OU & BYU Meet in the Round of 32

NORMAN, Okla. -- On Monday night in Denver the Oklahoma women's basketball team (30-4) and BYU Cougars (26-5) will meet for a trip to San Antonio and the Sweet 16. The game will tip at 6 p.m. CST at the Pepsi Center and will be broadcast live by ESPN2.

Pam Ward (play-by-play), Nancy Lieberman (color commentary) and Heather Cox (sideline reporter) will carry the telecast for ESPN2. Fans throughout Oklahoma can also catch the game on radio station KOKC (1520 AM) with the usual tandem of Brian Brinkley and Tara DeGiusti.

On Saturday the No. 2-seed Sooners cruised to a 78-66 win over Pepperdine in the opening game of the San Antonio Regional. As usual Courtney Paris was the driving force. The rookie center had 27 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks in just 21 minutes of action. Leah Rush (10 points, eight rebounds), Britney Brown (11 points, six assists) and Kendra Moore (10 points) also carried a large portion of the load.

Oklahoma vs. BYU | Monday, 6 p.m. (CT) | Denver, Colo.
OU NCAA Tournament Central | Sunday Quotes | Notes

On Monday, the Sooners will have their sights set on reaching the Sweet 16. A win would put OU into it fourth Sweet 16 and first since 2002. OU has reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament seven times in nine NCAA appearances. A Sweet 16 trip would be the Sooners fourth since the 2000.

Paced by forward Ambrosia Anderson's 20 points and nine rebounds, BYU was able to hold off Iowa despite significant foul trouble to several key players. Six different players made three-pointers for the Cougars, who had 10 in the game while shooting 44 percent from behind the arc and 43 percent from the floor.

An OU win would send the Sooners onto the San Antonio Regional next weekend at the AT&T Center. The Sweet 16 round will be played at Saturday, March 25, while the Elite 8 will begin held on Monday, March 27.

Setting The Scene
Date: Monday, March 20, 2006
What: Second Round NCAA Tournament
Location: Denver
Arena: Pepsi Center
Opponent: No. 7-Seed BYU
Tipoff: 6 PM CST
TV: ESPN2
TV Talent: Pam Ward (play-by-play), Nancy Lieberman (color) & Heather Cox (sideline)
Radio: KOKC (1520 AM)
Radio Talent: Brian Brinkley (play-by-play) & Tara DeGiusti
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.com

Player To Watch
She has only started two NCAA Tournament games, but her numbers are as impressive as any other Sooner not named Courtney Paris. Britney Brown has tallied 20 points, 13 assists and just two turnovers in 60 minutes over OU's last two tourney games. She has been clutch too, knocking down 8-of-8 free throw attempts and 2-of-3 from behind the arc.

700, 500 & 100
On March 18, Courtney Paris became the first player in NCAA women's basketball history to record 700 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks in a season. She currently has 732 points, 508 rebounds and 115 blocks. Paris set the unprecedented feat at the 9:33 mark of the first half in OU's NCAA Tourney opener against Pepperdine.

Paris also became the third player in NCAA history to collect 500 boards in a season. She joined Wanda Ford of Drake, who eclipsed the mark twice (1984-85 & 85-86) and Anne Donovan (1982-83) of Old Dominion.

Counting Down From 27
Courtney Paris needs 27 rebounds to break the NCAA single season rebounding record, regardless of class. She is currently second behind Wanda Ford's record of 534, which she set while at Drake in 1984-85. In OU's last game, Paris surpassed No. 3 Ann Donovan (504 in 1982-83) and No. 2 Wanda Ford (506 in 1985-86).

The New Big 12 Scoring Leader
Paris, nicknamed CP3, also set a new Big 12 standard for single season points when she broke the previous record of 722 by Edwina Brown of Texas (1999-00). Paris surpassed Brown with 27 points in OU's NCAA Tournament opener against Pepperdine. The Sooner center currently has 732 points.

The Score is 4-2
CP3 ranks in the top-10 in four different statistical categories among all NCAA players. Those categories are points per game (21.5), field goal percentage (.617), rebounds per game (14.9) and blocks per game (3.5). No other player in Division I, let alone on the Wooden and Naismith Player of the Year list, ranks in the top-10 in more than two categories. Add in her NCAA best 31 doubles and 508 rebounds (NCAA only keeps average) and the freshman ranks in the top-10 of six categories.

The Streak
OU's opening round win over Pepperdine in the NCAA Tournament extended its winning streak to 18 games, which is the longest in school history. The Sooners entered the NCAAs with a 17-game streak, which was tied with previous school record of 17 set in 2000-01.

The 18-gamer is the third longest active streak in the NCAA. As of Sunday afternoon, OU was trailing Coppin State (21 straight) and Ohio State (19 straight).

Recapping The NCAA Opener
Denver(AP) - Courtney Paris raised her hand to come out, then trotted past Oklahoma's bench and down a tunnel.

It was only a few minutes into the game, so she must have had an injury or an equipment problem, right? Nope.

Told to drink plenty of water to fight the affects of Denver's mile-high altitude, Paris apparently overdid it.

``Before the game I started feeling like I was gagging,'' she said. ``I had to throw up. I went to the back, got it taken care of, and when I came out it was gone.''

