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
Jayhawks OU's Next Target
January 29, 2008 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 29, 2008
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The game will be televised on the Sooner Sports Network (KAUT-TV in Oklahoma City) with Bob Carpenter on play-by-play and Debbie Antonelli providing color analysis.
Sooner Sports Network will provide the radio broadcast. Brian Brinkley (play-by-play) and Tara DeGiusti (color) have the call.
Tip-off is 7:08 p.m. Central.
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Ticket Information |
A limited number of tickets remain for Sunday's game. Tickets can be purchased by calling the OU Athletics Ticket Office at (800) 456-GoOU or online at SoonerSports.com.
General Admission - $8 for adults and $5 for youths
Group Tickets - $5 (minimum of 10 people; must order 24 hours in advance)
OU Students - free admission with valid student ID
PREVIEWING KANSAS
No. 11/10 Oklahoma (13-4, 3-2 Big 12) looks for its third consecutive win of the season against Kansas (12-7, 1-5 Big 12) Wednesday, Jan. 30, at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla.
Kansas, the Big 12's first league champion has not enjoyed such success since that inital season in 1996-97.
The Jayhawks are coming off two straight losses to Big 12 foes Colorado and Texas A&M. Kansas' lone conference victory was a 66-60 win against Missouri.
Kansas sophomore forward Danielle McCray leads the Jayhawks with 14.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
Norman native Sade Morris, a 5-11 sophomore guard, contributes 11.5 points and 2.6 assists per game. She along with senior forward Taylor McIntosh and junior guard Ivana Catic are the only KU players to have started all 19 games in 2007-08.
Tulsa native Nicolette Smith, who has appeared in all 19 games as a reserve, averages 6.2 points and 3.0 rebounds. Smith is Kansas' top 3-point shooter.
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THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Oklahoma and Kansas meet for the 51st time Wednesday at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla.
Oklahoma and Kansas first met on Feb. 13, 1976, a 65-39 Jayhawk win in Manhattan, Kan.
The Sooners have won the last nine meetings and have not lost in Norman since 1998, a 78-74 tilt.
Oklahoma has won the last five meetings by an average margin of 17 points.
Under Sherri Coale, the Sooners are 9-3 against the Jayhawks, including a 4-1 home record.
KU coach Bonnie Henrickson is 0-3 against the Sooners.
"POINTS IN THE PARIS"
Coined by Nancy Lieberman after witnessing OU's dominating inside game against Georgia, Oklahoma opponents can forget about outscoring the Sooners in the paint thanks to the Paris twins.
OU outscores opponents in the paint by an average of 43 to 21. Courtney supplies 14 per game (31 percent) in the paint while Ashley contributes seven points (17 percent) in the paint per game. Together the sisters average 21 points in the paint -- as many as the entire opposing roster and 48 percent of OU's total.
BEDLAM SOLD OUT
The second edition of Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma women's basketball has sold out 30 days in advance. The game, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla. should provide another 12,000-plus crowd for a game televised by Fox Sports Net.
Only restricted admission tickets remain. Restricted admission tickets are $8 and go on sale when doors open at 11:30 a.m. The ticket provides entry but does not guarantee a seat.
The matchup in Stillwater was attended by 13,611 -- the most to watch a women's basketball game in the state of Oklahoma.
Read more...
PARIS A NAISMITH SEMIFINALIST
Oklahoma's Courtney Paris remains one of 31 candidates in women's basketball vying for the 2008 Naismith Trophy, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Tuesday.
This is the third season Paris has been a Naismith semifinalist. The 2007 National Player of the Year was one of four finalists for the award as both a freshman and sophomore.
D-ROB BIG 12 ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
For the fourth time this season, OU freshman Danielle Robinson was named rookie of the week. Robinson averaged 12 points and 6.5 steals per game in the Sooners' two victories against Texas Tech and Georgia.
COALE "MOST FUN TO WATCH"
OU head coach Sherri Coale was recently voted by members of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) as the "Most Fun to Watch" head coach in the nation
BENCHMARK GAMES AHEAD
Coale's 250th Victory
Currently Sherri Coale has 245 victories in her 12th year as the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners. Coale could reach her 250th victory as soon as Feb. 12, at home, against Texas A&M.
"Think Pink" Week
Fans should come out to support the Sooners in raising breast cancer awareness by coming to the Lloyd Noble Center for "Think Pink Night" as the OU women's basketball team hosts 2007 Big 12 Co-Champions Texas A&M on Tuesday, Feb. 12, at 7 p.m.
