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Women's Basketball
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at #23 Alabama
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
OU Meets Purdue in Elite Eight
March 30, 2009 | Women's Basketball
March 30, 2009
How Sweet It is to be in OKC
Oklahoma returns to the Sooner State for its regional semifinal appearance at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City.
The Sweet 16 appearance is vindication for the Sooners, who missed the 2008 Oklahoma City Regional with an overtime loss in the second round of the NCAA Championship last season.
The top-seeded Sooners, who beat Tennessee earlier this year at the Ford Center, will meet sixth-seeded Purdue, Tuesday, March 31.
Send Off the Sooners Tuesday
The University of Oklahoma Athletics Department invites fans to the Skirvin Hilton Hotel on Tuesday, March 31, to send the women's basketball team off to the Sweet 16 at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City.
The Sooners will depart the Skirvin Hilton at 6:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to arrive early and head toward the buses to greet the team. Oklahoma's band and spirit squads will be on hand.
No. 1 seed OU meets No. 6 seed Purdue at 8 p.m. Central Tuesday at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. For complete coverage, visit Sooner NCAA Tournament Central.
| Game Specifics | |
| Date and Time | Tuesday, March 31 at 8 p.m. Central | Game Notes | Live Blog |
| Location | Ford Center (19,599) | Oklahoma City |
| Tickets | OU Athletics Ticket Office | 1-800-456-GoOU |
| TV | ESPN |
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Radio
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Sooner Sports Radio Network | Live Audio KOKC 1520 AM in Oklahoma City |
| Webcast | ESPN360.com |
| Live Stats | SoonerSports.com CBS GameTracker |
GAME PREVIEW
No. 1-seed Oklahoma advanced to the its second Elite Eight appearance in history in the 2009 Oklahoma City Regional. OU meets sixth-seeded Purdue Tuesday, March 31, at 8 p.m. Central. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN. The winner advances to the Final Four in St. Louis.
• The Sooners earned their second 1 seed in program history. OU's 2002 national runner-up team was the other to have a No. 1 seed for the tournament.
• OU is 20-11 all-time in the NCAA Championship; 2-5 in regional semifinal; 1-0 in regional final.
• Oklahoma head coach Sherri Coale is 285-131 (.685) in her 13th season.
• In its history, OU is 2-0 versus Purdue.
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Scouting OU's Regional Final Opponent
No. 6 seed Purdue advanced to the Elite Eight with its 67-61 win against seventh-seeded Rutgers in the semifinal of the Oklahoma City Regional.
Purdue is making its 20th overall and 16th straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Boilermakers are appearing in the Elite Eight for the eighth time and second in past three seasons.
The last time the Boilermakers missed the Big Dance was in 1993. The Boilermakers own a 42-18 all-time NCAA record, a winning percentage of .700 percent. Since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1994, Purdue has advanced to the second round of the tournament 15 of 16 times.
This year marks Purdue's 12th appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16 and the fifth in the last seven seasons. The Boilermakers played in the 1994, 1999 and 2001 NCAA Women's Final Fours; they won the title in 1999 and finished as runners-up in 2001, the last time the Final Four was held in St. Louis.
Danielle Campbell and Lakisha Freeman are closing in on the 1,000-point scoring plateau. Campbell needs 12 points and Freeman four to become the 24th and 25th Boilermakers to score 1,000 career points.
Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton moved into eighth place in career scoring at Purdue. She owns the school record for rebounds (955) and blocks (281). - Wisdom-Hylton is one of the 40 players in consideration for 10 spots for the State Farm Coaches' All-America Team.
Campbell, a senior, and OU's Amanda Thompson, a junior, were high school teammates at Whitney Young in Chicago, Ill.
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Robinson Nearly Perfect in NCAAs
OU's Danielle Robinson is proving herself as one of the nation's elite point guards with her play in this year's NCAAs.
