Sooners Cross Red River Wednesday

NORMAN, Okla. -- Winners of nine straight, the No. 9/12 Oklahoma women's basketball (21-4, 11-0) will travel to the Frank Erwin Center for a rematch with Texas (12-10, 6-5) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The game between the Red River rivals will be broadcast in the state of Oklahoma by the Sooner Sports Network on KAUT-UPN (Cox channel 16 in OKC). Fans can also catch the game on KOKC (1520 AM) with the voice OU women's basketball Brian Brinkley and color commentator Tara DeGiusti.

OU's nine-game win streak is the longest since a 10-game stretch that concluded with the Sooners loss in the 2002 National Championship game. The Sooners have won by an average of 15.8 points on the conference road this season. OU is excelling in other road categories as well. They are averaging 82.8 points, shooting 53 percent (159-303) from the floor and 45.5 percent (45-99) from three-point range while holding a rebounding margin of +11.2 boards per game.

Game Notes | Gameday Central

The Sooners head to enemy territory on the heels of a classic battle with defending National Champion Baylor. Despite committing 23 turnovers and shooting just 54.8 percent from the free throw line, OU was able to pull out a 81-77 overtime win over the Lady Bears. OU was helping by 5-7 shooting in the extra period and a 52-38 advantage on the boards. As usual though, the biggest factor for OU was the efforts of Wooden Award Candidate Courtney Paris, who had 31 points and 19 rebounds in 31 minutes of action. Krista Sanchez was an unsung hero with 11 points of the bench.

Texas has lost two straight games, both by double digits. Texas A&M handed the Longhorns a 73-53 defeat on Feb. 8, while No. 4 UConn beat UT by 13 on Sunday. Texas star and leading scorer Tiffany Jackson was sidelined (ankle) for both contests.

The Sooners return home to the Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday when they host second place and 22nd-ranked Texas A&M (19-5, 8-3). A crowd of 10,000 is expected for the game that will tip at 7 p.m.

Setting The Scene
Date: Wednesay, Feb. 15, 2006
Location: Austin, Texas
Tipoff: 7 p.m. CST
Venue: Frank Erwin Center (16,775)
TV: Sooner Sports Network
Webcast: None
Radio: KOKC (1520 AM)
Radio Talent: Brian Brinkley (Play-by-Play) & Tara DeGiusti
Tickets: (512) 471-8667

Sooner Sports Network TV Affiliates
Okalhoma City - KAUT-UPN (Cox 16)
Tulsa - Cox 78
Lawton - KSWO

Player To Watch
With Texas star Tiffany Jackson possibly sidelined due to an ankle sprain, the Longhorns offense will run through senior point guard Nina Norman, who scored 24 against UConn on Sunday. That defensive responsibility will fall on the shoulders of Britney Brown, who limited Baylor point guard Angela Tisdale to 10 points on Sunday. Brown is no slouch on offense herself. She is averaging 8.5 PPG since the start of Big 12 play and has scored in double figures in four of the last six games.

Sign of the Times - 31
As in the number of minutes, 31, Courtney Paris needed to tally 31 points and 19 rebounds against Baylor. The Sooner freshman was saddled with foul trouble in the second half, which kept her on the bench for a 10-minute stretch. She was still able to put together one of her best performances of the season with her 17th straight double-double.

Kansas Leftovers
(AP) - Courtney Paris had 31 points and 19 rebounds, and hit two key free throws to keep No. 9 Oklahoma ahead in the final minute of an 81-77 overtime win against 12th-ranked Baylor on Sunday.

After three straight lead changes, Leah Rush put Oklahoma ahead 76-75 with a layup set up by Baylor's double-team of Paris. Paris then rebounded Erin Higgins' missed 3-pointer and put it back to give Oklahoma (21-4, 11-0 Big 12) a three-point lead.

Sophia Young responded with a right-handed basket in the lane, then knocked the ball out of bounds off Paris at the other end. However, Young couldn't connect on a jumper in the lane, and Jordan Davis fouled Paris without the ball to send the 53-percent free-throw shooter to the line.

Paris made both her shots with 19.4 seconds left, stopping to let out a yell after the first went down. Chameka Scott missed a potential tying 3-pointer from the left wing, and Britney Brown hit one of two free throws to give Oklahoma a four-point lead. Baylor (17-5, 7-4) didn't get another shot off as the game ended with a scrum on the floor for the ball.

The Sooners huddled and hugged at midcourt, and Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale pointed to the sellout crowd and pumped her fist in the air in celebration.

Young scored a career-high 36 points and added 14 rebounds to set a Big 12 record with her 54th career double-double. She passed Angie Welle, who had 53 for Iowa State from 1999-2002. The defending NCAA champions have lost four Big 12 games by 12 total points.

Rush scored 12 points to become Oklahoma's 19th player to surpass 1,000 in her career. Krista Sanchez and Brown had 11 points apiece, and Paris' sister, Ashley, had 10 rebounds for Oklahoma, which had a 52-38 rebounding edge.

