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
OU Closes 2008 in Gateway City
December 29, 2008 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 29, 2008
SHOW ME SUCCESS
The Oklahoma Sooners enter the new year as not only one of the top women's basketball programs in the country, but one of the top schools for any sport. Oklahoma is the only Division I institution with its football (No. 2), men's basketball (No. 4) and women's basketball (No. 5) programs ranked within the top five of each sport's respective AP Poll. OU's football team plays for the BCS National Championship on Jan. 8 while OU's men's basketball team is 12-0 for the first time since 1987-88.
The OU women's basketball team plays in St. Louis, Mo., Tuesday with the hopes of returning to the city in April for the NCAA Women's Final Four.
| Game Specifics | |
| Date and Time | Sunday, Dec. 30 at 5:30 p.m. Central | Game Notes |
| Location | St. Louis, Mo. | Chaifetz Arena (10,600) |
| Tickets | SLUBillikens.com |
| TV | None |
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Radio
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SoonerSports Radio Network (Dave Lanning & Kendra Wecker) KOKC 1520 AM in Oklahoma City |
| Webcast | None |
| Live Stats | SLUBillikens.com CBS GameTracker |
GAME PREVIEW
Saint Louis University hosts the No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners Tuesday, Dec. 30, at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Mo. The game tips off at 5:30 p.m.
• Oklahoma and Saint Louis University are meeting for the first time. The No. 5 Sooners are the highest-ranked team ever to play at SLU.
• Oklahoma head coach Sherri Coale is 263-129 (.670) in her 13th season.
• Saint Louis University head coach Shimmy Gray-Miller is 34-65 (.343) in her fourth season at SLU. Gray-Miller was an assistant at Arizona when the Wildcats defeated OU in the 2005 NCAA Tournament.
• SLU is 2-29 against Big 12 teams including losses to Kansas and Colorado this season.
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ABOUT SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY
Saint Louis University is a Division I member of the Atlantic 10 Conference, located in St. Louis, Mo.
The Billikens were picked to finish 10th of 14 teams in the preseason conference poll of head coaches and media.
Junior guard Theresa Lisch was named to the preseason all-conference second team. Lisch passed 1,000 points scored in her career in SLU's most recent game versus Colorado.
Saint Louis University head coach Shimmy Gray-Miller is 34-65 (.343) in her fourth season at SLU. Gray-Miller was an assistant at Arizona when the Wildcats defeated OU in the 2005 NCAA Tournament.
Beginning this season, the Billikens play home games in the recently completed Chaifetz Arena, a 10,600-seat multi-purpose arena located on SLU's campus.
In addition to basketball, the arena houses the volleyball program and the athletics department offices. The $80 million dollar facility's construction began in August 2006 and was completed in April 2008.
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PREVIEWING THE OKLAHOMA SOONERS
Oklahoma begins the season with high expectations and high rankings -- No. 4 in the Preseason AP Poll and No. 7 in the Coaches' Poll. Returning for Oklahoma are 11 players, including four starters and three-time consensus All-American Courtney Paris. Big 12 Freshman of the Year Danielle Robinson will run the offense as a sophomore and teammates and coaches are raving about the prospects of Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year Whitney Hand.
Oklahoma again plays one of the toughest schedules in the nation with consensus No. 1 Connecticut, and top-ranked Tennessee and California as well as ranked Big 12 teams Texas A&M, Texas, Oklahoma State and Baylor on the slate.
111 GAMES, 108 DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Courtney Paris has collected 108 double-doubles in 111 career games. She has an active streak of 103 consecutive games with a double-double. The streak began with a 22-point, 24-rebound effort versus UCLA on Dec. 5, 2005, and will be 1,125 days old when OU plays Saint Louis University on Dec. 30, 2008.
OFFICIALLY A RECORD
It has long been thought that Courtney Paris' double-double numbers were NCAA records. Beginning with the 2008-09 season, those statements are now factual.