Robinson was perfect against Georgia Tech in OU's second round victory, going 5-for-5 from the field and 7-for-7 from the free throw line to lead all scorers with 17 points.
Robinson's first-round performance was one of her best, totaling 15 points, a career-high seven rebounds, six assists and four steals in just 28 minutes. She added 10 points, 4-of-6 field goals and 2-of-2 free throws, in the Sweet 16.
Combined in two games, Robinson is the Sooners second leading scorer, averaging 14.0 points per game. Robinson has made 16 of 20 field goals (.800) and 10 of 11 free throws (.909) as well as dishing 18 assists, grabbing 16 rebounds and counting eight steals.
Six-Pack of Stuffing
Courtney Paris' six blocked shots versus Georgia Tech matched the most by a player in a single game thus far in the touranment. Michigan State's 6-9 center Alyssa DeHaan, also had six in her team's first round victory over Middle Tennessee.
Paris is two blocks shy of becoming the first woman in NCAA history to record 100 blocks in each of her four seasons.
Hand Regains Form
After failing to score in the Big 12 Championship, her only two career games with zero points, Hand looked rusty in OU's first-round matchup with Prairie View.
The freshman shot 2-of-13 from the field, including a 2-of-10 performance from beyond the arc.
However, she returned to the court two nights later to provide one of her best performances of the season, a 15-point effort driven by 5-of-9 field goal shooting and a 3-of-6 3-point mark.
Against Pittsburgh in the Sweet 16, Hand led all scorers with a career-high 22 points and was 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Free Throws No Problem
Oklahoma's free throw percentage has risen dramatically in the NCAA Championships.
Averaging just 66 percent from the charity stripe as a team entering the NCAA tournament, OU has made 77 percent (40-of-52) of its free throws.
Courtney Paris is the only Sooner to have missed more than two free throw attempts (6-of-9) in the NCAA tournament.
OU Versus Ranked Opponents
Oklahoma met its 15th ranked opponent of the season when it faced Pittsburgh Sunday night. Oklahoma is 11-4 versus the current AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Top 25.
OU has not lost to a team ranked lower than 11th in either poll and two of OU's four losses were by one point.
Elite Eight opponent Purdue is not ranked in either poll.
OU and the RPI
Oklahoma entered the NCAA tournament No. 3 in the RPI. Pitt was 16, Rutgers No. 17 and Purdue No. 28.
Oklahoma has not lost to a team below 11th in the NCAA's RPI and is 14-4 against the RPI Top 50.
All-Time vs. OKC Regional Opponents
Oklahoma and Pittsburgh have met only once before, with the Sooners winning the 1994 Women's NIT semifinal matchup in Amarillo, Texas, 86-77. The Sooners then defeated Arkansas the next night for the title.
OU lost to Rutgers in the only meeting between those two squads on Jan. 3, 1985. The Scarlet Knights defeated the Sooners 80-72 at the Miami Classic in Miami, Fla.
The Sooners have twice defeated Purdue -- a 76-74 win during the 2000 NCAA Championship second round at West Lafayette, Ind., and a season-opening 80-75 victory in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic in Durham, N.C., on Nov. 11, 2001.
At the Ford Center
Before the NCAA regional semifinal, Oklahoma's only previous game inside the Ford Center was its 80-70 victory over Tennessee on Feb. 2, 2009.
The game was notable for Pat Summit attempting to reach her 1,000th career coaching victory and for Courtney Paris' consecutive double-double streak ending at 112 games.
In Oklahoma City
The Sooners are 15-3 all-time when playing inside the city limits of Oklahoma's state capital, having played the majority of those games across the street from the Ford Center at the Cox Convention Center.
OU is 3-1 in Oklahoma City this season. The Sooners' 74-62 loss to Texas A&M in the Big 12 Championship semifinal was its first in Oklahoma City in over 27 years.
