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 Aim for Ninth Straight Win
December 28, 2007 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 28, 2007
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The game will air on Sooner Sports Network affiliates. In Oklahoma City, the game will be on KAUT-TV 43 (Cox Channel 16) with Bob Carpenter calling the play-by-play and Patti Phillips providing color analysis. On the radio (KOKC 1520 AM in Oklahoma City), Brian Brinkley and Tara DeGiusti have the call.
Tip-off is scheduled for 2:08 p.m. CT.
PROMOTIONS FOR SUNDAY
The OU Athletics Department will distribute "3" cards to the first 5,000 fans through the doors, opening at 12:30 p.m., Sunday.
At halftime, the Amazing Christopher and his life-size puppets will perform the YMCA dance.
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PREVIEWING SOUTH CAROLINA
After losing to new No. 1 Connecticut, 97-39, the Gamecocks have posted two straight wins including a 64-43 win at Clemson on Saturday, Dec. 22.
Led by freshman guard Jordan Jones, who averages 13.4 points, South Carolina has four players who average double-digit scoring.
OU and South Carolina have had one common opponent thus far. South Carolina lost to Illinois, 91-58, on Nov. 23, at the FIU Thanksgiving Classic in Miami, Fla. The Sooners defeated the Fighting Illini in Champaign, 77-67.
Oklahoma defeated South Carolina, 78-51, in Columbia, S.C., last season. Courtney Paris had 15 points and 16 rebounds as the Gamecocks' starting five were held to just 18 points combined.
As of Thursday, Dec. 27, Oklahoma is No. 14 in projected RPI standings. South Carolina is No. 49.
LONG LAYOFF
Oklahoma will have had 10 days off since their last game when they tip off against South Carolina and will have another 10-day break before playing its next opponent, Iowa State. OU is 18-11 (.621) all-time in games when it has had a 10-or-more day layoff, including a 4-1 record under Sherri Coale. OU's longest layoff in team history was 47 days -- the span between its first and second games during its inaugural season (1975-76).
LAST TIME OUT...RECAPPING CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Courtney Paris recorded her 71st consecutive double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds as No. 9 Oklahoma matched its program record for points scored rolled into the holiday break with a 121-48 rout of Central Arkansas.
All but one of the 12 players who suited up scored for Oklahoma (8-2), which hasn't lost since falling to Maryland and Tennessee in the Sooners' first two games of the season. Eight of them reached double figures, including freshman Jenny Vining, who had 18 points.
Central Arkansas suited up only eight players, including four freshmen, and suffered its second-worst loss ever. The Sugar Bears, members of the Southland Conference, are in their second season in NCAA Division I after going 14-14 last season. Their only wins this season have come against Grambling State and Division II Arkansas-Monticello.
The game figured to be a mismatch. Oklahoma's RPI rating entering the game was 10, while Central Arkansas' was 337, out of 339 Division I basketball teams. Sure enough, Oklahoma sprinted to an 18-0 lead in the first five minutes and led 64-11 by halftime, even as Coale subbed early and often.
The Sooners missed the school record for points in a half -- set against Midwestern State (Texas) in January 1984 -- by two points, and tied the school mark for fewest points allowed in a half, set against Texas A&M on Jan. 26, 2002.
Paris, who played 22 minutes, was one of two Oklahoma players to record a double-double. Her primary backup, sophomore Abi Olajuwon, had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman Carlee Roethlisberger had 10 points and eight rebounds.
Oklahoma passed the 100-point mark on a follow shot by Roethlisberger with 7:37 left and tied the school single-game scoring mark on Rose Hammond's basket with 16 seconds left. The Sooners also scored 121 points in a win over Prairie View A&M on Nov. 29, 1990.
Oklahoma outrebounded Central Arkansas 63-30 and went 53 of 90 from the field, a 59 percent clip. The Sooners broke the Big 12 Conference record for made field goals of 51, set by Texas against Centenary on Dec. 16, 2000.
