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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Sunday, December 22
Uncasville, Conn.
3:00 PM
University of Oklahoma
vs
Connecticut
Photo by: Ty Russell
Clash with Huskies to Close Out 2019
December 20, 2019 | Women's Basketball
NORMAN – The Oklahoma women's basketball team travels to Uncasville, Conn., Sunday to close out the non-conference schedule with No. 2 UConn. The game will tip at 3 p.m. CT inside Mohegan Sun Arena as part of the Fame's sixth annual Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Showcase.
ON THE AIR
The contest will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network with Brent Stover and Julianne Viani on the call and Justin Walters on the sideline. In Norman and Oklahoma City, the game will air on KREF 99.3 FM/1400 AM in Norman and KOKC 1520 AM in Oklahoma City (Tune In Radio App) with Brian Brinkley on the call.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
• The Sooners head to Uncasville, Conn., on a three-game winning streak to meet No. 2/2 UConn on Sunday. OU's last victory was a 93-84 defeat of Drake on Tuesday inside Lloyd Noble Center as five players Sooners scored in double figures for the first time since 2018. Taylor Robertson scored 21; Madi Williams posted 17; Tatum Veitenheimer had a career-high 16; Gabby Gregory chipped in 13; and Ana Llanusa added 11 as OU defeated Drake for the first time in four games in series history.
• Sophomore guard Robertson has become the NCAA's active career leader in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting 47.4% (161-for-339), just 11 games into her second season of college basketball. Robertson is the youngest member of the 10-player list; the nine other players are juniors and seniors.
• Averaging 19.55 points per game, Robertson ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring. Llanusa is fourth at 18.45 points per game. OU is one of just three teams in the league to have two players averaging 15 or more points per contest and is the only team to have two players averaging 18 or more.
• OU leads the Big 12 from beyond the arc, sitting atop the league's rankings for made 3s (100), 3-point field goal percentage (.400) and 3-point attempts (250). Robertson accounts for more than half (56) of the Sooners' buckets from deep.
• The Sooners' scoring offense averages 82.91 points per game to rank second in the Big 12 and ninth nationally. OU has eclipsed the 90-point mark in each of its last three contests.
GAME 11 RECAP: OU 93, DRAKE 94
The Sooners leashed the Bulldogs 93-84 Tuesday inside Lloyd Noble Center to push OU's winning streak to three games. The victory over Drake marked the first time since Feb. 17, 2018 that five Sooner scored in double figures as Taylor Robertson scored 21; Madi Williams posted 17; Tatum Veitenheimer had a career-high 16; Gabby Gregory chipped in 13; and Ana Llanusa added 11. The Sooners eclipsed the 90-point mark for the third consecutive game as they defeated Drake for the first time in the four-game series.
Veitenheimer's 16 points came on 5-of-9 shooting and the sophomore went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. The Windthorst, Texas, native stuffed the stat sheet for the second consecutive game as she dished five assists and picked up five boards. Sharpshooter Robertson hit five treys on the night as the Sooners shot 46.2% (12-for-26) from deep.
PREVIEWING NO. 2 UCONN
The No. 2 Huskies enter Sunday's contest at 9-0 overall and 1-0 against the American Athletic Conference. UConn topped No. 16/16 DePaul 84-74 on the road on Monday.Megan Walker had 22 points and 13 rebounds, Crystal Dangerfield also scored 22 and Olivia Nelson-Ododa added 19 points for the Huskies who dominated in the first half and won their 17th straight over the Blue Demons (10-2), whose seven-game winning streak ended. Connecticut led 55-29 at the half before DePaul began a furious comeback.
Four members of UConn's starting five are averaging points in double figures. Walker leads the Huskies with 22.1 and a team-high 9.3 rebounds per game. Christyn Williams averages 16.0; Dangerfield accounts for 14.1 and is shooting 50.0% (60-for-120) from the field; and Nelson-Ododa averages 12.4 to go with 8.8 rebounds.
As a team, UConn ranks 10th nationally in field goal percentage, hitting 48.0% of its shots this season. UConn owns the all-time series between the programs 12-0. Sunday's game will be the second time the teams have met at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., where they last squared off on Dec. 19, 2017 in the Women's Holiday Showcase.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET
The teams last met on Dec. 19, 2018 in Norman, when then-No. 1 UConn escaped the Sooners 72-63 after overcoming a 12-point second half deficit. The Sooners led for 31 minutes.
OU played only freshmen and sophomores in that contest and were without guard Llanusa, who led the Sooners in scoring last season. The young squad held UConn to just 2 of 17 3-pointers after the Huskies entered that contest shooting 41.0% from deep.
Robertson tied UConn's Napheesa Collier for the game-high with 23 points and Williams added a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds.
THE BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME WOMEN'S SHOWCASE
Sunday's contest will be the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's sixth annual Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Showcase presented by Citi at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. In the two games slated for Dec. 22, Florida State and Michigan will square off in the early contest at 12:30 p.m. CT while UConn and Oklahoma meet at 3 p.m. CT.
The Women's Showcase is one event in the Hall of Fame's series of collegiate events, which continues to grow in an effort to celebrate the game outside the museum walls. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is proud to continue its relationship with Learfield IMG College for sponsorship representation of its portfolio of collegiate events.
