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
Women Look to Match Best Start
February 13, 2009 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 13, 2009
LOOKING TO MATCH HISTORY
A win versus Kansas would match the 2009 Sooners with their 2002 counterparts for the best record to start a season at 22-2.
Oklahoma is 9-0 in the Big 12, the deepest the team has run undefeated in conference play since becoming the first team to score a 16-0 record in the league in 2006.
The Sooners have won their last 10 meetings with the Jayhawks.
VOTE PARIS FOR SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Courtney Paris was named one of 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. The award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: classroom, community, character and competition. Fans can vote for Paris once per day online at www.seniorclassaward.com.
| Game Specifics | |
| Date and Time | Saturday, Feb. 14 at 7:07 p.m. Central | Game Notes |
| Location | Allen Fieldhouse (13,600) | Lawrence, Kan. |
| Tickets | KUAthletics.com |
| TV | Sooner Sports Network KWTV-9 in Oklahoma City; COX 3 in Tulsa |
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Radio
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SoonerSports Radio Network | Live Audio KOKC 1520 AM in Oklahoma City |
| Webcast | None |
| Live Stats | SoonerSports.com CBS GameTracker |
GAME PREVIEW
No. 2 Oklahoma visits Kansas Saturday, Feb. 14, at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan. The game tips off at 7:07 p.m. Central and will be televised on the Sooner Sports Network. The game broadcasts on KWTV Channel 9 in Oklahoma City and COX Channel 3 in Tulsa.
• Oklahoma and Kansas are meeting for the 52nd time. Kansas is 27-24 against OU.
• Oklahoma head coach Sherri Coale is 275-129 (.681) in her 13th season.
• Bonnie Henrickson is 69-75 (.479) in her fifth year at KU and 227-137 (.624) in her 11th overall.
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ABOUT THE KANSAS JAYHAWKS
Kansas returns home to Allen Fieldhouse following a nail-biting defeat at the hands of Texas Wednesday night in Austin. The Jayhawks will be looking for their third conference win. KU has beaten Missouri, 75-58, and Colorado, 65-54, at home.
Junior forward Danielle McCray has posted 20 or more points in 11 games this season and has scored 20 or more points in six of her last seven games.
McCray, who is leading KU with 19.0 points per game, currently ranks second in the Big 12 Conference in scoring behind only Andrea Riley of Oklahoma State.
Jayhawk freshman Aishah Sutherland has come on strong in KU's last five outings. Sutherland has averaged 7.0 points and a team-best 7.0 rebounds in the five-game stretch, nearly doubling her season averages of 3.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. She has posted double figures in rebounds in two of the five games.
Led by McCray's 39.8 3-point percentage, KU is shooting .396 from 3-point range, which is tops in the Big 12 and fourth in the NCAA.
Bonnie Henrickson is 69-75 (.479) in her fifth year at KU and 227-137 (.624) in her 11th overall.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES
• Oklahoma and Kansas meet for the 52nd time Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan. KU leads in Lawrence, 13-9.
• Oklahoma and Kansas first met on Feb. 13, 1976, a 65-39 Jayhawk win in Manhattan, Kan.
• The Sooners have won the last 10 meetings and have not lost in Lawrence since 1999, a 58-54 tilt.
• Oklahoma has won the last six meetings by an average margin of 17 points.
• Under Sherri Coale, the Sooners are 10-3 against the Jayhawks, including a 4-2 road record.
• KU coach Bonnie Henrickson is 0-4 against the Sooners.
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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.
ROAD WARRIORS
Oklahoma is 9-1 away from the Lloyd Noble Center and 6-1 overall in true road games, having only lost at Connecticut.
In those true road games, Ashley Paris averages a double-double (13.3 points, 10.6 rebounds), Nyeshia Stevenson is a 52.4 percent 3-point shooter, Whitney Hand scores 51.9 percent of her shots from beyond the arc and Danielle Robinson is a perfect 13-of-13 from the free throw line.
THE STREAK ENDS AT 112 CONSECUTIVE DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Courtney Paris' streak of consecutive games with a double-double ended Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, against Tennessee at 120 games. Paris' streak began with a 22-point, 24-rebound effort versus UCLA on Dec. 5, 2005, and lasted 1,159 days. Courtney Paris has collected 118 double-doubles in 123 career games.
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 20 - Courtney Paris, Oklahoma, Nov. 15, 2008-Jan. 31, 2009 18 - Cheryl Miller, Southern Cal, Nov. 28, 1984-Feb. 14, 1985 |
| Career Double-Doubles 118 - 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 112 - Courtney Paris, Oklahoma, Dec. 5, 2005-Jan. 31, 2009 19 - Anne Donovan, Old Dominion, Jan. 29, 1982-Dec. 29, 1983 18 - Cheryl Miller, Southern Cal, Nov. 28, 1994-Feb. 14, 1985 |
C. PARIS NAMED NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE MONTH
Oklahoma's Courtney Paris was named the National Player of the Month of December by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), which made the announcement Thursday. It is the fifth career WBCA Player of the Month for Paris. Paris averaged 17.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.8 blocks in five games in December, while playing just 25.2 minutes a game. She shot 77.3 percent from the field, connecting on 33-of-44 field goal attempts.
