Sooners Face Texas in Second Round

KANSAS CITY -- Texas will look to continue its stellar play when it faces Oklahoma in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament on Wednesday in Kansas City, Mo.

The 11th-ranked and second-seeded Longhorns (20-7) have won seven straight games and 11 of their last 12, a far cry from the four losses in six games they suffered from Jan. 2-17.

``I felt like at some point we were going to play to our ability, and I didn't know when it was going to happen,'' Longhorns coach Jody Conradt said. ``But it happened at a good time. Certainly, I feel better now than I did when we were struggling.''

Conradt said the turnaround cannot be attributed to any one thing. Rather, the Longhorns have made subtle improvements on both ends of the court.

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``We're playing so much better; in every phase of the game, we've improved,'' Conradt said. ``I feel positive about where we are. We had no chance to be a factor in the postseason unless we did pick it up, and, for whatever reason, our team has figured out how to play to our strengths and downplay our weaknesses.''

Texas has also lessened the scoring load on first-team All-Big 12 forward Tiffany Jackson, having three players score in double figures in each game during their winning streak. Jackson, a 6-foot-3 sophomore, is averaging team highs of 17.6 points and 8.7 rebounds.

Joining Jackson on the first team is senior Jamie Carey, who is averaging 12 points per game. Senior Heather Schreiber, averaging 10.4 points, was named to the second team.

Oklahoma (17-11), the seventh seed, advanced to the quarterfinals with an 86-65 win over Texas A&M on Tuesday.

``Defensive toughness in the second half, actually shooting the ball well for two complete halves,'' Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale said. ``It's been a long time since we scored 86 points. Kind of proud of that.''

Leah Rush had 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Sooners, who shot 55 percent (30-of-55) from the floor and 95 percent (18-for-19) from the free-throw line.

Rush, a 6-1 sophomore forward, is averaging a team-high 14.9 points, followed by senior guard Dionnah Jackson with 14.5 per game.

The Longhorns have won seven of the last eight meetings between the teams, including a 72-36 home win on Feb. 26. The Sooners scored just 12 points in the second half in that defeat.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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