Sooners Host Undefeated Texas Tech

Jan. 10, 2012


	Whitney Hand

No. 10 Texas Tech (14-0, 2-0 Big 12) at Oklahoma (9-4, 1-1 Big 12)
Date & Tip Time	Wednesday, Jan. 11, at 7:07 p.m. CT
Location	Norman, Okla. \| Lloyd Noble Center \| Seating Views
Tickets	$5, $8 and $15; Free to OU students with valid OU I.D. OU Athletics Ticket Office
TV	Sooner Sports Network Oklahoma City: KAUT TV-43 (COX 16, 714 HD) Tulsa: COX 3, 703 HD
Radio	Sooner Sports Network Oklahoma City: KOKC 1520 AM, KREF 1400 AM
Webcast	SoonerSports.com All-Access
Live Stats	SoonerSports.com GameTracker
Game Info	Game Notes (PDF)

THE GAME PLAN
Oklahoma hosts undefeated No. 10 Texas Tech at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Wednesday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on the Sooner Sports Network (KAUT TV-43 in Oklahoma City; COX 3, 703 HD in Tulsa) The radio broadcast with Brian Brinkley airs on KOKC 1520 AM and KREF 1400 AM in the Oklahoma City metro area.

Promotions
• First 500 fans will receive a voucher for a small popcorn and Coke
• One lucky fan will win a $500 gas card, courtesy of Circle K

OU Tickets Available
• Season Tickets are available for as low as $114. Tickets may be purchased online at SoonerSports.com or by calling the OU Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-456-GoOU.
• Single-game tickets went on sale to the general public Nov. 1. Prices are $15 for reserved seating, $8 for general admission adults and $5 for general admission youths and senior citizens. OU students receive free admission when presenting a valid ID.

The Teams
• Texas Tech is undefeated at 14-0 and 2-0 in Big 12 play, and is ranked No. 14 in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches' Poll and No. 10 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll.
• The all-time series is even after 44 matches. However, Oklahoma has won 12 of the last 13 and holds an 11-9 advantage in Norman. OU has won 20 of 26 meetings since January 2000.
• Oklahoma is 9-4 and has split its first two conference games. OU is not ranked in either poll.

The Coaches
• Sherri Coale is 345-159 (.685) in her 16th season at Oklahoma. She has been named the Big 12 Coach of the Year four times.
• Kristy Curry is 102-73 (583) in her sixth year at Texas Tech and 281-124 (.694) in her 13th season overall.

Next Game
• Oklahoma visits Oklahoma State for the first round of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Bedlam Series at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater on Saturday, Jan. 14, at 11 a.m. The game will be televised on FOX Sports Southwest.

Texas Tech Projected Starters
No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Year	2011-12 Statistics
23	Monique Smalls	G	5-6	Jr.	7.9 ppg, 4.4 apg
5	Christine Hyde	G	5-10	Jr.	7.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg
15	Casey Morris	G	5-9	Jr.	10.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg
41	Kelsi Baker	F	6-0	So.	7.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg
20	Kierra Mallard	F	6-3	Sr.	14.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg

Oklahoma Projected Starters
No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Year	2011-12 Statistics
10	Morgan Hook	G	5-10	So.	11.7 ppg, 4.0 apg
3	Aaryn Ellenberg	G	5-7	So.	18.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg
25	Whitney Hand	G	6-1	RS-Jr.	11.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg
53	Joanna McFarland	F	6-3	Jr.	8.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg
4	Nicole Griffin	C	6-6	So.	5.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg

PREVIEWING OKLAHOMA
The Sooners were picked by the league's coaches to finish fourth in the Big 12 Conference this season. The media voted Oklahoma 15th in the Preseason Associated Press Poll and the Preseason USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll had Oklahoma at No. 16.

Oklahoma returns to the court following a third straight Sweet 16 appearance. OU returns nine letterwinners from that squad and introduces four freshmen.

The Sooners must replace one of its most successful senior classes after the graduations of two-time All-American point guard Danielle Robinson, Carlee Roethlisberger and Lauren Willis. That trio claimed 54 wins inside the Lloyd Noble Center, the most by Oklahoma in a four-year span.

Redshirt junior Whitney Hand is finally back to 100 percent health after suffering an ACL tear in November 2009 and returning to action in January 2011.

Sophomore Aaryn Ellenberg, the team's top returning scorer, was true to self in the team's preseason scrimmage by leading the scoring with 22 points.

Unfortunately, senior Jasmine Hartman will not play in 2011-12 after tearing her ACL in a September workout and Lyndsey Cloman doing the same in OU's first exhibition game on Nov. 2.

Captains for 2011-12
Junior Lyndsey Cloman, redshirt junior Whitney Hand and senior Jasmine Hartman are co-captains of the Sooners this season. The captains were voted by their teammates.

All Home Games Televised
All 14 of OU's regular season home games plus the two exhibition contests will be televised either locally on the Sooner Sports Network or nationally on Fox Sports Net or ESPN2.

OU's games on the Sooner Sports Network are also webcast on SoonerSports.com All-Access subscription site (exhibitions free).

An additional eight road games are scheduled to be televised on various networks, giving OU a guaranteed slate of 24 television broadcasts in 2011-12.

Sooner to Watch

Aaryn Ellenberg | So. | Guard
Ellenberg crossed 800 career points Sunday against Texas A&M in her 48th game. She trails only Courtney Paris' scoring pace in the Sooner record books and could be OU's 26th 1,000-point scorer by the end of February. Averaging 2.8 throughout her career, Ellenberg is also on pace to shatter OU's 3-point record and could contest the NCAA and Big 12 career records for 3-pointers made.

PREVIEWING TEXAS TECH
Texas Tech will enter the Lloyd Noble Center Wednesday as just one of four undefeated teams in NCAA Division I women's basketball and in the AP Poll's top 10 for the first time in seven years.

The Lady Raiders are led by senior center Kierra Mallard, who averages 14.1 points and 8.9 rebounds.

Junior guard Casey Morris also contributes in double-figures, scoring 10.2 points per game.

Point guard Monique Smalls, who averages 7.9 points and 4.4 assists, is the nationa leader in assist to turnover ratio with just 15 turnovers in 14 games.

Texas Tech is ninth nationally in scoring margin (22.7) and sixth in rebound margin (13.1).

ROBINSON EARNS TOP VIII AWARD
Former Oklahoma women's basketball standout Danielle Robinson was one of eight student-athletes selected by the NCAA to receive one of its highest honors.

Robinson will be recognized in Friday, Jan., 13, as a Today's Top VIII Award winner.

The NCAA Today's Top VIII Award recognizes student-athletes who completed their athletics eligibility during the 2010-11 academic year for their success on the fields and courts, in the classroom and in the community. Award recipients will be recognized at the Honors Celebration on Jan. 13 during the NCAA Convention in Indianapolis.

SWING SET
Iowa State led Oklahoma by 7 with 11:36 remaining in the first half and the Sooners won by with its largest lead of 29.

The 36-point swing was the largest by OU against an opponent that held at least a 7-point lead since the Sooners set the NCAA record for a comeback in regulation. The then-No. 5 Sooners trailed No. 9 California by 26 points at a tournament in San Jose, Calif., and won 86-75, a 37-point swing.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
After facing then-No. 9 Texas A&M in College Station on Sunday, No. 10 Texas Tech is the second straight ranked opponent for the Sooners. Wednesday's matchup will be the 70th ranked opponent, and 33rd in the top 10, that the Sooners have faced over the last five years. OU is 34-35 versus those teams.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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