University of Oklahoma Athletics

OU Meets Kansas in Big 12 Quarters

March 12, 2009 | Women's Basketball

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma claimed its sixth Big 12 regular-season title in 2009 and looks to collect its fifth conference postseason crown and the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City this week.

The Sooners have done the double -- winning both the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles -- three times: 2002, 2006 and 2007. Texas Tech (1998 and 1999), Iowa State (2000), Texas (2003) and Baylor (2005) have also completed the championship sweep.

Vote Paris for Lowe's 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.

 Big 12 Championship Quarterfinals: (1) Oklahoma vs (8) Kansas
 Date and Time  Friday, March 13 at 11 a.m. Central | Game Notes
 Location  Cox Convention Center
 Tickets  OU Athletics Ticket Office | 1-800-456-GoOU
 TV  Fox SportsNet
 COX 37 in Oklahoma City; COX 27 in Tulsa
 Radio
 Sooner Sports Radio Network | Live Audio
 KOKC 1520 AM in Oklahoma City
 Webcast  Big12Sports.com
 Live Stats  Big12Sports.com

Championship Preview
No. 3 Oklahoma, the No. 1 seed, begins play in quarterfinals of the 2009 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Friday at 11 a.m. versus the winner of Thursday's (8) Kansas/(9) Nebraska matchup. OU victories mean a 12 p.m. semifinal tip on Saturday and 12:30 p.m. start in the Championship Game Sunday. Games will be televised on Fox SportsNet.

• Oklahoma has won four Big 12 Championships, all in the past six years (2002, 2004, 2006, 2007)
• Oklahoma is 17-8 all-time in the Big 12 Championship
• The Sooners' .680 winning percentage in the Big 12 Championship is the league's best
• Oklahoma head coach Sherri Coale is 281-130 (.684) in her 13th season.
• Kansas, the No. 8 seed, advanced to the Big 12 Championship Quarterfinal with a 61-56 win over No. 9-seed Nebraska in Thursday's first round.
• Bonnie Henrickson is 74-78 (.487) in her fifth season at KU and 232-140 (.624) in her 11th overall.

 Oklahoma Projected Starters
Pos.
No.
 Name
Ht.
Year
 Stats / Notes
C
3
 Courtney Paris
6-4
Sr.
 16.1 ppg, 13.7 rpg, 1.67 apg
F
5
 Ashley Paris
6-3
Sr.
 13.0 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 1.7 apg
G
13
 Danielle Robinson
5-9
So.
 13.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 5.9 apg
G
1
 Nyeshia Stevenson
5-9
Jr.
 9.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.1 apg
F
21
 Amanda Thompson
6-0
Jr.
 7.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.1 apg
 
 Kansas Projected Starters
Pos.
No.
 Name
Ht.
Year
 Stats / Notes
G
3
 Ivana Catic
5-8
Sr.
 2.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 3.1 apg
G
20
 Sade Morris
5-11
Jr..
 11.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.4 apg
G
4
 Danielle McCray
5-11
Jr.
 20.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.9 apg
F
24
 Nicolette Smith
6-2
So.
 7.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.3 apg
F
14
 Krysten Boogard
6-5
So..
 9.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 0.3 apg

Oklahoma vs. Kansas
It is the 54th meeting between Oklahoma and Kansas. Kansas leads the overall series 27-25. Oklahoma is 1-0 against Kansas in the Big 12 Championship, an 80-61 victory in Kansas City on March 7, 2001. OU's win versus Kansas in the 2001 Big 12 Championship was its first in tournament history.

Oklahoma has won the last 11 meetings versus Kansas, including a 69-54 win in Lawrence on Feb. 14, 2009. Every Sooner played at least three minutes in the game as OU led by as much as 21. OU held Kansas to a .262 field goal percentage.

