Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus North Carolina on November 2, 2026 at TBA
TBA
Women's Basketball
vs North Carolina
University of Oklahoma Athletics
Be There for Bedlam Basketball
February 22, 2008 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2008
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The game will broadcast on Fox Sports Net with Kevin Eschenfelder on play-by-play and Brenda Van Lengen on color analysis. Listen on the radio (KOKC 1520 AM in Oklahoma City) as Brian Brinkley and Tara Pogue have the call.
Tip-off is 1:05 p.m. Central.
PREVIEWING OKLAHOMA STATE
No. 11/10 Oklahoma (19-5, 9-3) hosts No. 16/17 Oklahoma State (21-4, 9-3) for round two of the Bedlam Series at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla.
The game will be played with both teams ranked in the Top 25 for just the second time in series history. The first was the Jan. 12, 2008, meeting in Stillwater when OU was ranked No. 6 in both polls and OSU was No. 25 in the AP and No. 24 in the Coaches'.
The game features the Big 12's top two scorers -- Oklahoma State's Andrea Riley (22.5) and Oklahoma's Courtney Paris (18.0) -- and top two scoring offenses -- Oklahoma State (77.8) and Oklahoma (74.8).
Conference championship implications are paramount with the winner remaining third place in the Big 12 standings.
The Cowgirls ended the Sooners' 17-game winning streak in Stillwater in January. A state record crowd for women's basketball of 13,611 watched OSU defeat OU, 82-63.
In the January Bedlam game, OSU's Andrea Riley scored 45 points, the most ever by an individual against Oklahoma.
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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.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Oklahoma leads the series with Oklahoma State 45-35. The last time the Sooners and Cowgirls met was Jan. 12, 2008, in Stillwater, an 82-63 decision for Oklahoma State.
In Norman, the Sooners reign supreme with 24 victories to 11 for the Cowgirls. Under Sherri Coale, OU lost its first four meetings against Oklahoma State, but since have fallen just twice in the last 20 meetings.
Coale, who has coached the Sooners since the inception of the Big 12 Conference, is 18-6 against Oklahoma State. Her first win against OSU came Jan. 13, 1999, in her third season.
This, the 81st meeting between the two teams marks just the second time both have played each other when ranked in the Top 25.
PARIS WONDERFUL IN FEBRUARY
Tournament time must be near because the Paris twins have turned it on. In six February games the duo of Ashley and Courtney Paris has averaged 37.8 points and 23.2 rebounds.
Ashley Paris is contributing 14.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. She is shooting 56.7 percent from the field and has three of her 10 career double-doubles this month.
Courtney Paris averages 23.2 points and 13.5 rebounds while shooting 68.2 percent.
AMANDA THOMPSON SOONER OF THE MONTH
Amanda Thompson was named the Oklahoma Athletics Department's Sooner of the Month for February. To qualify a student-athlete must be in good academic standing, be a member of an active sport and participate in community service events. Thompson has started all 20 games for the Sooners this season, averaging 10 points and seven rebounds.
ASHLEY PARIS NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
Ashley Paris, a journalism major, was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 6 First Team this week. She will now be eligible for Academic All-America consideration. To qualify, canididates must have a 3.20 cumulative GPA or better and at least one year of academic residency.
Read more...
COALE'S 250TH VICTORY
Sherri Coale earned her 250th victory in her 12th year as the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners defeated Texas A&M, 68-56, on Tuesday, Feb. 12, for the milestone win. Coale's is OU's all-time leader in coaching victories and winning percentage.
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 eight games shy of 1,000 in program history. There are five 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. OU's all-time record is 574-417 (.579).
TOUGH FINISH
Oklahoma opened the season with the toughest schedule in the nation as its first three games -- Maryland, Tennessee and Arizona State -- featured Top 25 ranked opponents.
Starting with Texas A&M, the seven-game end to the Sooners' regular season features five opponents ranked in the Top 20 of both the media and coaches' polls.
ROBINSON ON PACE FOR 400
OU freshman guard Danielle Robinson is on pace to pass the 400-point scoring benchmark.
Only four other Sooners have achieved the feat in their freshman season. They include the program's No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 9 all-time scorers.
Should Robinson reach 400, she will be just the second guard in OU history (LaNeisha Caufield) to do so her freshman season.
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.
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
RECAPPING KANSAS STATE
Courtney Paris scored 19 of her 27 points in the second half and the Sooners (No. 10 ESPN/USA Today, No. 11 AP) rallied from a dismal start to beat No. 15 Kansas State 68-65 Wednesday night.
Oklahoma (19-5, 9-3) saw its 10-game winning streak end with a lopsided loss to Baylor on Sunday -- its second to the Bears this season -- and the effects seemed to carry over early against Kansas State.
