-2004
7. 128 Roxanne Long, 1994-97
128 Rosalind Ross, 2001-02

University of Oklahoma Athletics

OU Women Set to Open Tournament on Sunday

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