POSTGAME LEFTOVERS
Hand Earns Fourth Big 12 Freshman of the Week Honor
Freshman guard Whitney Hand was named Big 12 Freshman of the Week for a four time this season on Feb. 9 following OU's wins against Tennessee and Oklahoma State. Hand also earned the honor on Dec. 1, Jan. 12 and Jan. 26.
Courtney Paris Sets Big 12 Scoring, Field Goals Records
The second-ranked Sooners never trailed on the road against Oklahoma State, winning 93-75. Courtney Paris scored 17 points on eight field goals and passed Sophia Young of Baylor (2003-06) as the Big 12's career scoring and field goals leader.
Paris Takes NCAA Career Rebounding Record
Courtney Paris had her second straight game without a double-double, but still managed to set an NCAA record. With eight rebounds, Paris passed Wanda Ford of Drake (1983-86) as NCAA Division I's all-time rebounding leader.
What a Start!
Oklahoma's 21-2 start to the season is its best since starting the 2001-02 season, its Final Four campaign, 22-2.
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's happened twice more since then as the Parises and Danielle Robinson each tallied a double-double against Tulsa (Dec. 21) and Texas A&M (Jan. 18).
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,then its best mark since the fourth game of the 2007-08 season.
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.
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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.
Bench Support
Following OU's loss to UConn when bench players totaled only four points, Sherri Coale issued a challenge to her reserves. They've responded in the last 16 games, providing 31 percent of the scoring and outscoring the opponents' bench an average of 24-13. Prior to the challenge, the backups were outscored 79-100 and provided 21 percent of OU's offensive output.
Stevenson...Beyond the Arc
Junior forward Nyeshia Stevenson set an OU record by making nine consecutive 3-point field goals. Stevenson was a perfect 4-for-4 in the second half versus California and 2-for-2 in the game against Tulsa and 3-for-3 at Saint Louis for a total of nine consecutive 3-pointers made.
Stevenson's streak of nine straight games with at least one 3-pointer ended as she was held scoreless Jan. 18 versus Texas A&M. However, Stevenson still leads the Big 12 Conference in 3-point field goal percentage (.462) and is sixth nationally.
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 35 of 76 (.462).
Call the Reserves
Nyeshia Stevenson is the Big 12's top scoring reserve, and 31st overall scorer, at 9.8 points per game.
Stevenson has scored in double figures in 12 games this season. In her freshman and sophomore seasons combined, Stevenson had just 11 double-figure games.
Simply the Best
Only two NCAA Division I programs have their football and men's and women's basketball teams ranked in the Top 25 of the AP poll -- Oklahoma and Florida State. Oklahoma's football team finished No. 5, while its men's basketball team is No. 2 and women's team is No. 2. Florida State's teams are ranked Nos. 21, 25 and 14, respectively.
Oklahoma became the first Big 12 institution to have both its men's and women's basketball teams start 6-0 in league play in the same season. The Sooner men are currently 9-0 in the Big 12 and the OU women are 8-0. Both teams are the only undefeated remaining in conference play.
High Percentage
Oklahoma's .496 field goal percentage trails only Connecticut (.519) in the NCAA national team ranking. The Sooners have shot 50 percent or better from the field in 15 of 23 games this season after doing so only seven times last year. Of course, the high field goal percentages has Oklahoma scoring on more chances, which is why OU's scoring offense (79.9 points per game) is third nationally.
Point of Order
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 142 assists to 88 turnovers in 2008-09, a 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio, and leads the team with 50 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.
Robinson...From the Charity Stripe
Sophomore guard Danielle Robinson leads the Big 12 Conference in free throw percentage (.925, 62-of-67) and is second 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.
Robinson's 9-for-9 free throw shooting against Texas A&M (Jan. 18) was the best by a Sooner since Maria Villaroel made 11-of-11 versus Missouri on Feb. 26, 2003.
Robinson set an OU record by making 30 consecutive free throws, ending with her third attempt against Texas (Jan. 25). LaNeisha Caufield (2002) held the Oklahoma record for consecutive free throws at 29.
Electric Defense
Sophomore point guard Danielle Robinson, last year's only rookie on the Big 12's All-Defensive Team, has taken 21 charges in 23 games.
Runaways
Oklahoma has put away opponents early by opening with large runs. The Sooners took a 13-0 lead on North Carolina Central (Jan. 4) and then a 15-0 lead on Nebraska (Jan. 10).
Those are just two of the 31 scoring runs of 10 or more points the Sooners have had this season. Oklahoma's last was a 13-0 in the first half versus Oklahoma State that pushed its lead from 10-6 to 23-6.
OU's comeback versus California featured a 28-0 run that last from 9:00 remaining to the final 30 seconds of that game.
The Sooners quickest 10-0 run lasted 2:11 over both sides of the break against No. 1 Connecticut. Oklahoma has even had three double-digit runs in one game, doing so with 12-point first half, 13-point over-the-break, and 13-point second half runs against Creighton.
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To purchase women's basketball tickets: Single-Game Tickets: $8 - Public General Admission | $5 - Youth General Admission |
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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