Last Meeting
Oklahoma won in Lawrence, 69-54, as Courtney Paris suffered a rare game without a double-double. Paris totaled nine points and 15 rebounds while Amanda Thompson scored a team-high 16 points. Every Sooner on the roster played at least three minutes as victory was never in doubt. The Sooners shot 50 percent while KU mustered just a 26.2 percent output from the field. KU's Danielle McCray did scored 23 points with nine coming at the free throw line.

OU in the Big 12 Championship
• Oklahoma has won more Big 12 Championship games that any other program in the conference. With 17 wins and eight losses, OU's 68 percent winning percentage is also tops in the league's 13-year postseason tournament history.
• Only Iowa State (30) and Texas (26) have played in more Big 12 Championship games than the Sooners.
• The Sooners have an even or winning record against all its opponents in the Big 12 Championship, including a 3-0 mark versus Baylor, 2-0 advantage over Texas A&M.
• All-time in the Big 12 Championship, OU is 3-4 in the first round, 5-3 in the second round, 5-0 in the semifinal round and 4-1 in the championship game.

Notable Numbers
First Win
3/7/01 (80-61 vs. Kansas)
Largest Victory
+31 (87-56, vs. OSU, 3/6/02)
Largest Defeat
-25 (81-56, vs. KSU, 3/4/97)
Most Points
36, C. Paris vs. ISU (3/8/06)
Most Rebounds
26, C. Paris vs. BU (3/11/06)
Most Assists
9, Stacey Dales vs. CU (3/8/01)

Oklahoma as the No. 1 Seed
Oklahoma is the No. 1 seed for the Big 12 Championship. The No. 1 seed is 27-5 (.843) overall and 11-1 (.917) in the quarterfinal round.

Sooners in the Big 12 Championship Quarterfinals
Oklahoma is 17-8 (.680) in the Big 12 Championship. OU has highest winning percentage all-time in the conference tournament. OU is 5-3 all-time in the quarterfinal round.

Sooners in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma is 13-2 all-time in Oklahoma City with a 3-0 record in the Big 12 Championship. OU's only losses in the state capital were a 72-62 victory for Oral Roberts on Feb. 26, 1981, and a 53-52 win by Oklahoma State on Feb. 27, 1982. OU's last venture to OKC produced the program's first victory over Tennessee, 80-70, at the Ford Center on Feb. 2, 2009, as Courtney Paris' NCAA record double-double streak ended at 112 games.

Oklahoma Sooners Dominate Postseason Awards
Oklahoma (No. 3 Associated Press/No. 3 USA Today/Coaches') enters the Big 12 Championship as the No. 1 seed, having clinched its sixth regular-season conference title with a 15-1 record in the league.

Sherri Coale was named Big 12 Coach of the Year for a record fourth time and Courtney Paris claimed her third-consecutive player of the year award.

Whitney Hand followed Danielle Robinson's lead as the second straight Sooner to earn Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors and Nyeshia Stevenson shared the Sixth Man Award.

Ashley Paris, sister Courtney and Robinson were named to the All-Big 12 First Team, of which Robinson was the youngest member. Hand was an All-Big 12 honorable mention.

Courtney Paris and Robinson were named to the Big 12's All-Defensive team.

Hand was cleared for practice early this week and is expected to play after missing the final four games of the regular season after suffering a dislocation and fracture to her left index finger.

The Sooners rank first in seven of the 16 major team statistical categories -- scoring offense, scoring margin, field goal percentage, rebounding defense, rebounding margin, blocked shots and assists -- ranked by the Big 12.

 
 Player to Watch

 #25 Whitney Hand | Fr. | Guard
 
Hand practiced Tuesday and is expected to return to action with the Sooners at the Big 12 Championship. The freshman missed the last four games of the regular season after suffering a dislocation and fracture to her left index finger. Hand, the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, will add punch to OU's hot shooting when she does step back on the court.

   

Six Named to Academic All-Big 12 Team
Six OU players, including all three seniors, were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team. Rose Hammond (human relations), Ashley Paris (advertising), Danielle Robinson (sociology), Amanda Thompson (communication) and Carolyn Winchester (mathematics education) were all first-team honorees. Courtney Paris (journalism) was named to the second team.

