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
Red Downs White in Preseason Scrimmage
October 27, 2009 | Women's Basketball
Oct. 27, 2009
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OU Video Library | NORMAN, Okla. -- Red defeated White 102-71 at OU's annual preseason women's basketball scrimmage exclusive to Fast Break Club members and season-ticket holders .
The Sooners played four 10-minute quarters. The first saw the Red squad of Whitney Hand, Joanna McFarland, Danielle Robinson, Nyeshia Stevenson and Amanda Thompson defeat their teammates in White, 37-10.
The women's team then combined on Red and played against the White team comprised of male practice players for the duration of the scrimmage. Red took a 65-61 advantage over the final three periods.
Overall, the women shot 58 percent from the field and over 44 percent from 3-point range.
Whitney Hand led all scorers with 28 points and just missed out on a double-double after grabbing nine rebounds. The sophomore also had four assists and zero turnovers. Last year's Big 12 Freshman of the Year was also perfect from the free throw line, going 6-for-6.
Danielle Robinson was perfect from the field, netting all eight attempts, and scored 17 points and added a game-leading nine assists.
Amanda Thompson totaled 19 points, seven rebounds and a game-high five assists, four of which came in the first period against female counterparts.
Freshman Joanna McFarland had an impressive debut with 10 points and nine rebounds. The post player from Derby, Kan., also showed range, hitting a three-pointer at the top of the arc.
After missing one 3-pointer in the first period, Lauren Willis was perfect from the field for the remainder of the game and scored 11 points.
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TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
21 Thompson,Amanda..... 8-17 3-4 0-0 4 3 7 2 19 3 3 0 5 35
53 McFarland,Joanna.... 4-7 1-1 1-2 2 7 9 2 10 0 2 0 3 46
01 Stevenson,Nyeshia... 4-13 1-7 0-0 1 1 2 1 9 4 5 0 2 50
13 Robinson,Danielle... 8-8 0-0 1-1 0 3 3 0 17 9 5 0 4 40
25 Hand,Whitney........ 9-16 4-7 6-6 3 6 9 1 28 4 0 0 0 42
10 Roethlisberger,C.... 1-5 0-3 0-0 0 0 0 1 2 1 4 0 3 17
14 Willis,Lauren....... 4-5 3-4 0-0 0 1 1 0 11 1 1 0 0 23
34 Olajuwon,Abi........ 2-8 0-1 1-2 5 6 11 0 5 0 2 0 0 22
44 Cloman,Lyndsey...... 3-8 0-0 1-2 2 4 6 4 7 0 1 0 0 31
45 Hartman,Jasmine..... 2-6 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 1 4 2 10 0 0 34
TEAM................ 5 5
Totals.............. 45-93 12-27 10-13 17 38 55 12 112 24 33 0 17
.488 .444 .769
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Sherri Coale |
On the change of OU's offense:
That's a great question because it does change; yet, in many ways, it is just an evolution of what has been. Obviously, when you return your point guard you feel really good about your season. It doesn't matter who is around. If that guy who has that ball in their hands most of the time is back for another year, you feel like you're a little bit ahead of schedule. And when that guy who has the ball in their hands all of the time is back after a phenomenal sophomore season, you feel even better about your team and about your chances. With Danielle -- the way she played last year, the way she led our team -- all the intangibles combined with the way she scored the ball and defended and the way she ran the team in a leadership capacity. She's a prototype point guard and with her running the floor we'll be the same and yet another level of what we were. Obviously with Whitney back after being the [freshman] of the year in our conference and the United States of America collectively falling in love with her during the NCAA tournament, her ability to shoot the ball coupled with her understanding of the game and now a season of college basketball under her belt -- those two guys anchoring it makes me sleep a whole lot better at night. If we add to that Nyeshia Stevenson, who was sixth man of the year and played significant minutes all season long, those three guys have a lot of experience. Amanda Thompson with that, playing inside and outside. Jasmine (Hartman) coming off the bench. I feel really good about our backcourt and the biggest different will not be [them], because you guys are all familiar with those people. They're going to do what they do. Hopefully, they are doing it better than they did before, if they are all growing as players as I think they are and they should be. It should be another level of that. We should be able to attack the rim with greater regularity because there is more space. That is going to be the biggest difference: is the way the floor looks. Because there is going to be more room in the middle and we'll be able to get up and down the floor, hopefully, more than we have in the past. With playing faster means you have to play sure as well. We have to take care of the basketball. We have to make good decisions. But we'd like to speed it up a little bit and I think we'll be more versatile defensively. Ironically, as everybody thinks about how we will look different -- we will look different for the factors that I just mentioned, but the biggest changes will be on the defensive end where we will be able to do more things. I think we were third in field goal percentage defense or something like that last year, and we were very fundamental. We were very sound; we contested shots. But we had a big guy in the middle that if anything broke down they had to run into her and try to figure out how to finish it and that lowers a team's field goal percentage automatically. So, we'll be able and we'll need to take a few more risks and maybe create a little more offense out of our defense. Maybe a little less preventative and more proactive. The biggest changes will probably be on the defensive end of the floor.