The NCAA has made single-season and career double-doubles as well as single-season and career consecutive double-doubles new records for women's basketball.
| Single-Season Double-Doubles 33 - Courtney Paris, Oklahoma, 2006 33 - Courtney Paris, Oklahoma, 2007 32 - Anne Donovan, Old Dominion, 1983 31 - Courtney Paris, Oklahoma, 2008 30 - Cheryl Taylor, Tennessee Tech, 1986 |
Single-Season Consecutive Double-Doubles 33 - Courtney Paris, Oklahoma, Nov. 12, 2006-March 25, 2007 31 - Courtney Paris, Oklahoma, Nov. 11, 2007-March 25, 2008 28 - Courtney Paris, Oklahoma, Dec. 5, 2005-March 25, 2006 18 - Cheryl Miller, Southern Cal, Nov. 28, 1984-Feb. 14, 1985 15 - Gail Koziara, Dartmouth, Jan. 16-Feb. 28, 1982 |
| Career Double-Doubles 108 - Courtney Paris, Oklahoma, 2006-Active 90 - Cheryl Taylor, Tennessee Tech, 1984-87 78 - Janet Harris, Georgia, 1982-85 75 - Sylvia Fowles, LSU, 2005-08 |
Career Consecutive Double-Doubles 103 - Courtney Paris, Oklahoma, Dec. 5, 2005-Active 19 - Anne Donovan, Old Dominion, Jan. 29, 1982-Dec. 29, 1983 18 - Cheryl Miller, Southern Cal, Nov. 28, 1994-Feb. 14, 1985 |
POSTGAME LEFTOVERS
Triple Double-Double
Double-doubles by Ashley and Courtney Paris and Amanda Thompson against North Carolina on Nov. 23, 2008, marked the first time three Sooners recorded double-doubles in the same game. It happened a second time on Dec. 21, 2008, vs. Tulsa when the Parises and Danielle Robinson each tallied a double-double.
Oklahoma Sets Comeback Record
Oklahoma's comeback win against Cal set the largest deficit overcome in regulation to win a game. The Sooners trailed the Bears by 26 points with 19:01 remaining in the second half and won 86-75.
New Turnover Low
Oklahoma's eight turnovers against UConn and 10 versus Creighton set a record low in back-to-back games for Sherri Coale-coached teams. Previously, no Sooner team coached by Coale had consecutive games with fewer than 20 combined turnovers.
Offensive Output
Lost in the struggle from a 106-78 defeat to No. 1 UConn was the efficiency of OU's offense. The Sooners ripped off 85 field goal attempts while turning the ball over just eight times, matching a three-year season low. OU also connected on 56 percent of its 3-point attempts, its best mark since the fourth game of the 2007-08 season.
Courtney Paris sets OU Scoring Record
The second-ranked Sooners never trailed at home against Arizona State, winning the Preseason WNIT semifinal, 70-57. Courtney Paris scored 19 points and 20 rebounds for her 100th career double-double and passed Phylesha Whaley as OU's career scoring leader.
More on Paris' Scoring Efficiency
Phylesha Whaley scored 2,187 points in 116 career games and an OU record 4,025 minutes played. Courtney Paris passed Whaley's mark with 2,189 points in 103 games. Paris' 3,152 minutes played to reach the record -- 873 fewer than Whaley --wasn't even in the top 10 on OU's career charts.
Rebound Record on Pace
The two-time NCAA single-season rebounding leader also passed Mississippi Valley State's Patricia Hoskins for second on the NCAA career rebounding list. With 1,676 career rebounds, Paris needs 221 to match the NCAA record.
Lucky Number Seven
Whitney Hand became just the seventh true freshman under OU head coach Sherri Coale to start in her first collegiate game, joining LaNeisha Caufield, Stacey Dales, Caton Hill, Courtney Paris, Chelsi Welch and Phylesha Whaley.
NOTEWORTHY
• Stevenson Makes it Three Big 12 Honorees in a Row
Oklahoma junior forward/guard was named the Big 12 Player of the Week following her performances at the Basketball by the Bay Classic in San Jose, Calif. Stevenson averaged 22 points and shot 55 percent from the field as she led the Sooners to victories against Cal State Bakersfield and California.
• Hand named Big 12 Freshman of the week
For a second straight week, a Sooner earned a weekly honor from the conference. On Dec. 1, Whitney Hand was named the Big 12's Co-Freshman of the Week following a 20-point performance versus Marist and 13-point effort at No. 1 Connecticut.
