Perfect Big 12 Season Faces Final Test

NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 9 Oklahoma women's basketball team (25-4) will attempt to complete a 16-0 Big 12 regular season when it travels to Texas Tech (9-6) on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. game at the United Spirit Arena. The venue promises to be abuzz as the Lady Raiders honor legendary head coach Marsha Sharp, who will be coaching her final regular season game after 24 years in Lubbock.

The game will be broadcast locally on Cox channel 7 in the Oklahoma City area and on Cox channel 3 in Tulsa. Drew Dougherty (play-by-play) and Tech alum Crystal Boles (color commentary) will serve as the on-air talent for the Texas Tech Network telecast, which is being simulcast to Oklahoma markets by Sooner Sports Properties.

Wednesday may pose the toughest challenge of the conference season for the Sooners. In addition to the motivation provided by Sharp's resignation, the Lady Raiders are considered to be on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. Tech is also undefeated at home in league play (7-0) and is expecting a sellout crowd of 15,000.

Game Notes | We'll Always Have Paris | Big 12 Tickets

The Sooners have won 13 straight, which is the sixth longest streak in the country, and have already defeated every team in the Big 12. In order to collect the season sweep of Texas Tech, OU will need a strong effort from the low post duo of Courtney Paris and Leah Rush. Both will be saddled with the responsibility of slowing down junior LaToya Davis, who is fourth in the league at 18.9 points per game. Paris and Rush are combining to average 31.3 points this season and have pulled down 23 boards per game over the last three.

After wrapping up the regular season at Tech, OU will begin to prepare for the Big 12 Championhip (formerly known as the tournament). The regular season champions will be the No. 1 seed in the tournament for just the second time in their history. They will open play on Wednesday, March 8 at Noon CST against the winner of the 8/9 game.

Setting The Scene
Date: Wednesday, March 1, 2006
Location: Lubbock, Texas
Tipoff: 7 p.m. CST
Venue: United Spirit Arena (15,050)
TV: Cox channel 7 in Oklahoma City, channel 3 in Tulsa
TV Talent: Drew Dougherty (Play-by-Play) & Crystal Boles
Webcast: None
Radio: KOKC (1520 AM)
Radio Talent: Brian Brinkley (Play-by-Play) & Tara DeGiusti
Tickets: Sold out

Player To Watch
Courtney Paris needs just 12 rebounds to break the NCAA freshman single season rebound record, which has stood for 25 years. Ida Johnson of Delta State set the mark at 443 in 1981-82. Courtney Paris currently has 432 board. The Wooden Award Candidate is the only player in Big 12 history to record 600 points and 400 rebounds in a single season.

Sign of the Times - 4
In the Feb. 20 edition of the NCAA stats, Courtney Paris was ranked in the top-10 of four categories - points, rebounds, field goal percentage and blocks. No other player was ranked in the top-10 in more than two categories. Add in the fact that Paris leads the country with 26 double-doubles, a stat that is not kept by the NCAA, and it becomes apparent that the rookie is posting the most gaudy numbers in Division I women's basketball.

Nebraska Leftovers
(AP) - Erin Higgins scored 17 points, Courtney Paris recorded her 21st double-double in a row with 15 points and 13 rebounds and No. 9 Oklahoma pulled away from Nebraska early in the second half for a 73-45 win Sunday.

Chelsi Welch hit a jumper and a runner, Paris scored three points and Leah Rush added a 3-pointer from the top of the key as Oklahoma (25-4, 15-0 Big 12) opened the second half with a 10-0 run to take a 45-25 lead.

Higgins and Laura Andrews then made consecutive 3-pointers from the left wing to stretch the lead to 56-32, and Nebraska (15-11, 7-8) was never back within 20.

Oklahoma has won 13 straight games and snapped Nebraska's three-game win streak.

After this win, the Sooners, who wrapped up the Big 12 regular-season title with a win against Texas A&M last weekend, dropped red and white balloons from the rafters and cut down the nets during a celebration that merged with the final home game for seniors Beky Preston and Andrews.

The sellout crowd chanted ``Big 12 Champs!'' as players donned T-shirts and caps touting their title, and hoisted the conference championship trophy.

Higgins was 5-of-7 from 3-point range to boost her record for the most 3-pointers in Oklahoma history. With her fifth attempt, the junior passed Etta Maytubby for the most attempts ever by a Sooners player.

Paris, whose 26 double-doubles are the most in NCAA Division I, became the first Big 12 player ever to score 600 points and have 400 rebounds in a season. She left the game with 6:43 remaining, high-fiving her teammates on her way to the bench.