On Abi Olajuwon:
I'm very proud of Abi. Her fitness level is tremendous right now. She looks and moves and acts like a player and that's the first step of becoming a player. It's tough as you watch kids mature and grow, you wish they could figure out that sense of urgency that seems to accompany everyone's senior season would come a little earlier to everyone. The good news for her is that she didn't figure it out in August, she figured it out somewhere around January or February. That was a maturation process that began a while ago; therefore, she has put herself in a position to see some success. She can do a lot of things. She's a terrific athlete, very explosive. I love the way she communicates on the floor. She has a lot of energy, her sense of urgency, does a great job around the basket, very physical. If we can keep her from fouling out of the first five games she plays, we'll be in business.
On the possibility of playing small with Amanda Thompson and Carlee Roethlisberger as posts:
We sure could. We could play some small ball. I love it and we have the pieces for it. I don't know if we can play it for 20 minutes, but you can play it a little bit here and there. If you're willing to work hard and compete, you can survive. I think you can do more than survive. That remains to be seen. I like those guys; I like that combination. It is going to take Abi and both freshmen and Lauren Willis to do the things we want to do this season. But I think we have a lot of options. If you go with that small bunch, you can run and stretch the floor and trap and run around and do maniacal things. When you're a little bit bigger and not as experienced, you can do things safer and a little more prevent and do things differently. I think we'll do a lot of different things even though there are just 10 folks out there. The way you combine them can show a lot of versatility.
On what Whitney Hand needs to do to improve:
She needs to take a lot more shots. She and I watched film in the offseason and I said everytime you catch it and could have shot but didn't I want you to say, "Shot." And it only took about three minutes and she said, "This is ridiculous." You don't realize sometimes the shots that you have that you're passing up. Part of that is being a freshman and part of that is having a four-time All-American at the block that you need to throw it to first. I get that. The way that we played was the best way that we could play with the talent on the floor. It was wise. It's different now. If Whitney catches it and has space, whether there's a rebounder there or not, I want her to shoot it. Behind the arc is just about a layup for her. We'll take those wide-open looks and she needs to take more shots per game.
She began working on it, really in the summer. I told her when she began playing pick-up to not pass up a shot. It's a lot easier to tell her that one was ill-advised than go back and have the play over and have a shot at it. She began to work on that recognition and mentality in the summer. It was obvious to me that when we began to work on it in four-plus player workouts in the fall when we were able to get everyone together. The thing about it is she doesn't really have to speed up to get it. It's a decision. It's knowing before you get it that you're shooting it.
On if she likes the change of being picked fifth in the league, rather than first:
I don't mind it. I don't think we prepared any differently for the season than we did, say in 2006, when we didn't get a first-place vote. I don't think it affects us at all. If you look at what's happened in the Big 12 Conference, I don't think where anybody's picked has made any difference. In 2006, we were picked fourth without one first-place vote and ran the table. So, who knows what any of that means.
On Lauren Willis' playing time:
Lauren Willis needs to catch it and shoot it. When she's open, she needs to catch and shoot it. Odds are that it's going in, it's uncanny. It's one of the darndest things I've ever seen. She has great confidence, great confidence catching and shooting the ball. Lauren's going to need to play.
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