1,000th Game in Sooner History
Oklahoma started its women's basketball program for the 1974-75 season and is approaching its 1,000th game. To date, the Sooners are 15 games shy of 1,000 in program history. There are 11 games left in the regular season, which would mean that if OU failed to get a first-round bye for the Big 12 Tournament, the first opportunity to play 1,000 would be in the Championship Game.
RECAPPING GEORGIA
With Amanda Thompson rediscovering her game, No. 11 Oklahoma is looking more like a contender again.
While Courtney Paris was breaking another rebounding record, Thompson tied her career-high with 18 points and also had two late blocks to help the Sooners seal a 65-57 win against Georgia (No. 14 ESPN/USA Today, No 17 AP).
After Thompson's second block in the final minute, the Sooners (13-4) jumped up and down, celebrating more like they'd just won a championship than they were about to win a game.
Paris added 18 points and 14 boards, setting the Big 12 rebounding record en route to her 78th consecutive double-double. She now has 1,322 career rebounds, surpassing the previous Big 12 record of 1,316 set by Baylor's Sophia Young.
But it's been Thompson's play over the past two games that has made a world of difference for Oklahoma. She scored 16 points in a 78-39 blowout of conference rival Texas Tech on Wednesday, then came back to shoot 8-for-12 against the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs (16-4) made a late charge at Oklahoma after trailing by 10 at halftime, but still lost for the fourth time in their last seven games after a 13-0 start.
Paris and her twin sister, Ashley, were able to keep Georgia's inside tandem of Tasha Humphrey and Angel Robinson in check for much of the game. Robinson left early in the first half after picking up two fouls, and wasn't much of a factor in the second half either.
Humphrey struggled to a 3-for-16 shooting performance, including 0-for-6 from 3-point range, and scored 11 points. Christy Marshall added 16 points, one off her career best, and Megan Darrah also scored 11.
POSTGAME NOTES
• Oklahoma had 36 points in the paint while holding Georgia to only 12.
• OU is 12-0 when leading at half and 13-0 when shooting better than its opponents. The Sooners are also 13-0 when attaining a lead of eight or more points.
• For the first time this season every Sooner who stepped on the court recorded an assist, giving Oklahoma 18 total assists.
• With 38 rebounds, Georgia became only the second team this season to out rebound the Sooners, who had 34. The other occasion was in OU's opening loss to Maryland, Nov. 11, 2007.
• Courtney Paris recorded 18 points, while Ashley had 14 marking the 28th time, ninth time this season, the twins have both scored in double-digits. OU is now 25-3 when both Paris' hit double figures.
• After allowing Georgia to shoot 45.8 percent in the first half, the Sooners defense picked up, knocking Georgia's field goal percentage to 33 percent in the second half of play.
• OU went 11-for-14 from the free throw line, making it the fifth time this season the Sooners have shot 75 percent or better.
Courtney Paris
• In her 86th college game, Paris set the Big 12 record for rebounds in a career with her fifth in the game. She entered the game with 1,312 and had her 1,317th by the second media timeout. Paris passed Sophia Young (Baylor, 2003-06), who amassed 1,316 over 139 games in her career. Paris finished the game with 14 rebounds to give her a career total of 1,326.
• Paris recorded her 78th consecutive double-double. She has 83 double-double in 86 career games.
Danielle Robinson
• Robinson had five assists in the first half, matching her personal best for half. She also had five in the second half versus South Carolina (Dec. 30, 2007).
• Robinson's seven assists was a single-game career best.
Amanda Thompson
• Thompson had 12 points in the first half, marking the third time she has had 12 or more points in the first half in the last four games.
• Thompson had 18 points, tying her personal best for the season.
D-ROB, MOST VAUABLE FRESHMAN
Oklahoma's Danielle Robinson is one of only two freshmen (the other is UNC's Cetera DeGraffenreid) on Top 25 program to lead her team in assists and steals.
Robinson broke out in OU's win against Illinois, scoring eight of her 14 points during 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.
Of her 228 points scored this season, 66 (29 percent) have come by way of the fast break, including 10 of her 18 against Arizona State, six of 12 at Michigan State, eight of 20 versus South Carolina, six of 16 against Baylor and six of 12 versus Georgia.