• Ashley Paris named Big 12 player of the Week
Paris led the Sooners in scoring and posted double-doubles against two of OU's three games of the Preseason Women's NIT on Nov. 24. The senior averaged 17 points, nine rebounds and a 63 percent field-goal shooting mark while helping No. 4 Oklahoma through the Preseason WNIT Championship Game and, along with sister Courtney, was named to its all-tournament team.
• Paris a Unanimous Pick for All-American
Courtney Paris has been a regular on The Associated Press' preseason All-America team the past few years. Now, the senior has joined an elite group as only the sixth unanimous choice in the 15-year history of the squad. Joining the Oklahoma center on the team were Connecticut's Maya Moore, Louisville's Angel McCoughtry, Maryland's Kristi Toliver, and Oklahoma State's Andrea Riley. For the first time, Paris was on every ballot of the 45-member national media panel. Previous unanimous selections were Chamique Holdsclaw, Diana Taurasi, Alana Beard, Seimone Augustus and Candace Parker.
• Big 12 Coaches Vote Paris, Hand
There must be something in the water at the Lloyd Noble Center. After becoming the first school to sweep the Big 12's preseason vote for No. 1 team in men's and women's basketball, Oklahoma swept the league's picks for preseason player of the year and freshman of the year. The Big 12 Conference named Courtney Paris its Preseason Player of the Year for a third consecutive season and Whitney Hand, who tied with Texas A&M's Tyra White, its Co-Preseason Freshman of the Year in a vote of the league's head coaches.
• Oklahoma No. 1 in Big 12 Poll
In a vote of the league's coaches released Wednesday, the University of Oklahoma women's basketball team was the preseason favorite to win the 2009 Big 12 regular season championship. Sherri Coale's Sooners earned seven of the 12 first-place votes (coaches are not allowed to vote for their own teams) and 124 points to take No. 1. Texas (95) received one first-place vote for second in a close vote over Iowa State (93), which received two first-place votes. Baylor (89), with one first-place vote, Texas A&M (85), Oklahoma State (79 and one first-place vote), defending Big 12 champion Kansas State (71), Nebraska (56), Kansas (41), Texas Tech (36), Colorado (18) and Missouri (15), respectively, completed the poll.
It is the second time in the last three seasons (2006-07) that Oklahoma has been the coaches' preseason top pick and third time in the league's history (2001-02). The Big 12's preseason favroite has earned at least a share of the conference title in five of the previous 11 seasons the poll was conducted, including the two previous times OU was No. 1.
• Wecker Joins Oklahoma Staff
2005 Big 12 Player of the Year Kendra Wecker would join the team as a graduate assistant. Wecker was a three-time All-Big 12 First Team member at Kansas State and was picked fourth overall by the San Antonio Silver Stars in the 2005 WNBA Draft.
The Marysville, Kan., native ended her collegiate basketball career as one of the sport's most prolific athletes. A first-team All-American in 2005, Wecker was a three-time Naismith Player of the Year finalist and two-time Wade Trophy and Wooden Award finalist. Wecker still holds Kansas State career records for scoring (2,333 points), rebounds (1,087), double-doubles (52), field goals made (935), field goals attempted (1,913) and minutes played (4,141).
Wecker will pursue Master's of Education with an emphasis in intercollegiate athletics administration.
• Paris Leads Wade Trophy Candidates
Oklahoma senior Courtney Paris leads the 25-member list of State Farm Wade Trophy preseason candidates, announced Tuesday by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). The Wade Trophy is presented to the NCAA Division I women's college basketball player of the year.
Paris has been a finalist for the award the past two seasons and, along with Maryland seniors Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver, is making her third appearance on the preseason watch list.
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The Greatest Comeback in NCAA History
Led by Nyeshia Stevenson's 21 second-half points, Oklahoma engineered the greatest comeback win in regulation in NCAA history against then-No. 9 California in the final game of the Basketball by the Bay Classic in San Jose, Calif., on Dec. 13. Oklahoma trailed 52-26 at the half and began a 10-0 run in the second half with 19:00 remaining. The Sooners also reeled a 28-0 run from 9:00 to 0:42 in which OU made 6-of-12 field goals and Cal missed 11 consecutive. Eleven of Stevenson's 21 points came during this run, including the tying, go-ahead and, eventually, winning field goals. OU outscored Cal in points off turnovers, 20-0, in the final period.