Apparently, not even a bathroom break can slow Oklahoma's freshman sensation.

Paris had her way inside for 27 points and 11 rebounds in just 21 minutes, and the Sooners overcame a sluggish start to open the NCAA tournament with 78-66 victory over Pepperdine on Saturday in the San Antonio Regional.

Paris finished 11-for-13 from the field, blocked four shots and passed Texas' Edwina Brown's Big 12 single-season record of 722 points before heading to the bench midway through the second half with Oklahoma leading 59-33.

Britney Brown added 11 points and six assists, and Oklahoma (30-4) reached 30 wins for the second time in school history to move on to Monday's second round against Brigham Young.

``I think one of the things that make a player so special and so dominant is their ability to make everybody around them better,'' Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale said. ``And, as you saw on several occasions today, Courtney did that.''

It's no surprise considering what Paris has done so far in her first college season.

Using her size and a beyond-her-18-years understanding of the game to dominate like few freshman have before, Paris set 36 school records and ended the regular season three rebounds shy of becoming the first player in NCAA history to have 700 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks in a season.

Behind Paris, the Sooners made the first perfect run (16-0) through the Big 12 in the conference's 10-year history and tied a school record with a 17-game winning streak to end the regular season.

``I don't know how much you can say about Courtney that hasn't been said before,'' Pepperdine coach Julie Rousseau said. ``I got a chance to recruit her at Stanford and see her dominate as a high school player. She's definitely carried that over to the college ranks.''

The Sooners had trouble getting the ball to Paris in the post early against Pepperdine (14-17), forcing passes and looking away when she was double-teamed. Then came the trip down the tunnel.

But once Paris got the ball, the Waves had no chance.

Though an inch shorter at 6-foot-3, Paris used her strength to bull past Pepperdine's Teiosha George inside, forcing her into tough shots and repeatedly sealing her off at the other end, leading to numerous easy baskets.

Paris hit the 500-rebound mark in the game's first 10 minutes and pressured George into missing all six of her shots in the first half, helping Oklahoma to a 36-19 lead.

``She's definitely a handful. She was a lot to handle in the post,'' Pepperdine's Kelsey Ball said. ``She's hard to push around and get out of position. She's a great player.''
Pepperdine opened the season 1-6 before winning eight of its final 10 games, including three straight for a surprising win in the West Coast Conference tournament to become the fourth team to qualify for the NCAA tournament with a losing record.

The 15th-seeded Waves seemed to have a glimmer of hope for the upset in the early going, using solid defense to keep it close in the first 10 minutes, but had a miserable day from the field to let Oklahoma pull away.

Pepperdine shot 8-for-32 in the first half and not much better in the second, finishing at 35 percent to drop to 0-4 in NCAA tournament games. Daphanie Kennedy led the Waves with 31 points - 23 in the second half as Pepperdine cut into Oklahoma's 29-point lead against mostly reserves.

``I don't know what the largest deficit was, but I think that everyone got to really enjoy what I've had an opportunity to enjoy all year, and that's just how tough our women really are, how strong they are, strong in character,'' Rousseau said. ``They showed a lot of fight and I'm very proud of them.''

Notes on OU in the NCAA Tournament
OU is 13-8 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.

OU is 3-1 as a No. 2 seed. The Sooners were also a No. 2 seed in 2000-01.

Entering the tournament, Oklahoma had 12 wins against the 1-8 seeds in this year's tournament.

The only teams with more wins against the top 32 teams in the field are Tennessee (16) and North Carolina (15). Duke also has 12 wins.

OU is 11-6 under Sherri Coale in NCAA Tournament.

OU has advanced to the second round of the Tournament in seven of nine appearances.

A No. 2 seed has not lost its opening game in the NCAA Tourney since the field expanded to 64 in 1994.

Only five No. 2 seeds have not reached to the Sweet 16.

Baylor was a No. 2 seed when it won the National Championship last season, as was UConn in 2004.

Paris Streaks Past the Rest
Courtney Paris has recorded a double-double in 26 consecutive games, which is a Big 12 and Oklahoma record. That total of 26 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 21 this season. Paris has a total of 31 double-doubles in 34 games this season, another Big 12 and OU record.

Board Work
Oklahoma is the top team in the Big 12 in terms of rebounding margin at +11.4 and ranked third nationally as of March 12. OU is averaging 45.0 rebounds per game as compared to the opponents 33.6. In 33 games, OU has out-rebounded opponents by double figures on 23 occasions, including 13 of 19 Big 12 opponents. The season high was a +36 effort against SMU. Connecticut, Michigan State and Texas Tech (in the second meeting) are the only teams to out-rebound the Sooners this season.

Stingy Sooners
OU is holding opponents to a .369 shooting percentage this season, which is 103 points lower than OU's mark of .472. The Sooners have held 24 of their 34 opponents, including 15 of 19 conference teams, under .400 from the field. OU has held three straight opponents below 40 percent from the field. The season best mark was .194 against SMU.

In the Big 12 overall stats OU ranks second in field goal percentage defense. The Sooners improved in Big 12 play, during which time they held opponents to a conference best .363 mark, including just .293 from 3-point range.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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