But after a relatively quiet first half, the Paris sisters started to take over in the second, powering their way past the smaller Wildcats.
Ashley hit a pair of shots inside to start the second half, then Courtney went to work, scoring on a pair of putbacks during a 14-3 opening run that cut Kansas State's lead to 42-41. Jenna Plumley followed with a steal and a pull-up 3-pointer to give Oklahoma its first lead.
Courtney Paris finished 10-of-13 from the field and grabbed 10 rebounds for her 85th straight double-double. Twin sister Ashley had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Danielle Robinson added 12 points for Oklahoma, which shot 51 percent for its 23rd straight win against the Big 12 North and fifth straight against Kansas State.
Kansas State (18-7, 10-2) had all the energy early, jumping out to a 10-point first-half lead by working around the Paris sisters with up-fakes and crisp cuts.
Shalee Lehning did most of the damage, slashing through Oklahoma's defense while dropping six assists. Ashley Sweat was the biggest beneficiary, scoring 15 points by halftime, hitting 6-of-7 from the free-throw line after getting behind Oklahoma's big front line.
But after disrupting the Paris twins at both ends early, the Wildcats couldn't stop them late.
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 42 to 21. Courtney supplies 14 per game (34 percent) in the paint while Ashley contributes eight points (19 percent) in the paint per game. Together the sisters average 22 points in the paint -- as much as the entire opposing roster and more than half of OU's total.
CP3's "D"
Lost in the marvel of Courtney Paris' double-double streak is her stellar defense. Paris has had an equally remarkable season defending the post as she had held her opposing matchup to an average of 7.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 37 percent field goal shooting.
Of those opposing players, only five have reached their respective season scoring averages and just two their rebounding average against Paris.
Against Paris and the Sooners, Maryland's Crystal Langhorne, Tennessee's Nicky Anosike and Georgia's Tasha Humphrey have made just 5-of-29 (17 percent) field goal attempts.
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 305 points scored this season, 82 (27 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 and Kansas State.
The following is a look at the production of the nation's top freshmen guards (through Feb. 21).
| Production by the Nation's Top Freshmen | |||||
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Player |
Team |
GP |
Points |
Assists |
Steals |
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Angie Bjorklund |
Tennessee |
26 |
10.6 |
1.3 |
0.9 |
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Cetera DeGraffenreid |
North Carolina |
27 |
11.8 |
3.3 |
2.4 |
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Maya Moore |
Connecticut |
26 |
18.0 |
3.7 |
1.5 |
| Angela Puleo | Georgia |
26 |
8.6 |
2.8 |
1.2 |
| Danielle Robinson | Oklahoma |
24 |
12.7 |
4.2 |
2.4 |
| Alli Smalley | Auburn |
26 |
10.8 |
2.9 |
1.2 |
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Marah Strickland |
Maryland |
29 |
8.9 |
1.0 |
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 35 percent (24-of-68).
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 7.8 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 18 of the last 23 games. Against Kansas, Stevenson led OU in scoring for the first time in her career with 15 points. She had a Big 12 high of 16 against Colorado.
TWICE AS NICE
The Paris twins have scored in double figures in the same game on 32 occasions, achieving the feat 17 times in 2007-08 after doing so 11 times last season. Since Courtney has scored in double figures in all of her 93 career games, the 32 occasions account for every double-figure game of Ashley's career. The duo has posted a double-double in the same game 10 times (four as freshman and two as sophomores). OU is 28-4 when both Parises reach double figure scoring and 8-2 when both achieve a double-double.
BLOCK PARTY
Courtney Paris passed LaNae Jones (1993-96) as OU's blocks leader versus North Texas (Nov. 26). Paris entered the contest two blocks from Jones' record of 243 and counted five in the game to move past to 246.
Paris, who has OU's single-season record with 119 blocks as a freshman (and is No. 2 on the single-season list with 111 blocks as a sophomore) currently has 307 career blocks. She and Jones are the only two Sooners ever to record 100 blocks.
Paris passed Texas Tech's Cisti Greenwalt's (121 games, 2002-05) Big 12 career record of 300 blocks against Texas A&M on Feb. 12.
With a rate of 3.3 blocks per game and at least 33 games left in her career, Paris could break 400 career blocks by the time she leaves the college game.
TCU's Sandra Irvin (2002-05) has the NCAA record for career blocks with 480 in 127 games (3.78 per game).
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 14.8 boards, just under 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 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 1,420 career rebounds with 484 coming off the offensive glass and 936 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.
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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.
Friday, July 10
Friday, July 03
Friday, June 26
Friday, June 19