Sooner Trifecta on Awards Watch
Ashley and Courtney Paris were named to the Naismith Trophy mid-season candidate list, with the award honoring the top player in women's college basketball, and Danielle Robinson was named as one of 13 candidates for the Nancy Lieberman Award, honoring the nation's top point guard.

2009 Senior Among Big 12's Winningest
Oklahoma seniors Ashley and Courtney Paris and Carolyn Winchester have led the Sooners to one of the best four-year spans in Big 12 history. Oklahoma has compiled a 108-22 (.831) record over the past four seasons, sixth best in the league's history.

Oklahoma is three wins shy of the record. Three consecutive wins by Oklahoma would encompass its possible games of the Big 12 Championship.

Most Wins by Big 12 Teams Over Four-Year Spans
111 - Baylor, 2004-07
110 - Baylor, 2005-08
110 - Baylor, 2002-05
109 - Texas Tech, 1998-2001
109 - Baylor, 2003-06
108 - Oklahoma, 2006-09

Ashley Paris Joining Millenium Club
Ashley Paris needs three rebounds to become the fourth Sooner to reach both 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career. The others are Courtney Paris (2,624 points and 1,941 rebounds), Molly McGuire (2,147 points and 1,071 rebounds) and Caton Hill (1,653 points and 1,044 rebounds).

Courtney Paris Starts Own Club
Courtney Paris is 59 rebounds shy of becoming the first college basketball player -- any gender, any membership, any division -- to collect 2,500 points and 2,000 rebounds in a career.

Only five players previously had reached both 2,000 points and 2,000 rebounds -- Tom Gola of La Salle (1952-55), Joe Holup of George Washington (1953-56), Jim Smith of Steubenville (1955-58) and, the only woman, Sheila Ford of North Carolina-Asheville (1980-84).

Fordham's Anne Gregory (1977-80), who scored 2,548 points, ended her career one rebound shy of 2,000.

Rerservations for Six
Jenny Vining was just the sixth OU reserve, not missing a start due to a senior night, in the Paris Era to score at least 15 points in a game. The feat has been accomplished 18 times in the past 130 games, twice by Vining and 10 times by Nyeshia Stevenson.

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 122 double-doubles in 128 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
122 - 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
 
OU Fact of the Game
Courtney Paris has 128 career double-figure scoring games. The NCAA Division I record is 130.

All About the Ball
Oklahoma, accustomed to playing with a Nike "3005 N-Touch Tournament" ball will play its remaining games with the Wilson "Solution", as it is the supplied ball for all Big 12 Championship and NCAA Championship games.

The Sooners have played four games this season with the Wilson ball and average a .508 field goal percentage and .355 3-point field goal percentage, the team's highest percentages with a particular brand of ball.

Bench Support
Oklahoma's depth has taken a hit with a finger injury keeping freshman guard Whitney Hand out of the starting lineup for the next few games. Nyeshia Stevenson, the conference's top scoring reserve and shoo-in for Sixth Man of the Year, has taken her place. Stevenson accounted for 49 percent of OU's total bench points before taking the starting role.

In OU's loss to Texas A&M, the Sooner bench was outscored 19-0 by A&M's reserves. The tables flipped in OU's win versus Oklahoma State as the Sooners, led by 15 points from Jenny Vining, outscored the Cowgirls' reserves 19-11.

In Oklahoma's 27 wins, the Sooner bench has outscored the opponent's bench 552-315, or an average of 20-12. In three losses, OU's bench has been outscored 83-10, or 28 to 3 per game.

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 (.422) and is 17th 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 46 of 109 (.422).

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 177 assists to 126 turnovers in 2008-09, a 1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio, and leads the team with 67 steals.

Robinson has also been spreading the ball around well, counting assists to nine teammates. Her only exceptions: reserves Rose Hammond, Jasmine Hartman and Carolyn Winchester.

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