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 holds a statistical advantage over its opponent in all categories except 3-point field goal percentage. During the span, OU is shooting 29 percent (2-of-7) while opponents are shooting 40 percent (4-of-10) from beyond the arc.
• Oklahoma is scoring 13 percent of its points. Opponents are scoring 11 percent.
• Oklahoma's assist-to-turnover ratio is 1,64, almost twice as positive as its season average of .910.
• 56 percent of Oklahoma's field goals are assisted compared to just 52 percent for the rest of the game.
• OU is making 22 percent more field goals than its opponent during this span, but only 13 percent more during the rest of the game.
• Oklahoma blocks 19 percent of its shots while opponents tally eight percent.
• Oklahoma counts 13 percent of its steals while opponents count 10 percent.
• Oklahoma commits just seven percent of its fouls while opponents commit 10 percent.
• The Sooners take only five percent of their 3-point field goal attempts during this span. Opponents take six percent.
• Oklahoma is outrebounding opponents during this span by 1.1 per game.
D-ROB, MOST VAUABLE FRESHMAN
Oklahoma's Danielle Robinson and UNC's Cetera DeGraffenreid are the only freshmen on Top 25 programs to lead their 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 114 points scored this season, 36 (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 |
11 |
10.0 |
1.5 |
1.6 |
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Sydney Colson |
Texas A&M |
11 |
4.6 |
2.1 |
1.8 |
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Cetera DeGraffenreid |
North Carolina |
13 |
12.5 |
3.5 |
2.7 |
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Maya Moore |
Connecticut |
9 |
16.0 |
3.3 |
1.9 |
| Angela Puleo | Georgia |
10 |
8.7 |
3.1 |
1.3 |
| Danielle Robinson | Oklahoma |
10 |
11.4 |
4.3 |
2.5 |
| Alli Smalley | Auburn |
12 |
10.0 |
2.3 |
2.2 |
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Marah Strickland |
Maryland |
15 |
8.7 |
0.7 |
0.7 |
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP FOR STEVENSON
Nyeshia Stevenson may not be starting, but that isn't stopping her from putting up a starter's numbers.
After shooting 18.2 percent (2-of-11) from beyond the arc all last season, Stevenson is the Big 12 Conference leader in 3-point field goal percentage at 52.2 percent (12-of-23).
Stevenson broke out with a 4-for-4 3-point effort to spark the Sooners in a victory against Mississippi State and hasn't looked back since.
The Little Rock, Ark., native averages 8.1 points per game, fourth best on the team and tops by a reserve. She has the OU's leading off-the-bench scorer in seven games.
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.
CHAIRWOMAN OF THE BOARD
As a freshman, Courtney Paris set the NCAA single-season record with 539 rebounds and neared the mark as a sophomore with 526.
As a junior, Paris is averaging 15.4 boards, slighly better than her 15.0 rate as a freshman.
Paris has owned OU's offensive rebounds record since last season and took over as the No. 1 total rebounder in the Sooners' season opener. She passed Caton Hill for No. 1 on OU's defensive rebounding list with seven defensive boards versus Mississippi State (Nov. 27).
Paris currently has 1,220 career rebounds with 411 coming off the offensive glass and 809 defensively.
Baylor's Sophia Young (2002-06) currently holds the Big 12 Conference record for total rebounds with 1,316. Young also owns the career offensive rebounds (489) and defensive rebounds (827) records.
No other Sooner in history has recorded 400 or more total rebounds in a single season.
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.
Jennie Baranczyk, Payton Verhulst, and Raegan Beers Postgame vs South Carolina
Saturday, March 28
Jennie Baranczyk, Sahara Williams, Aaliyah Chavez, and Raegan Beers Media Availability - 3/27/26
Friday, March 27
WBB Highlights: OU 77, Michigan State 71
Sunday, March 22
Jennie Baranczyk, Raegan Beers, and Payton Verhulst Postgame vs Michigan State
Sunday, March 22