All-Time in the NCAA Championship
• Oklahoma is 20-11 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with a 10-2 record in the first round. The Sooners have a 7-3 record in the second round; 2-5 in the regional semifinal; 1-0 in the regional final; 1-0 in the national semifinal and 0-1 in the national championship.
• The last and only other time Oklahoma earned a No. 1 seed was 2002. The Sooners finished as the national runner-up to Connecticut.
• Four of the past six national champions did not win their conference tournaments (2003 and 2004 Connecticut, 2006 Maryland and 2007 Tennessee).
• Oklahoma's 2009 appearance in the NCAA Championship will be its 12th overall and 10th consecutive. OU has played in the NCAA Championship in 1986, 1995 and every year since 2000.
Courtney Paris Named Wade Trophy and State Farm Coaches All-America Team Finalist
The WBCA named Courtney Paris to its 12-member finalist list for the 2009 Wade Trophy and the 40-member State Farm All-America Team finalist list following the NCAA's first and second rounds. Paris is a four-time Wade Trophy finalist and three-time consensus All-American.
Courtney Paris Earns Early First-Team All-America Honors
ESPN.com and CBSSportsline.com have named Courtney Paris a first-team All-American, the first such honors for the senior center this season. Paris leads the Sooners with 16.4 points and 13.7 rebounds per game. She has 28 double-doubles.
Seniors Lead Sooners 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.
Sooners Dominating 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 SENIORS 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 110-23 (.827) record over the past four seasons, second best in the league's history. Oklahoma is one wins shy of the record.
Most Wins by Big 12 Teams Over Four-Year Spans
112, Oklahoma, 2006-09
111, Baylor, 2004-07
110, Baylor, 2005-08
110, Baylor, 2002-05
109, Texas Tech, 1998-2001
109, Baylor, 2003-06
Ashley Paris Joins Millennium Club
Ashley Paris became the fourth Sooner to reach both 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career during the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Championship. The others are Courtney Paris (2,696 points and 2,005 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
Against Pittsburgh in the Sweet 16, Courtney Paris became 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), Major Jones of Albany State (1973-76), 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.
Simply the Best
While nine Division I teams have both their men's and women's basketball programs ranked in the top 25 of the AP Poll, only two NCAA Division I programs have their football and men's and women's basketball teams ranked -- Oklahoma and Florida State. Oklahoma's football team finished No. 5, while its men's basketball team is No. 7 and women's team is No. 4. Florida State's are Nos. 21, 16 and 12, respectively.
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 were 13-3 in the Big 12 and the OU women finished as champions at 15-1.
The success isn't limited to football and basketball. Many of Oklahoma's sports programs are among the best in the nation.
AMAZING ATTENDANCE
Oklahoma's 2009 total home attendance of 153,116 set a program record. The average home attendance of 9,007 was the third best in program history and ranked fourth nationally.
A visit by the Sooners raised its opponents attendance by 25 percent over its season average. The Sooners were the top draw for Saint Louis, Nebraska and Oklahoma State this season and its win over California in San Jose set a SJSU Event Center record for women's basketball with a crowd of 2,636 in attendance.
Oklahoma's quarterfinal attendance in the Big 12 Championship was 7,634, a record for a quarterfinal morning session.
The Sooners have built one of the largest fan followings in the nation. Here's a quick look at the attendance records set recently by the program:
2002 - NCAA Championship Game Record Attendance: 29,619
2007 - Big 12 Championship Game Record Attendance: 12,413
2007 - Program record for home average: 10,437
2008 - State record for single-game women's attendance: 13,611
2008 - Program record No. 3 national attendance ranking: 10,254
2008 - Lloyd Noble Center three consecutive sellouts to finish season
2008 - Averaged 42 percent increase for opponent during road games
2009 - Set Lloyd Noble Center women's basketball record: 12,906
2009 - Set program's total attendance record: 153,116
The Circus Comes to Town
When UConn visited Norman to play the Sooners during the 1999-2000 season, a then-record crowd of 10,713 attended the game at the Lloyd Noble Center. OU head coach Sherri Coale likened the experience to "the circus coming to town."
