Completed Event: Women's Basketball at #23 Alabama on February 15, 2026 , Win , 79, to, 71
Final
Women's Basketball
79
at #23 Alabama
71
University of Oklahoma Athletics
Sooners, Sun Devils Meet in Mexico
November 21, 2007 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 21, 2007
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The Sooners and Sun Devils boast tall post players and speedy guards in what should be a mirror matchup for the teams.
OU looks for its first victory of the season against its third straight ranked opponent after suffering losses to No. 3 Maryland and No. 1 Tennessee.
The contest will air on KOKC AM-1520 in Oklahoma City and be available online at SoonerSports.com All-Access with Brian Brinkley calling the play-by-play.
PREVIEWING ARIZONA STATE
In terms of court time, Arizona State figures similarly to the Oklahoma. Like the Sooners, the Sun Devils return three starters from last year's team and welcome four newcomers.
However, Arizona State can rely on the experience of two seniors -- Reagan Paraseau and Jill Noe -- and two junior transfers --Sybil Dotsy and Lauren Lacey -- who played at Tennessee and Minnesota, respectively, two seasons ago.
The Sun Devils pose a challenge in the paint with some of the tallest post players the Sooners will see all season in 6-6 Kirsten Thompson, 6-5 Becca Tobin and 6-3 Dotsy and Lacey.
Arizona State finsihed the 2006-07 season in the Elite Eight. Head coach Charli Turner Thorne is in her 15th season in Division I, including her12th with Arizona State.
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TOWERING TANDEMS
It will be a battle of the bigs as 6-4 Courtney Paris meets 6-6 Kirsten Thompson Thursday when OU and Arizona State hit the hardwood.
It will be the 20th time Paris will match up against a player with equal or greater height. Paris averages 20.2 points and 15.1 rebounds, just under career averages of 22.4 an 15.4, when the opposing team's starting forward/center is 6-4 or taller. Conversely, an opponent of equal or greater height to Paris averages just 9.5 points and 5.8 rebounds.
Paris has matched up with several 6-4 and 6-5 forwards and centers, but just once against a 6-6 player -- Texas Tech's Patrice Edwards, who scored 16 and had five rebounds in OU's 70-67 win in Lubbock, Texas, last season. Edwards came off the bench in Tech's meeting in Norman for 12 points and 10 boards.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK, ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
After her performance against No. 1 Tennessee, Danielle Robinson earned Co-Rookie of the Week honors from the Big 12 Conference. She shared the weekly award with Texas forward Kathleen Nash.
Robinson was also honored Wednesday, Nov. 14, as the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame Female High School Athlete of the Year at the hall of fame's induction ceremonies. Robinson was unable to attend due to preparation for Thursday's game against Tennessee in Tampa, Fla.
BIRTHDAY GIRL
Amanda Thompson celebrated her 20th birthday Sunday, Nov. 18, night in Norman. Teammates took her out for a special dinner and Nyeshia Stevenson picked up the tab.
SEASON TICKET UPDATE
As of Monday, Nov. 19, the OU Athletics Ticket Office had sold approximately 6,561 season ticket packages. The number breaks the record of 6,465 season tickets bought for OU women's basketball last season.
Though reserved level season tickets have sold out, general admission season tickets remain and fans are encouraged to purchase them prior to the start of the season. GA season tickets are available for $115.
Group and single game tickets became available Monday, Nov. 19.
Single game tickets for all home games are $8 for adults and $5 for youths (K-12).
The Sooner fan base is one of the nation's fastest growing. The Oklahoma women's basketball team ranked No. 4 in attendance last season, averaging 10,437 fans. That was an increase of 37 percent from the 2005-06 season when Lloyd Noble Center games averaged 7,630, which was an increased of 35 percent over the previous season.
Fans can purchase season tickets by calling th OU Ticket Office at (800) 456-GoOU or online at SoonerSports.com.
TEAM CAPTAINS
Since Britney Brown, Erin Higgins and Leah Rush -- the captains for the past two seasons -- have departed, new leaders must take control. The 2007-08 captains, as voted by team members, are Ashley Paris, Courtney Paris, Jenna Plumley and Amanda Thompson.
THE NATION'S TOUGHEST START
Oklahoma will play 11 regular-season games, among eight different teams, ranked in the USA Today/ESPN Preseason Coaches' Poll. That is not the toughest schedule in the nation as No. 1 Tennessee will look to earn its way back to the national title game with 12 games among 11 preseason Top 25 teams.