Postgame Notes
OU outrebounded Nebraska 60-33. The Sooners held a 35-13 advantage in the second half. In their last two games, OU has outrebounded NU and K-State 60-24 in the second session.
OU is 24-0 at home when ranked in the top-10.
With the win, OU became the second conference team to defeat every league member during the regular season. The other squad was Texas in 2003-04.
Higgins' hit five 3-pointers for the second time this season. It was the 23rd time in her career that she has hit four or more. She also became the first OU player and the 11th Big 12 player to hit 200 career treys.
Paris is 12 boards shy of breaking the NCAA freshman single season rebounding record of 443 by Ida Johnon of Delta State in 1981-82
Leah Rush has averaged eight rebounds over the last three games, which is up from her season average of 5.1.

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 96-63 (.604) Big 12 record under head coach Sherri Coale. The Sooners have won four regular season titles (2000, 2001, 2002, 2006) 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 15-0 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 15, set this year. OU also won 18 from 2000-01 to 2001-02. Both streaks are Big 12 records. Overall, OU is 54-26 (.675) in Big 12 games played at the Lloyd Noble Center and 43-37 (.538) in conference road contests.

Texas Tech Tidbits
Texas Tech is 14-12 on the season and 9-6 in Big 12 play. The Lady Raiders have won two straight games at the expense of Kansas and Texas. Tech is 11-2 at United Spirt Arena this season, including a 7-0 mark in Big 12 play.

Wednesday will be the final regular season game of Marsha Sharp's legendary career. Sharp has compiled a 571-187 record in 24 years at the helm of the Lady Raider program. Sharp has led TTU to 16 NCAA Tournaments and one national title.

Texas Tech has been led by senior forward LaToya Davis, who is the only other player not named Courtney Paris to average a double-double in the Big 12 this season. Davis is fourth in the conference in scoring (18.9) and second in rebounding (10.8).

The floor general is Erin Grant, who is averaging 12.2 points and 6.2 assists per game. Grant is one of the most prolific point guards in the country and the second best assist woman in the Big 12.

Alesha Robertson, who lead Tech with 16 points in the last meeting, is also averaging double digits in scoring at 12.6 PPG.

OU won a close game with Texas Tech on Jan. 18, thanks in large part to 17 points and 19 rebounds from Courtney Paris. Erin Higgins also contributed 13 points for the Sooners, who held Tech to 29.7 shooting from the floor.

Texas Tech leads the all-time series 21-11 and is 12-3 against OU in Lubbock. OU lost in Lubbock in 2005, but won in Lady Raider territory in 2004, 2002 and 2001.

Pregame Layups
Chelsi Welch played in the 2003 World University Games with LaToya Davis and Erin Grant ... She also won a pair of state titles while at Plainview HS with Lady Raider Alesha Robertson ... According to this week's Bracketology on ESPN.com, OU is headed to Tucson as a three seed in the Bridgeport Regional ... OU is one of six teams in Division I women's basketball with an undefeated conference record ... The only other team from a power' conference is Rutgers, who is 14-0 in Big East play ... Sherri Coale (198-112) needs two wins for the 200th of her career.

A Step or Two Above
Courtney Paris has recorded a double-double in 21 consecutive games, which is a Big 12 and Oklahoma record. That total of 21 is higher than the season total of any other player in Division I women's basketball. The next closest is Jillian Robbins of Tulsa, who has 19 this season. Paris has a total of 26 double-doubles in 29 games this season, another Big 12 and OU record.

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 11.3 points during her career, needed 88 games to reach the milestone. Currently, Rush has 1,043 points in her three-year career.

Keep An Eye On...
Courtney Paris will likely set the NCAA freshman rebounding record in the next two games, but she has a chance at the bigger prize as well. The NCAA single season rebounding record is 534, a number that would take Paris seven games to reach at her current pace (14.9 RPG).

To enter the NCAA single season freshman scoring top-five, Paris (610 points) needs to reach 687 points and Tarchas Hollis of Grambling (1989). If OU play 7 more games, she could reach the No. 2 spot which is 753 points.

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 32-game season, which includes the remainder of the regular season, one Big 12 Championship game and one NCAA Tournament game, she is on pace to collect 477 rebounds, which would top the current record of 443 by Ida Johnson (Delta State, 1982). She is also on pace (672 points) for the fifth best scoring season by a rookie in NCAA history. She is on pace to collect 99 blocks, which is just one swat short of the NCAA freshman record.

