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 Host Sugar Bears Thursday
December 19, 2007 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 19, 2007
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Brian Brinkley and Tara DeGiusti will have the radio call on the Sooner Sports Network (KOKC 1520 AM in OKC).
The game can be viewed live via webcast at SoonerSports.com All-Access.
Tip-off is 6 p.m. Central.
AUTOGRAPH NIGHT
Fans who come out early to the Oklahoma's women's basketball game versus Central Arkansas Thursday, Dec. 20, will receive a holiday gift on behalf of the OU Athletics Department.
For the first 1,000 fans through the Lloyd Noble Center doors, to open at 4:30 p.m., the OU Athletics Department will give away its official holiday ornament and for the first 3,000 who enter, the final poster in a five-print collectable series will be distributed. The poster features three-time Big 12 Coach of the Year Sherri Coale.
Thursday's game, which tips at 6 p.m., will also celebrate the state's heritage with Native American Appreciation Night. The OU Native American Student Association will perform at halftime.
After the game, the entire OU women's basketball team will be available on the upper concourse to sign autographs (one item per person).
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PREVIEWING CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Head coach Checola Seals-Horton has had the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears exceeding expectations in each of her three seasons as head coach as the program enters its second year in NCAA Division I basketball.
The task gets much tougher Thursday when UCA faces its highest ranked opponent in program history as its steps onto the Lloyd Noble Center court against No. 9 Oklahoma.
The Sugar Bears return just two starters and adds eight newcomers from last year's team that finished second in the Southland Conference's East Division.
UCA's games against Arkansas-Monticello and Grambling -- the teams only victories thus far -- are the only consecutive games in which the Sugar Bears have had the same starting lineup.
UCA looks to start three freshmen, including Jenks, Okla., native Meagan Nickell against the Sooners.
THOMPSON BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Amanda Thompson led the Sooners' rally against Michigan State with a 14-point, 14-rebound effort. Both numbers were career highs as she posted her first double-double.
Thompson was honored by the Big 12 Monday as the conference's player of the week. It was the first time she had received the honor.
A Sooner has been honored by the Big 12 for the five consecutive weeks. Two weeks ago, Courtney Paris was the conference's player of the week and Danielle Robinson has been rookie of the week three times.
RECAPPING MICHIGAN STATE
Amanda Thompson surprised even herself, but her team's relentless rebounding didn't shock Michigan State on Sunday.
Thompson more than doubled her season averages with 14 points and 14 rebounds to lead a balanced attack and help the No. 9 Sooners overtake No. 21 Michigan State 66-55.
Teammate Courtney Paris had 13 points and 14 rebounds to stretch her NCAA-record streak of double-double performances to 70.
The Sooners (7-2) broke a 53-53 tie with a 13-2 closing run and had a 47-31 rebounding advantage.
Ashley Paris, Courtney's twin sister, and Danielle Robinson each had 12 points for Oklahoma, which trailed by 11 at halftime. Jenna Plumley added eight points, including a tiebreaking 3-pointer, and five steals.
Courtney Davidson came off the bench to lead the Spartans (7-3) with 18 points, including 13 in the second half. Alisa Wulff had 14 points and was 4-for-5 from 3-point range. But 6-foot-9 Allyssa DeHaan was held to 10 points and five rebounds, well below her season averages. She did have five blocked shots to set a school career record with 198 less than halfway through her sophomore year.
Michigan State used an 11-0 run and aggressive help defense in the post to build a 24-15 lead. Wulff, who came in averaging 3.3 points, scored her team's first eight.
Trailing 28-17 at the break, Oklahoma answered by extending its defense and taking full advantage of Michigan State's turnovers. The Sooners finally drew even at 40, then fell behind again at 52-44. But the Spartans managed just three points in the final 6:42 while six Oklahoma players scored.
The Sooners shot 64.5 percent from the field in the second half after hitting just 23.5 percent in the first. Many of those baskets came on second and third chances as Thompson had seven of her team's 21 offensive rebounds.