Courtney Paris notched her 17th straight double-double and her 22nd of the season, extending her Big 12 records in both. Oklahoma's start is the best in Big 12 history.

Postgame Notes
OU played in front of a record crowd of 12,112. The previous record was 12,080 against Tennessee in 2003. Every fan was given a free OU t-shirt as part of the WhiteOUt promotion.
OU improved to 5-3 in overtime under Sherri Coale and 3-1 at the Lloyd Noble Center.
Leah Rush is the ninth fastest player to reach 1,000 points in OU history.
Sophia Young's 36 points were the most by an OU opponent this season.
Krista Sanchez has scored 34 points in Big 12 play and 21 of those have come in the last two games.
Ashley Paris had 10 rebounds, marking the fifth time this season she has reached double-figures in boards.

Big 12 History
The Oklahoma Sooners went 8-8 in the Big 12 last season and finished in a tie for sixth place. All-time, OU has a 93-63 (.596) Big 12 record under head coach Sherri Coale. The Sooners have won three regular season titles (2000, 2001, 2002) and two conference tournaments (2002, 2004). The Sooners were picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 Coaches Preseason Poll this season, behind No. 1 Baylor, No. 2 Texas and No. 3 Texas Tech.

This season Oklahoma is 11-0 in conference, which is a Big 12 record for consecutive wins to start a season. OU's longest conference winning streak within a season is 14, set during the 2000-01 season. OU also won 18 from 2000-01 to 2001-02. Both streaks are Big 12 records. Overall, OU is 52-26 (.667) in Big 12 games played at the Lloyd Noble Center and 41-37 (.526) in conference road contests.

Junior Leah Rush was named to the Coaches Preseason All-Big 12 Team and freshman Courtney Paris was selected by the coaches as the Preseason Freshman of the Year.

Texas Tidbits
Texas enters Wednesday's game losers of two straight games. Overall, the Longhorns are 12-10 on the season and in seventh place in the Big 12 with a 6-5 record. Texas has fallen by double-digits to Texas A&M (73-53) and UConn (71-58) during its two-game skid.

Texas is led by coaching legend Jody Conradt, who recently surpassed Dean Smith for second most wins in Division I history.

Texas has relied on the All-American play of Tiffany Jackson to lead a young team this season, but the Longhorn leader has been sidelined the last two games with an ankle injury. Conradt said after the Connecticut game that Jackson was, “iffy,” for Wednesday night. Jackson leads Texas in scoring (14.4) and rebounding (8.8), while also leading the Big 12 in steals (2.7).

Nina Norman, who had 13 in Texas's 18 point loss to OU on Jan. 25, led Texas on Sunday with a career-high 24 points. She is averaging 10.2 points per game while shooting 38 percent from the floor. Freshman Erica Arriaran is averaging 11 points per game and leads the Longhorns with 34 three-pointers.

OU snapped a three game losing streak to Texas on Jan. 25 when it won 75-57. The Sooners were led by Courtney Paris, who tied a school freshman record with 32 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks. Also in double digits were Britney Brown (13 points) and Ashley Paris, who had a double-double with 11 and 11.

Texas leads the all-time series 19-9 and has won three of the last five games. OU is just 2-10 in Austin and has not won at the Erwin Center since 2001.

Pregame Layups
The Paris twins and Erika Arriaran played together extensively while in high school and are still close friends ... Arriaran and Courtney Paris split National High School Player of the Year awards in 2005 ... Texas has played the fourth toughest schedule in the country and is 1-7 against the top-25 ... Also injured for Texas are Carla Cortijo and Sapulpa, Okla., native Earnesia Williams ... Courtney Paris is three rebounds shy of the Big 12 single season record.

Clinching Possibilities
Oklahoma has a three-game lead on second-place Texas A&M with five conference games to play. Regardless of the results of OU and A&M on Wednesday, the Sooners earliest opportunity to clinch a Big 12 Regular Season Championship will be Saturday at the Lloyd Noble Center. An OU win on Wednesday would eliminate third place Missouri and Baylor from the championship race, because both have four losses and have not defeated OU. Texas Tech is also tied for third with a 7-4 record. It will take two wins to discount Tech.

Rush Scores 1,000th Career Point
Junior Leah Rush became the 19th player in OU history and the ninth fastest to 1,000 points on Feb. 12 when she tallied 12 points against Baylor. Rush, who has averaged 11.4 points during her career, needed 88 games to reach the milestone. Currently, Rush has 1,001 points in her three year career.

What Brown Can Do For OU
Junior point guard Britney Brown's improved play since the start of the Big 12 season has been a major factor in OU's surge to the top of the league standings. Brown is averaging 8.5 points and 4.5 assists per game in Big 12 play. Both marks trump her non-conference averages (3.5 and 2.8) by hefty margins (5.0 in points, 1.7 in assists). The Norman native has taken advantage of opponents sagging defense by increasing her offensive output, especially lately when she has scored in double figures in three of the last four contests.

