Women’s basketball: OU in preseason NIT
The Oklahoma Sooners headline the 16-team field for the 2008 Preseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
Oklahoma will host UC Riverside at the Lloyd Noble Center in the first round of the tournament Saturday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. Central. The game falls on a bye week for OU football.
“Our participation in the Preseason WNIT affords our fans the opportunity to experience competitive women’s basketball at the highest level,” OU head women’s basketball coach Sherri Coale said.
Women’s hoops: Paris sisters All-Academic
Oklahoma juniors Ashley Paris and Courtney Paris were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Women’s Basketball Team, announced by the conference Wednesday.
Ashley Paris was a first team member for the second year and Courtney Paris was named to the second team, her first appearance on the academic team. They were among 37 women’s basketball players from the conference to make the squad.
To qualify student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of her team’s scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.
OU junior Carolyn Winchester met the academic criteria, but did not meet the participation rule after breaking her foot in January.
The 2008 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship returns to Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium on March 11-13 & 15 for the eighth time in conference history. Kansas City hosted the first six women’s postseason events from 1997-2002, in addition to the 2005 championship.
Women’s hoops: Stevenson out for A&M game
Reserve forward/guard Nyeshia Stevenson will miss Thursday night’s contest versus Texas A&M due to a knee injury.
The injury to her right knee is believed to be a partial ACL tear but X-rays could not confirm the diagnosis. Stevenson’s status will be reevaluated Friday following the results of an MRI.
The Little Rock, Ark., native was the Sooners’ key reserve, averaging 7.3 points and shooting 34 percent from 3-point range. Stevenson was OU’s leading off-the-bench scorer in 20 of her 26 games as a non-starter.
Stevenson injured the knee in practice Wednesday in Norman, Okla., when another player stepped on her right leg during a rebounding drill.
Stevenson did not participate in the team’s Thursday morning shootaround at Reed Arena.
Women’s basketball: Bedlam game notes
No. 11/10 Oklahoma (19-5, 9-3 Big 12) seeks revenge in the Bedlam rematch with No. 16/17 Oklahoma State (21-4, 9-3 Big 12) at the Lloyd Noble Center Saturday, Feb. 23.
The game will broadcast on Fox Sports Net with Kevin Eschenfelder on play-by-play and Brenda Van Lengen on color analysis. Listen on the radio (KOKC 1520 AM in Oklahoma City) as Brian Brinkley and Tara Pogue have the call.
Tip-off is 1:05 p.m. Central.
Women’s basketball: Paris wins academic award
Oklahoma junior forward Ashley Paris was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 6 Women’s Basketball First Team, announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Thursday.
Paris, along with the five first-team members from each of the eight districts, is now eligible for Academic All-America consideration.
Paris, who studies journalism, is joined on the District 6 first team by Sarah Pfeifer (Arkansas), Danielle Green (Oklahoma State), Maryann Abanobi (Texas-Arlington) and Twiggy McIntyre (Houston).
The Piedmont, Calif., native has started all 20 games for the Sooners in 2007-08 and has averaged 12.1 points and 7.4 rebounds. Paris leads the Big 12 Conference and is 10th nationally in field goal percentage (.594).
To qualify for the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America team, student-athletes must have a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or greater and must not be in their first year at their respective university or college.
Paris becomes the 11th Sooner women’s basketball player to earn Academic All-District honors. Of those, six have earned Academic All-America status with Stacey Dales (2002) and Theresa Jantzen (2003) earning first team honors.
The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Women’s Basketball team will be announced Tuesday, Feb. 26.
OU’s weekly sports notes
News and notes from around the world of OU sports
MEN’S BASKETBALL (15-6, 3-3)
Last Week: Oklahoma split its two games last week, beating Bedlam rival Oklahoma State 64-61 on Monday in Norman before falling at No. 23 Texas A&M 60-52 on Saturday. Junior forward Taylor Griffin led the Sooners against OSU by scoring a career-high 20 points and pulling down a game-high six rebounds, while Blake Griffin added 15 points, four boards and three assists. Senior guard David Godbold keyed OU offensively at Texas A&M as he netted a career-high 22 points with the help of 6-for-10 3-point shooting. The Sooners led 51-50 in College Station but were outscored 10-1 over the final three minutes.
Women’s hoops: OU vs. Kansas game notes
OKLAHOMA VS. KANSAS
No. 11/10 Oklahoma (13-4, 3-2 Big 12) hosts Kansas in the final matchup of its five-game January home stand Wednesday.
The game will be televised on the Sooner Sports Network (KAUT-TV in Oklahoma City) with Bob Carpenter on play-by-play and Debbie Antonelli providing color analysis.
Women’s hoops: Paris up for Naismith
Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris remains one of 31 candidates in women’s basketball vying for the 2008 Naismith Trophy, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Tuesday.
This is the third season Paris has been a Naismith semifinalist. The 2007 National Player of the Year was one of four finalists for the award as both a freshman and sophomore.
Women’s hoops: Robinson again Big 12’s top rookie
Following wins against Texas Tech and nationally-ranked Georgia, Oklahoma’s Danielle Robinson was named Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week by the league Monday.
It was Robinson’s fourth time to earn the honor. Courtney Paris holds the record for most Rookie of the Week honors with nine in 2005-06.
Robinson averaged 12 points, 6.5 assists and three steals in the Sooners two wins last week – a 78-39 beating of Texas Tech and 65-57 defeat of No. 17/14 Georgia.
The freshman guard’s quick start versus the Red Raiders set the tone of the rout as she scored 10 of her 12 points in the first half on 4-of-5 field goal shooting and a 2-of-2 performance at the free throw line. Robinson totaled six assists to one turnover, three rebound and two steals in just 19 minutes on the court.
Against Georgia, Robinson jumped out to another quick start by scoring eight of her 12 points before the half and had a career high seven assists to go with a brilliant defensive performance. Robinson had four steals and shut down Georgia point guard Ashley Houts, who had entered the contest scoring 13.3 points per game, to a 1-for-6 field goal shooting effort.
With 42 steals in 17 games, Robinson is on pace to break Oklahoma’s single-season freshman record of 74 steals, set by LaNeisha Caufield in 1998-99.
Kansas State junior forward Marlies Gipson was named the conference’s player of the week.
Women’s hoop: Bedlam II sold out
Tickets for the Bedlam women’s basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 23, have sold out.
Only restricted admission tickets remain for those who wish to see No. 21 Oklahoma State visit No. 11 Oklahoma at the Lloyd Noble Center. Restricted admission seats are sold on the day of the game and will begin when doors open at 11:30 a.m.
All restricted admission tickets are $8 per person. Restricted admission grants the ticket holder access to the arena but does not guarantee a seat. After tip-off, restricted admission ticket holders may be permitted to take available seats in the general admission sections if seating remains.
The game will tip at 1 p.m.
A state record crowd for a women’s basketball game of 13,611 watched the first Bedlam battle of the year in Stillwater. The second largest crowd in Lloyd Noble Center history of 12,090 viewed last year’s OU-OSU tilt in Norman.
The Sooners have not lost to the Cowgirls on their home court since 1998.