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 Big 12 Regular Season Championship. Brown is averaging 8.3 points and 4.7 assists per game in Big 12 play. Both marks trump her non-conference averages (3.5 and 2.8) by hefty margins (4.8 in points, 1.7 in assists). The Norman native has taken advantage of opponents sagging defense by increasing her offensive output. She has scored nine or more points on nine occasions, with eight of those coming in Big 12 play. The other instance was against then-No. 10 Ohio State on Jan. 9, which occurred after Big 12 play had begun.

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 11.5 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 203, making her the first player in OU history and the 11th in Big 12 history to make 200 career treys.

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 37.6 (203-540). She recently set an OU record of 19 consecutive games with a three-pointer.

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 79-86 with a Big 12 leading 91.9 percentage, which was sixth best in the NCAA as of Feb. 13. Welch has also had a streak of 23 straight makes this season.

For her career, Welch is an 85.4 (204-239) 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 81.6 (234-287) 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.

Fans Packed LNC At Record Rates
Oklahoma set a number of attendance records this season. Three of the top four single game attendances in program history were on hand this season, while the per game average of 7,630 trumped the previous best by 6,606 set in 2001-02

All 13 of OU's regular season home games were attended by 5,000 or more fans, which is a program first. OU also recorded two sellouts, giving the program three capacity crowds in its history.

For the Feb. 12 game against Baylor, OU set a state record for a women's basketball game with a turnout of 12,112. The home season finale crowd of 12,003 was the third best mark in history.Against Texas A&M on Feb. 18, the fourth largest crowd in OU history (11,689) was on hand to watch OU clinch the Big 12 Regular Season Championship despite snowfall and outdoor temperatures of under 20 degrees.

Currently, OU is ranked No. 9 nationally in average attendance with 7,630 and should hold in that position until the end of the season.

Season ticket sales were at an all-time high with 4,000-plus packages sold. In mid-October the fan support helped OU race past the previous record of 3,512 season tickets, which was set the season (2002-03) after OU reached its first Final Four. It took only a few weeks for the sales to surpass 4,000 and set a new standard for Sooner support.

The women's hoops team also received record support from fans that can't make it out to the arena. Some 200-plus viewers tuned into the O-Zone's live webcast of the Dec. 5 game against No. 22 UCLA. It marked a record turnout for any event, regardless of sport, for the premium pay-site O-Zone.

Points in the Paint
Another sign of the changing signature of Oklahoma women's basketball is the domination of the paint. OU has held a 1,052-602 advantage in terms of points in the paint so far this season. On average, OU holds an advantage of 15.5 points in each game.

The Sooners have scored 47 (1052-of-2,225) percent of their points in the paint this season, a figure that has a positive impact on OU's field goal percentage of .470, which leads the Big 12 and ranked 10th in the NCAA as of Feb. 20.

Getting a Rush on the Competition
Leah Rush, who is shooting 34.7 percent from 3-point range, is deadly when she makes her first attempt of the game. She has done so in 16 contests and shoots 56 percent (25-45) when she hits her first from long range. OU is 15-1 in those contests with the lone loss coming to Illinois.

Sorry Pam Pennon
Sorry Pam Pennon (1995-96) but your name was just erased from the OU record books, at least in one category. Pennon had held the No. 10 spot in career 3-pointers (88) until Chelsi Welch knocked down three treys at Missouri on Feb. 4. Welch currently has 96 career 3's and is 32 shy of No. 9 Melissa Richie (1992-95). Laura Andrews and her 90 career makes is just behind Pennon and Welch at No. 12 on the career list.

Threes The Key?
Oklahoma is shooting 37.0 percent (161-435) from 3-point range in its 24 wins and 17.6 percent (12-68) in its four losses. OU is also shooting 43.2 percent (51-118) as a team in Big 12 road games this season.

Board Work
Oklahoma is the top team in the Big 12 in terms of rebounding margin at +11.9 and ranked fourth nationally as of Feb. 20. OU is averaging 44.9 rebounds per game as compared to the opponents 33.0. In 29 games, OU has out-rebounded opponents by double figures on 19 occasions, including 10 of 15 Big 12 games this season. The season high was a +36 effort against SMU. Connecticut and Michigan State are the only teams to out-rebound the Sooners this season.

Stingy Sooners
OU is holding opponents to a .378 shooting percentage this season, which is 92 points lower than OU's mark of .470. The Sooners have held 20 of their 29 opponents, including 12 of 15 in Big 12 play, under .400 from the field. The season best mark was .194 against SMU.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Perfect Big 12 Season Faces Final Test

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