The only team to win from a greater deficit was Texas State, which trailed UT-San Antonio 40-8 (32 points) with 2:18 remaining in the first half and won 73-71 in overtime on Feb. 18, 2006. Texas State's halftime deficit in that game was 27 points.
Stevenson...Beyond the Arc
Junior forward Nyeshia Stevenson has made her last six 3-point field goals -- the longest such streak of her career. Stevenson was a perfect 4-for-4 in the second half versus California and 2-for-2 in the game against Tulsa for a total of six consecutive 3-pointers made.
Stevenson has made at least one 3 in five straight games. Erin Higgins holds OU's record for most consecutive games with at least one 3 made at 19.
As a freshman, Stevenson made just 2-of-11 (.182) 3-pointers. As a sophomore, she improved to 28-of-82 (.341). Already in 2008-09, the junior has made 16 of 42(.381) 3-point attempts.
True to Point
Danielle Robinson's improved efficiency at point guard as a sophomore is incredible considering she was, statistically, the top freshman point guard in the nation last season, leading her to Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors. Robinson has 62 assists to 35 turnovers in 2008-09, a1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio, and leads the team with 22 steals.
Robinson has also been spreading the ball around well, counting assists to eight teammates. Her only exceptions, injured forward Carolyn Winchester, reserve point guards Rose Hammond and Jasmine Hartman and reserve center Abi Olajuwon.
Percentage of Field Goals Assisted by Robinson
66% - Lauren Willis
35% - Whitney Hand
32% - Nyeshia Stevenson
24% - Carlee Roethlisberger
23% - Ashley Paris
22% - Jenny Vining
11% - Courtney Paris
10% - Amanda Thompson
Robinson...From the Charity Stripe
Sophomore guard Danielle Robinson leads the Big 12 Conference in free throw percentage (.906) and is 15th nationally.
The statistic is just one example of the point guard's remarkable improvement from her freshman season when she made just 68 of 99 (.687) free throws.
High Percentage
With its .483 field goal percentage, Oklahoma trails only Connecticut (.554) in the category in the NCAA national team rankings. The Sooners have shot better than 50 percent from the field in six of 11 games this season after doing so only seven times last year.
Courtney Paris (.646) is ranked No. 4 nationally in field goal percentage. Ashley Paris (.574) is 221st and Danielle Robinson (.564) is 27th. Robinson is also ranked 15th in free throw percentage (.906) and assists per game (5.6).
Of course, the high field goal percentages have the Sooners scoring on more chances, which is why OU's scoring offense (84.0 points per game) is the fourth best in the NCAA.
Bench Support
Following Oklahoma's loss to Connecticut in which bench players totaled only four points, Sherri Coale issued a challenge to her reserves. They've responded in the last five games, providing 40 percent of the team's scoring and outscoring the opponents' bench 170-44. Prior to Coale's challenge, the backups were outscored 79-100 and provided only 21 percent of OU's offensive output.
PURCHASE OU BASKETBALL TICKETS
Single-game tickets for the nationally-ranked OU men's and women's basketball teams go on sale Wednesday, Nov. 19.
Tickets will first be available online at SoonerSports.com at 12:01 a.m. Phone orders begin at 8 a.m. via the OU Athletics Ticket Office at (405) 325-2424 or toll-free at (800) 456-GoOU. If supplies remain, walk-up sales at the ticket office begin at 10 a.m.
The ticket sale includes men's games against USC, Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma State and women's games against Texas A&M, Texas, Baylor and Oklahoma State.
Men's basketball single-game tickets start as low as $10 each while women's tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for youths.
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OU Basketball Single-Game Ticket Sale
Wednesday, November 19  First available at 12:01 a.m. online at SoonerSports.com, Then available at 8 a.m. by calling (800) 456-GoOU or (405) 325-2424, Then available at 10 a.m. for walk-up sales at OU Athletics Ticket Office (if tickets remain) |
OU Athletics Ticket Office
The OU Athletics Ticket Office is located on the plaza level of the Asp Avenue Parking Facility, immediately west of the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. A limited number of metered parking spaces are available on the second floor of the parking facility and on Asp Street for customer use. The OU Athletics Ticket Office handles ticketing for all OU athletics events and is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. | Map to Ticket Office
Phone (405) 325-2424 or toll-free: (800) 456-GoOU
Fax (405) 325-8500
Email outickets@ou.edu
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