The following is a look at the production of the nation's top freshmen guards (through Monday, Jan. 28).
| Production by the Nation's Top Freshmen | |||||
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Player |
Team |
GP |
Points |
Assists |
Steals |
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Angie Bjorklund |
Tennessee |
19 |
10.7 |
1.5 |
1.2 |
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Cetera DeGraffenreid |
North Carolina |
20 |
11.4 |
3.4 |
2.6 |
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Maya Moore |
Connecticut |
19 |
16.7 |
3.6 |
1.7 |
| Angela Puleo | Georgia |
20 |
8.1 |
2.8 |
1.3 |
| Danielle Robinson | Oklahoma |
17 |
13.4 |
4.4 |
2.5 |
| Alli Smalley | Auburn |
20 |
10.9 |
2.8 |
1.4 |
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Marah Strickland |
Maryland |
24 |
9.3 |
1.1 |
0.7 |
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP FOR STEVENSON
Nyeshia Stevenson may not be starting, but she is one of the Sooners most important contributors.
After shooting 18.2 percent (2-of-11) from beyond the arc all last season, Stevenson is third in the Big 12 Conference in 3-point field goal percentage at 42 percent (18-of-43).
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 8.0 points per game, fifth best on the team and most by a reserve. After starting the season opener, she has the OU's leading off-the-bench scorer in 14 of the last 16 games.
NO. 3's COMPANY
Courtney Paris scored a season high 28 points in a losing effort to Baylor, but the scenario of Paris as OU's leading scorer is becoming less common as the talent around her and the double- and triple-teaming defenses increase.
Danielle Robinson's 20 points against South Carolina (Dec. 30) marked the fourth consecutive game in which a different Sooner was the team leader in points scored (Courtney Paris, 17 at Tulsa; Amanda Thompson, 14 at Michigan State; and Jenny Vining, 20 vs. Central Arkansas). This came after Ashley and Courtney Paris spent the first eight games of the season splitting games as the team's leading scorer with Ashley getting the honor three times and Courtney five.
Danielle Robinson was OU's leading scorer against Iowa State (23) and Nebraska (22) and Amanda Thompson led at OSU with 18.
Until this season, Courtney never missed two games without being her team's leading scorer until Ashley posted the high number in OU's two games in Cancun against Arizona State and Mississippi State.
Last season, Courtney Paris was OU's leading scorer in all but five games. Jenna Plumley, Leah Rush and Chelsi Welch were the others that scored. During her freshman season, C. Paris led in all but five games with Rush, Welch and Erin Higgins also getting leading scoring honors during the year.
The last time four different Sooners were the leading point scorers in consecutive games was during the 2003-04 season when it happened in games 3 through 6.
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, better than a 15.0 rate as a freshman.
Paris has owned OU's offensive rebounds record since last season and took over as the No. 1 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 1,326 career rebounds with 450 coming off the offensive glass and 876 defensively.
Against Georgia (Jan. 27) Paris passed Baylor's Sophia Young (1,316 during 2002-06) for the Big 12 Conference record for total rebounds.
Young owns the league's career offensive rebounds (489) record.
Paris claimed Young's Big 12 career record for defensive rebounds (827) with 10 in the game at Iowa State on Jan. 9.
No other Sooner in history has recorded 400 or more total rebounds in a single season.
A PERFECT '10'
Courtney Paris' 10 points against South Carolina (Dec. 30) was a career low, meaning she has never scored outside of double figures in her career. Only two other NCAA Division I players - LaToya Thomas, Mississippi State (1998-2002) and Chandi Jones, Houston (2000-04) - have finished their careers scoring in double figures in every game.
The most double-figure scoring games was accomplished by Sophia Young of Baylor (2003-06), who scored 10 or more points in 130 of her 139 career games.
Paris' 10 points were 10.5 percent of OU's total 95 against South Carolina, marking her lowest percent contribution since her career began. However, Paris did manage to grasp 24 rebounds, two from her personal best and the second most in a single game by a Division I player this season.
Paris' second lowest percentage contribution came one game before against Central Arkansas, when she provided 14 of the team's program record 121. Paris played only 22 minutes in the game.
Most Consecutive Double-Figure Scoring Games
125, LaToya Thomas, Mississippi State (1998-2002, 125 games)
Most Double-Figure Scoring Games
130, Sophia Young, Baylor (2003-06, 139 games)
Scored in Double Figures Every Game of Career
*130, Denise Curry, UCLA (1977-81)
125, LaToya Thomas, Mississippi State (1998-2002)
114, Chandi Jones, Houston (2000-04)
*Pre-NCAA record.
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