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history.
Sunday's matchup will feature the only two teams in Division I women's basketball with two Women's Basketball Hall of Fame inductees on their coaching staffs in OU head coach Sherri Coale and assistant coach Jackie Stiles and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma and associate head coach Chris Dailey.
TOP OF THE LEAGUE
Two Sooners rank in the top five in scoring among Big 12 players. Taylor Robertson is averaging 19.55 points per game to check in at No. 2 and Ana Llanusa is fourth with 18.45 per contest.
Oklahoma is one of three schools in the conference to have two players averaging 15 points or more; Oklahoma State's Vivian Gray (18.90 PPG) and Natasha Mack (15.80 PPG) and Texas Tech's Brittany Brewer (16.75) and Alexis Tucker (15.50) are the only other duos to do so. OU is the only school with two players averaging more than 18 points per game.
Oklahoma is one of three schools in the conference to have two players averaging 15 points or more; Oklahoma State's Vivian Gray (18.90 PPG) and Natasha Mack (15.80 PPG) and Texas Tech's Brittany Brewer (16.75) and Alexis Tucker (15.50) are the only other duos to do so. OU is the only school with two players averaging more than 18 points per game.
T-ROB TREY TRACKER
Sophomore Taylor Robertson has become the NCAA's active career leader in 3-point field goal percentage as she has shot 47.4% (161-for-339), just 11 games into her second season of college basketball. Robertson is the youngest member of the 10-player list, which is comprised of juniors and seniors (including 2019 Wooden Award Winner Sabrina Ionescu of Oregon, a senior who ranks seventh on the list). Robertson is shooting 49.1% (56-for-114) from deep this season.
Robertson is the national leader in made 3s with 56 this season – she has hit 11 more treys than the next closest player, Riley Lupfer of Boise State, who has made 45.
The McPherson, Kan., product also leads the country in 3s per game (5.09) this season. She is averaging the most 3s per game of any player in men's or women's Division I basketball; Dru Kuxhausen of McNeese is the men's 3s per game leader and is averaging 4.20. Robertson is also averaging more 3s per game and a better 3-point field goal percentage (49.1%) than the leading NBA player; James Harden (Houston) accounts for 5.0 per game and is shooting 35.9% from deep.
Robertson leads the Big 12 in 3-pointers this season (56), more than double than the next closest player; Christianna Carr of Kansas State has hit 24.
As a team, OU has hit 100 3-pointers this season; Robertson accounts for more than half of those. Robertson has made more treys than 170 teams in DI women's basketball this season.
Of Robertson's 215 total points this season, 168 have come from behind the 3-point line. 27 have come from the charity stripe where she is 27-for-32 (84.4%); just 20 of Robertson's points have not been 3s or free throws.
Additionally, Robertson's nine made 3s at Wichita State tie for the third most in a single game in women's Division I basketball this season and are one shy of the men's 2019-20 Division I single game record of 10.
SHOOTERS SHOOT
OU ranks in the top five among Big 12 teams in four offensive categories. The Sooners are first in 3-point field goals (100) and field goal percentage (40.0%); second in scoring offense (82.91 points per game); third in field goal percentage (45.8%); and fifth in free throw percentage (68.9%). The Sooners have scored a league-high 912 total points this season.
With 100 treys, the Sooners lead the conference in made 3-pointers by 36; the next closest team is Iowa State with 64 on a .318 clip.
The Oklahoma scoring offense (82.91 points per game) is second only to reining national champion Baylor, who averages 88.50 per contest. The Sooners rank ninth nationally in the same category.
Oklahoma checks in at 17th nationally in 3s per game with 9.1 and ranks fifth in the Power Five in that category.
The Sooners are the only squad in the Big 12 to have players combine for 10 or more 20-point performances this season: Taylor Robertson has had six; Ana Llanusa, four; and Madi Williams, one. Robertson scored 21 points in each of the Sooners' last three games and has led OU in scoring in six contests this season.
Additionally, freshman Gabby Gregory leads all Big 12 players in free throw percentage, sinking 29 of 32 this season for an impressive .906 clip.
QUICK HITS
- The meeting with No. 2 UConn will be just OU's second meeting with a ranked opponent this season. The Sooners previously defeated then-No. 25 LSU 90-68 on Dec. 7.
- The Sooners' 12-game non-conference schedule has featured eight matchups with teams that appeared in the postseason a year ago including four NCAA Tournament teams (Missouri State, Abilene Christian, Drake and UConn).
- OU is the only team in the Big 12 without a senior on its roster. The Sooners will be one of two league teams (Texas Tech) that will return three players who averaged at least 10.0 points per game. Llanusa (18.3), Robertson (14.3) and Williams (11.6) all averaged scoring in double figures during the 2018-19 season.
- At 496-268 in her career, Coale is just four wins away from the 500th victory. Only 76 coaches have accumulated at least 500 wins in their careers in the history of Division I women's basketball.
UP NEXT
OU returns to the court on Jan. 4 to host Baylor. The matchup will pit the Big 12's top scoring offenses against each other to kick off Big 12 play. The contest will tip at 4 p.m. CT on Fox Sports Oklahoma.
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