However, OU will face a tougher start than any other team in college basketball with its first three games among teams in the top 12, including No. 1 Tennesee and No. 4 Maryland -- the past two national champions. All three of these games will be played at neutral sites.
RECAPPING TENNESSEE
The Courtney Paris vs. Candace Parker hype played out as it was built to be with each team's respective CP3 trading buckets at the start. Paris scored OU's first seven points and Parker scored UT's first eight. OU freshman Danielle Robinson broke it up by scoring a fast break layup to put the Sooners up 9-4. Vicki Baugh ended Parker's streak with a layup in the middle of the first half.
UT's Parker finished with 28 points and Shannon Bobbitt scored 22 of her career-high 27 points in the second half.
Bobbitt secured the win with two free throws to put Tennessee up 70-67 with 3.2 seconds to play after the Lady Vols forced a jump ball on Oklahoma's previous possession.
After Oklahoma went ahead 67-66 on Courtney Paris' basket with a half-minute left, Tennessee took the lead for good on two free throws by Alexis Hornbuckle with 26.7 seconds to go.
Olympic Hopefuls
Paris and Parker are looking to be the first active collegians on an Olympic squad in 20 years when the team is finalized next year for the Beijing Olympics. The last U.S. Olympic team with a player who had collegiate eligibility remaining during their Summer Games stint was the 1988 team, which had two -- Vicky Bullet (Maryland) and Bridgette Gordon (Tennessee).
Box Score
When Candace Parker inadvertently scored two for Oklahoma by knocking a missed Courtney Paris free throw back through the hoop, the game's final box score was printed and distributed with a error. According to NCAA rules, the play results in a deadball offensive rebound for OU and two points (a made field goal) attributed to the Oklahoma team. Courtney Paris' final numbers should read 19 points and 15 rebounds.
CP3 Jamboree
The first meeting between Courtney Paris and Candace Parker was an all-time thriller in women's college basketball. The two combined for 34 percent (47) of the final points and 40 percent (30) of the total rebounds. Paris played all of the second half after early foul trouble for 32 total mintues. Parker never subsitituted as the two superstars battled to the final seconds.
Freshman Phenom
Danielle Robinson earned her first collegiate start and made it count by scoring 14 points, the second best total by a Sooner. Robinson had a game-leading four steals and team-leading four assists as she played a career-high 38 minutes.
Still Winless Versus Tennessee, No. 1.
Though the streak almost ended, the Oklahoma Sooners remained winless versus Tennessee and a No. 1 ranked team.
OU had previous losses to the Lady Vols in both games of a home-and-home series in 2003 and 2004. The Sooners had played four previous games versus a No. 1-ranked team, all losses to Connecticut.
D-Robbing
Against Maryland, freshman guard Danielle Robinson (nickname: D-Rob) counted six of her 15 points the easy way, by converting all three of her steals into uncontested layups.
Against Tennessee, Robinson had a game-leading four steals, which OU converted into five points.
Second Chance Success
On the season, Oklahoma has converted 26 offensive rebounds into 20 points.
3-Point Fallout
The major statistical difference between the teams in OU's season-opening loss to Maryland was 3-point shooting, especially in the second half. After both teams drained three 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes, Maryland shot 4-for-8 from beyond the arc to finish the game. The Sooners were 0-of-8 from the 3-point line in the second half of a game differentiated by 10 points.
Against Tennessee, OU shot 4-of-11 from beyond the arc (including a 1-for-5 effort in the second half) while the Lady Vols were 6-of-16 (6-of-10 by Shannon Bobbitt).
Record Breaker
Courtney Paris' double-double record stayed intact when she recorded her 63rd consecutive double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds versus Tennessee on Nov. 15. Paris has recorded an NCAA record 68 double-doubles in 71 career games.
With her seventh of 11 rebounds in the season opener, Paris passed Molly McGuire (1,071) for possession of OU's career rebounds record. Paris' rebounding record now stands at 1,090. The junior center averages 15.4 boards per game.
FRESHMAN FACTS
After losing six seniors, the OU women's basketball team should be expected to look and play much differently this season than past Sherri Coale-coached teams have played. However, while these freshmen are very talented and will make their names known quickly, they do draw comparisons to some familiar faces.
