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
Top-Five Showdown Saturday
February 20, 2009 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 20, 2009
PACK THE PLACE PINK
Oklahoma celebrates the WBCA's PinkZone week with its third annual Pack the Place Pink Game presented by outreach.ou.edu. OU will wear pink uniforms in honor of the week promoting the women's cancer awareness and the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. All fans in attendance will receive a commemorative T-shirt to wear.
Online at SoonerSports.com, several items from the game will be auctioned by CBS College Sports, including the game ball and four authentic team jerseys.
RESTRICTED ADMISSION FOR SATURDAY
The OU Athletics Ticket Office has announced that tickets for upcoming women's basketball games vs. No. 5 Baylor (February 21) and Oklahoma State (February 28) are sold out. Restricted admission tickets will be available for $8 each for both games on game day. Sales will begin 1.5 hours prior to tipoff at the Lloyd Noble Center North and East box offices.
The final opportunity to catch the No. 2 Sooners at home this season will be Wednesday, March 4 at 7:00 p.m., when Texas Tech comes to town. It will also be the final home game for seniors Ashley Paris, Courtney Paris and Carolyn Winchester.
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To purchase women's basketball tickets: |
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS
A limited number of 2009 Women's Basketball Big 12 Championship tickets are also on sale. This year's championships will be held in Oklahoma City at the Cox Convention Center from March 12-15. All-session tickets $90 each and are available by calling the OU Athletics Ticket Office (800) 456-GoOU or (405) 325-2424.
All orders are processed on a first come, first-served basis and tickets are subject to availability.
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. 21 at 2:07 p.m. Central | Game Notes |
| Location | Lloyd Noble Center | Norman, Okla. |
| Tickets | OU Athletics Ticket Office | 1-800-456-GoOU |
| TV | Fox SportsNet Southwest |
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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 hosts No. 5 Baylor Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla. The game tips off at 2:07 p.m. Central and will be televised on Fox SportsNet Southwest by the Sooner Sports Network. OU will honor the legacy of Kay Yow by holding its third annual Pack the Place Pink Game presented by outreach.ou.edu. OU will be dressed in pink uniforms in celebration of the WBCA's PinkZone.
• OU and Baylor are meeting for the 33rd time. OU leads the series 22-10 and 8-5 in Norman.
• Oklahoma head coach Sherri Coale is 277-129 (.682) in her 13th season.
• Baylor was the only Big 12 team to sweep the Sooners last season.
• Kim Mulkey is 229-62 (.787) in her ninth year at Baylor.
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ABOUT THE BAYLOR LADY BEARS
No. 5/5 Baylor, 21-3 overall, 9-2 in the Big 12 is in second place in the league standings.
Junior center Danielle Wilson leads the Lady Bears in both scoring and rebounding at 15.5 points and 9.4 boards a game while senior guard Jessica Morrow ranks second on the team in scoring at 11.3 a contest. Senior guard Jhasmin Player completes Baylor's double-digit scoring trio at 10.0 a contest while senior forward/post Rachel Allison isn't far behind at 9.8 a game.
The league's top three rebounders will take the court on Saturday afternoon, the Sooners' Courtney and Ashley Paris rank No. 1 and 2 among the Big 12's rebound leaders with 13.8 and 9.7 per game, respectively, while Baylor's Danielle Wilson ranks third at 9.5 a contest.
The contest with the Sooners will mark Baylor's eighth ranked opponent of the year and its fourth top 10 foe, too. Baylor is 5-2 versus ranked opponents and 2-1 against top 10 foes with wins over then-No. 2 Stanford (81-65) and then-No. 9 Texas A&M (64-61) and a loss to No. 2 Oklahoma (56-51).
Baylor held OU to its lowest point total of the season, 56, when the two teams met Jan. 28 at Waco.
Kim Mulkey is 229-62 (.787) in her ninth year at Baylor.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES
• Oklahoma meets Baylor for the 33rd time when the Bears travel to Norman, Okla., for Saturday's game at the Lloyd Noble Center.
• Oklahoma leads the series with Baylor 22-10.
• The series has traditionally been all about streaks. After four straight wins by OU, Baylor followed with four straight. In 1999, the Sooners began an 11-game winning streak against the Bears before having a four-game drought in 2004 and 2005.
• Under Sherri Coale, who is 18-10 against Baylor, OU lost its first four meetings before winning the next 11.
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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 11-1 away from the Lloyd Noble Center and 8-1 overall in true road games, having only lost at Connecticut.
In those true road games, Ashley Paris averages a double-double (12.9 points, 10.4 rebounds), Nyeshia Stevenson is a 50.0 percent 3-point shooter, Whitney Hand scores 45.7 percent of her shots from beyond the arc and Danielle Robinson is a perfect 18-of-18 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 119 double-doubles in 125 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 119 - 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 |
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 23-2 start to the season is the best in the program's history. The 2002 team also opened the season 22-2 before losing its 25th game.
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 18 games, providing 30 percent of the scoring and outscoring the opponents' bench 436-243, an average of 23-13 per game. 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 (.458) and is seventh 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 38 of 83 (.458).
Call the Reserves
Nyeshia Stevenson is the Big 12's top scoring reserve, and 31st overall scorer, at 9.7 points per game. Stevenson has scored in double figures in 12 games this season.
Simply the Best
Only one NCAA Division I program have their football and men's and women's basketball teams ranked in the Top 25 of the AP poll -- Oklahoma. Oklahoma's football team finished No. 5, while its men's basketball team is No. 2 and women's team is No. 2.
Oklahoma became the first Big 12 institution to have its men's and women's basketball teams each start 6-0 in league play in the same season. The Sooner men are currently 12-0 in the Big 12 and the OU women are 11-0.
High Percentage
Oklahoma's .495 field goal percentage trails only Connecticut (.514) in the NCAA national team ranking. The Sooners have shot 50 percent or better from the field in 16 of 25 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 (79.5 points per game) is fifth 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 151 assists to 101 turnovers in 2008-09, a 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio, and leads the team with 57 steals.
Robinson has also been spreading the ball around well, counting assists to nine teammates. Her only exceptions, injured forward Carolyn Winchester, reserve point guards Rose Hammond and Jasmine Hartman.
Robinson...From the Charity Stripe
Sophomore guard Danielle Robinson leads the Big 12 Conference in free throw percentage (.931, 67-of-92) 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 25 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.
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
