Sooners Begin Practice for Spain Trip

NORMAN – The Oklahoma women's basketball team opened practice for its upcoming foreign trip to Spain on Saturday with two practice sessions at Lloyd Noble Center.

Before departing for Spain on Aug. 10, the Sooners will hold 10 practices over a 12-day span. OU will play three exhibition games during the nine-day trip. The Sooners last competed overseas prior to the 2012-13 season, visiting Australia for 11 days and coming away with a 4-0 exhibition record.

The Sooners return four starters and 12 letterwinners from last year's squad that finished 22-11 overall and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. OU also brings back four of its five top scorers including reigning Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year junior center Vionise Pierre-Louis, who averaged 9.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game a year ago.

Pierre-Louis also finished with a .577 field goal percentage (third in the Big 12) last season while dramatically improving her shooting at the free throw line, posting a .718 mark from the charity stripe.

Two of the top 3-point shooters in the Big 12 also return for the Sooners. Rising senior guard Derica Wyatt was ninth in the league with a 1.6 3-pointers per game, while Peyton Little averaged 1.5 3-pointers a contest last season. OU also brings back returning starters Gioya Carter, Maddie Manning and Gabbi Ortiz for the 2016-17 season.

In preparation for the trip to Spain, the freshman duo of Cheslea Dungee and Nancy Mulkey are looking to find their role among OU's core group of returners. Dungee and Mulkey experienced their first official collegiate practice on Saturday after participating in team workouts throughout the summer.

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