Danielle Robinson | 5-9 | G | San Jose, Calif.
Robinson was the Sooners' surprise pickup of the 2007 recruiting class. After acknowledging OU was off her radar until her official visit, Robinson made the decision to be a Sooner before she checked her bags for the return flight home. The speedy guard will see time both on and off the point and draws comparisons to Dionnah Jackson.
Carlee Roethlisberger | 6-1 | F | Findlay, Ohio
Having the third most recognizable surname speaks to the star power on the Sooners' roster. Yes, Carlee is the sister of Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback Ben, but she may the family's best athlete. Roethlisberger is leanest Sooner and the one with the greatest ceiling in terms of untapped basketball potential. Her play resembles another lean forward in former Sooner Leah Rush.
Jenny Vining | 5-9 | G | Marshall, Ark.
This Arkansas high school star will remind fans of former Sooner Erin Higgins because of her 3-point range and accuracy, although Vining's may prove to be better in both cases. Head coach Sherri Coale says that Vining might be the best freshman she has ever coached because of her ability to quickly learn from mistakes and make correct adjustments in practice.
Lauren Willis | 5-11 | G | Overland Park, Kan.
Willis was an all-stater in Kansas and walked-on to the OU program. She has been a stellar defender in practice as was quite the spark in OU's preseason intrasquad scrimmage as she went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in limited action. Willis is the daughter of Steve Willis, a placekicker on Kansas State football's first ever bowl team, and the former Lois Groen, an All-American and Big Eight Conference track and field champion at Iowa State.
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SOONERS PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN BIG 12 Texas A&M, the 2006-07 Big 12 co-champions with Oklahoma, received seven of 12 first-place votes to edge the Sooners, who received five first-place votes, in a split decision between the two teams. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team. PARIS PRESEASON BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE YEAR The 6-4 center, who averaged 23.5 points and 15.9 rebounds, was last season's Big 12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year after leading the Sooners to title defenses of the conference's regular season and tournament championships. Ashley Paris was an honorable mention for the All-Big 12 team. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SOONERSPORTS.COM BLOG
Even though she was out of the country, Courtney Paris kept everyone at home up to speed on her progress with USA Basketball via the OU Women's Basketball Blog on SoonerSports.com.
OU head coach Sherri Coale submits regular postings and this season several OU players will enter the cyberspace realm with their own unique contributions.
PARIS A PRESEASON WOODEN AWARD CANDIDATE
Courtney Paris was named one of 30 preseason candidates for the 2007-08 Women's Wooden Award announced by the John R. Wooden Award committee Wednesday, Oct. 31.
Paris, a two-time Wooden All-American, was also a preseason nominee last year and was one of 16 finalists for the 2007 Women's Wooden Award. Tennessee's Candace Parker was the 2007 recipient of the honor.
The award is named for the three-time college basketball All-American, 1932 National Player of the Year and 10-time national championship coach John Wooden.
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation's best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA. Previous winners include such notables as Larry Bird (1979), Michael Jordan (1984), Tim Duncan (1997), and last year's recipients, Kevin Durant of Texas and Candace Parker of Tennessee.
PARIS AND TEAM USA QUALIFY FOR OLYMPICS
Courtney Paris missed 30 days of the Sooners' preseason training...and head coach Sherri Coale probably couldn't have been more pleased with the result.
Courtney Paris, one of two collegians playing for the USA Basketball Women's Senior National Team, swept through the FIBA Americas Zone Tournament in Valdivia, Chile, winning the gold medal against Cuba on Sept. 30 and, more importantly, clinching a berth for the United States in next year's Olympic Games.
Paris was a role-player for the U.S., as one of very few post players her size in international basketball. She averaged nine minutes per game as the Americans went through the tournament undefeated at 5-0.
It was Paris' seventh gold medal as part of a USA Basketball team.
PARIS AND U21 TEAM WIN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Paris earned twice as much gold this summer as she helped the USA Basketball Women's Under 21 Team to a World Championship title in July.
The U.S. defeated Australia, 96-73, in the title game in Moscow, Russia, to give Paris and Team USA its fourth straight gold in age-group basketball.
Paris played 39 games with USA Basketball in age group contests and never lost.
She averaged 10.9 points and 8.0 rebounds in eight contests during the World Championships.
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