Kalisha Keane had eight rebounds for Michigan State but was her team's only player with more than five. Fellow freshman Brittney Thomas didn't score
LANDMARK SECOND HALF
• Oklahoma's 11-point halftime deficit was its largest to overcome for victory in the Sherri Coale Era.
• Oklahoma's 49 points in the second half was its most when trailing at the half and ending with a win.
• Oklahoma's 22-point second-half margin was its largest when trailing at the half and ending with the victory.
• Oklahoma's 17 points in the first half was it's fewest in 129 games, when it trailed 29-17 in the first half in a loss against Texas on Jan. 10, 2004.
• Amanda Thompson's double-double, of which 10 points and nine rebounds came in the second half, was the first of her career and the first by a current Sooner not named Paris.
FANTASTIC FOUR MINUTES
Oklahoma walked away from East Lansing, Mich., with a victory thanks in large part to how it opened the second half. It's been a trend of Sherri Coale-coached teams to come out from the locker room much more intense than their opponents to start the second period.
Considering that a four-minute interval is 10 percent of a game, during the first four-minute interval following halftime...
• Oklahoma is scoring 13 percent of its points. Opponents are scoring 11 percent. OU is outscoring its opponent 9-6.
• Oklahoma's assist-to-turnover ratio is twice as positive as its season average of .822.
• 94 percent of Oklahoma's field goals are assisted compared to just 53 percent for the rest of the game.
• OU is making 19 percent more field goal attempts than its opponent during this span.
• Oklahoma blocks 20 percent of its shots while opponents tally nine percent.
• Oklahoma counts 14 percent of its steals while opponents count 10 percent.
• Oklahoma commits just six percent of its fouls while opponents commit 11 percent.
D-ROB, MOST VAUABLE FRESHMAN
Oklahoma's Danielle Robinson is the only freshman on a Top 25 program to lead her team in assists and steals.
Robinson scored eight of her 14 points against Illinois in a 16-3 run in the second half, lifting the Sooners to a 70-57 lead with 3:36 remaining. Robinson also had back-to-back steals for layups in the stretch. The Sooners won, 77-67, as Robinson recorded a career high seven steals to give her 22 on the season.
Of her 105 points scored this season, 34 (32 percent) have come by way of the fast break, including 10 of her 18 against Arizona State and six of 12 versus Michigan State..
The following is a look at the production of some of the nation's top freshmen guards.
| Production by the Nation's Top Freshmen | |||||
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Player |
Team |
GP |
Points |
Assists |
Steals |
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Angie Bjorklund |
Tennessee |
9 |
10.9 |
1.4 |
1.5 |
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Sydney Colson |
Texas A&M |
10 |
4.9 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
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Cetera DeGraffenreid |
North Carolina |
12 |
12.2 |
3.3 |
2.7 |
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Maya Moore |
Connecticut |
8 |
16.5 |
3.0 |
1.9 |
| Angela Puleo | Georgia |
10 |
8.7 |
3.1 |
1.3 |
| Danielle Robinson | Oklahoma |
9 |
11.7 |
4.3 |
2.6 |
| Alli Smalley | Auburn |
11 |
9.8 |
2.3 |
1.3 |
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Marah Strickland |
Maryland |
14 |
9.0 |
0.7 |
0.7 |
QUICK HITS
• Oklahoma is 51-63 all-time against ranked opponents. OU is 45-35 all-time when ranked and facing another ranked team. OU is 0-8 all-time versus No. 1.
• Oklahoma and Central Arkansas are meeting for the first time in history Thursday night. OU's only other first meeting this season was against Mississippi State, an 88-73 win for the Sooners.
• OU is 93-69 (57 percent) all-time in first meetings. Central Arkansas will be the 163rd different program the Sooners have faced.
• When OU is facing an opponent for the first time in series history in Norman, the Sooners are 39-13 (75 percent).
SEASON TICKET UPDATE
As of Monday, Dec. 17, the OU Athletics Ticket Office had sold approximately 6,593 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.
After games played through Dec. 6, Oklahoma's strength of schedule was rated No. 4 in the RPI.
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
Courtney has braces? Find out what prompted her sudden dental work by reading 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.
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