Guess Who's Back
It was a hot topic of conversation leading up to the 2005-06 season; whether or not Chelsi Welch would be able to return to the form that earned her Co-Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors in 2002-03.

The junior has reestablished herself as a consistent scoring threat and a regular contributor during the Big 12 season, during which time she has averaged 12.1 points per game. She averaged 7.1 prior to the start of the Big 12.

Welch refound her stroke at the right time for OU. The Sooners were coming off a two-game losing streak, during which the missing piece was a secondary scorer alongside freshman phenom Courtney Paris. Coincidentally, the outburst coincided with her return to the starting lineup. She started the first four games of the year before coming off the bench in the next eight contests.

Welch tore the Anterior Cruciate Ligament in her left knee prior to her sophomore season (2003-04). She returned last year to average 5.9 points and 2.2 rebounds per game As a freshman she averaged 12.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

The Best of All-Time
It was only a matter of time before Erin Higgins took the spot at the top. On January 7th she became the OU career leader in 3-pointers made by knocking down two against Colorado and setting her career mark at 176. She has since increased the total to 192.

Higgins hit five 3-pointers against Iowa State on Jan. 4, to move into a first place tie with Etta Maytubby on the OU career list. Both players had 174 career treys, although it took Higgins 84 less attempts to reach the mark. Now the Oklahoma City native has the remainder of this season and next year to build on the record.

Higgins is also fourth in career 3-point percentage at 37.4 (192-514). She recently set an OU record of 19 consecutive games with a three-pointer. At her current pace, Higgins will finish her career with 296 treys.

Charity Worker
Junior Chelsi Welch made her first 25 free throws this season to extend her career best streak to 28 consecutive free throws dating back to the Kansas State game on Feb. 13, 2005. She missed her eighth attempt against Oral Roberts but finished the game 11-12 from the charity stripe. The streak was three short of breaking into the NCAA records books as one of the top-20 streaks of all-time.

On the season she is 75-82 with a Big 12 leading 91.5 percentage, which was second best in the NCAA as of Feb. 6. Welch has also had a streak of 23 straight makes this season.

For her career, Welch is an 85.1 (200-235) shooter, which is the best mark in OU history. She isn't the only exceptional free throw shooter on the OU squad. Leah Rush is shooting at an 80.9 (220-272) percentage, which is currently the third best mark in OU history. Krista Sanchez and Erin Higgins also have career percentages of 70 percent or better.

Records Set
Below are the records that freshman Courtney Paris has set in 25 games:
* Owns the OU freshman rebounding record with 370 boards and counting.
* Owns the OU single season record with 22 double-doubles.
* Owns the OU single season record with 247 defensive rebounds and counting.
* In the midst of OU and Big 12 record streak of 17 consecutive double-doubles.
* Owns the OU freshman scoring record with 538 points and counting.
* The fastest player to 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 points in OU history, she needed five games to eclipse the century mark and 10 to reach 200,14 to reach 300, 20 for 400 and 24 for 500.
* The fastest player to 100, 200 and 300 rebounds in OU history, she needed nine games to reach the century mark, 14 to reach 200 and 21 for 300.
* Set an OU record by becoming the first player to score 10 or more points in the first 25 games of their career, which is the third best streak in program history.
* Set an OU freshman single game record with 22 rebounds against UCLA.
* Tied an OU single game freshman scoring record with 32 points against Texas. She shares the honor with LaNeishea Caufield (1999 vs. Missouri).
* Owns the best 10-game freshman scoring average, 21.0, in OU history (previous was 13.2 by Angie Guffy, 1991-92).
* Owns the best 10-game freshman rebounding average, 13.6, in OU history (previous was 8 by Angie Guffy, 1991-92).
* Set an OU record by becoming the first player to record a double-double in the first three games of her career.
* Set an OU record by recording double figure rebounds in the first three games of her career.
* Owns the second-best single season block total with 76 blocks.
* Set an OU freshman debut record with 24 points in the opener against Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
* Set a Preseason WNIT single game record with 20 rebounds in the second round game against SMU. Also set the tournament rebound record with 54 total boards in four games.
* No. 3 on the OU career double-double list with 22.
* Set Big 12 record with nine weekly awards in the same season. Also also owns the conference mark with six Big 12 Rookie of the Week awards this season.

NCAA Impact
Courtney Paris is putting together one of the best freshman seasons in NCAA history and if she continues her current pace the record books will show it. Stretched out over a 31-game season, which includes the regular season and one Big 12 tournament game, she is on pace to collect 459 rebounds, which would top the current record of 443 by Ida Johnson (Delta State, 1982). She is also on pace for the sixth best scoring season by a rookie in NCAA history. Her projected total is 667, which would fall just short of the top five that is headlined by Tennessee legend Tamika Catchings at No. 3 with 711. She is also on pace to set the NCAA freshman blocks record with a projected total of 96.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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