It seems that Oklahoma now has its own three rings. A visit by the Sooners in 2008-09 boosted its opponent's attendance by 25 percent over its season average.
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 31 wins, the Sooner bench has outscored the opponent's bench 612-355, or an average of 20-11. In four losses, OU's bench has been outscored 92-33, or 23 to 8 per game.
Oklahoma had only one loss -- the Big 12 Championship semifinal to Texas A&M -- when its bench outscored its opponents bench. The Sooner reserves outscored the Aggie reserves 23-9.
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. Stevenson is second the Big 12 Conference in 3-point field goal percentage (.388) and is 26th 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 50 of 128 (.391).
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 204 assists to 143 turnovers in 2008-09, a 1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio, and leads the team with 80 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.
Sophomore Nearing 200 Assists Milestone
Danielle Robinson's 204 assists are a sophomore single-season record for Oklahoma and the third most in a single season ever for a Sooner. Only Stacey Dales (248 in 2001) and Sharee Mitchum (242 in 1994) have more.
Robinson Taking From Charity
Sophomore guard Danielle Robinson leads the Big 12 Conference in free throw percentage (.904, 104-of-115) 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.
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 38 scoring runs of 10 or more points the Sooners have had this season. Oklahoma's last was a 12-0 run lasting from 15:07 to 11:36 of the second half versus Pittsburgh that opened OU's lead from 52-37 to 64-37.
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.
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 126 double-doubles in 134 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 126 - 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 |
PARIS AND DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORING
Courtney Paris became the NCAA career leader in double-figure scoring games with her performance against Prairie View in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Championship.
Paris fell just shy of the NCAA record for most consecutive double-figure scoring games, which belongs to LaToya Thomas of Mississippi State (1999-2002) at 125. Paris' streak of double-figure games ended at 120 on Feb. 2 vs. Tennessee when she scored just nine points.
Most Consecutive Double-Figure Scoring Games
125 LaToya Thomas, Mississippi State (1998-2002)
120 Courtney Paris, Oklahoma (2006-2009)
Most Double-Figure Scoring Games
132 Courtney Paris, Oklahoma (2006-09, 135 games)
130 Sophia Young, Baylor (2003-06, 139 games)
125 LaToya Thomas, Miss. St. (1998-02, 125 games)
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THE HONOR ROLL -- Awards won by Sooners in 2008-09
Sherri Coale
Big 12 Coach of the Year
WBCA Region 5 Coach of the Year
Courtney Paris
First-Team All-American (ESPN.com, CBSSportsline.com)
Wade Trophy Finalist
Naismith Trophy Finalist
Wooden Award Finalist
Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Finalist
Big 12 Player of the Year
Big 12 All-Defensive Team
Academic All-Big 12 Second Team
All-Big 12 Championship Team member
Preseason WNIT All-Tournament Team member
WBCA National Player of the Month of December
Big 12 Player of the Week (Jan. 26, Feb. 23)
Ashley Paris
Naismith Trophy Candidate
All-Big 12 First Team
Academic All-Big 12 Academic Team
Preseason WNIT All-Tournament Team member
Big 12 Player of the Week (Nov. 24, Jan. 19)
Danielle Robinson
ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District
Nancy Lieberman Award Finalist
All-Big 12 First Team
Big 12 All-Defensive Team
Academic All-Big 12 First Team
Whitney Hand
Big 12 Freshman of the Year
All-Big 12 honorable mention
Big 12 Freshman of the Week (Dec. 1, Jan. 12, Jan. 26, Feb. 9)
Nyeshia Stevenson
Big 12 Co-Sixth Man of the Year
Big 12 Player of the Week (Dec. 15)
Rose Hammond
Academic All-Big 12 First Team
Amanda Thompson
Academic All-Big 12 First Team
Carolyn Winchester
Academic All-Big 12 First Team
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