honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 11:16 a.m., Sunday, February 8, 2009

WCBKB: Paris sets records as Oklahoma women romp past Oklahoma St.

By MURRAY EVANS
Associated Press Writer

STILLWATER, Okla. — The end of Courtney Paris' double-double streak has not stopped her from setting other records.

The senior center broke the NCAA Division I rebounding record and set two Big 12 scoring marks in leading No. 2 Oklahoma to a 93-75 victory over rival Oklahoma State on Sunday.

Paris had 17 points and eight rebounds, with her first board breaking the record of 1,815 set by Wanda Ford of Drake from 1983 to 1986. Danielle Robinson added 18 points and Oklahoma (20-2, 8-0) extended its winning streak to 16 games.

"I was really proud of the balance of our team today," Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale said. "I thought we shared the basketball extraordinarily well. ... I thought we adhered to the game plan well. I thought we played together extremely well. We got great play off of our bench. Another road win in the Big 12, and we're proud of it."

Big 12 scoring leader Andrea Riley had 25 points for Oklahoma State (14-7, 3-5), but struggled with her shot, finishing 6-for-23 from the field. The Cowgirls' five conference losses have all come against teams ranked in the Top 25. They are in the midst of a five-game stretch against ranked foes, with matchups against Baylor, Kansas State and Texas upcoming.

Paris finished the game with 1,823 career rebounds. In the second half, she broke the Big 12 career scoring record of 2,480 points, set by Baylor's Sophia Young from 2003-2006, and Young's Big 12 field goals record of 1,034.

Paris has 2,481 points and 1,037 field goals.

"The rebounding one I've known about for a while," Paris said. "I take a lot of pride in rebounding. I'm sure that when Wanda Ford broke the record, she hoped someone else would and I hope someone else will too and that our sport keeps getting better."

Paris finished without a double-double for the second straight game after recording an NCAA-record streak of 112 straight, leading her to joke that "I'm in a slump."

But Paris said she felt more free on the court not having to be concerned any more with the double-double streak.

"I didn't know how it would feel to go into my next game without the double-double streak and not having that, not having to accomplish that," she said. "Today, (Oklahoma State center Megan) Byford likes to do the full-out, block-out thing, and it's a good method, and I didn't have to worry about fighting against it. Whitney Hand went in there and just got those rebounds and got put-backs."

Oklahoma maintained its lead in conference play over Baylor and Kansas State, each of which has two league losses.

Oklahoma was 9-of-13 from 3-point range, with reserve guard Jenny Vining converting 4 of 5, Nyeshia Stevenson making 3 of 3 and Hand hitting 2 of 2. Vining and Hand scored 12 points, Stevenson had 11 and Amanda Thompson added 10 as the Sooners shot 54.7 percent from the field.

"They have all the pieces of the puzzle," Oklahoma State coach Kurt Budke said. "Connecticut is probably a notch above, but Oklahoma is above everyone else. They're that good. It's not just the Courtney Paris show and it doesn't have to be. They have a lot of options this year."

The Cowgirls ended a 17-game losing streak in the Bedlam series last season by beating Oklahoma in Gallagher-Iba Arena behind 45 points from Riley.

On Sunday, Riley missed her first eight shots as the Cowgirls started 2-for-16 from the field and fell behind by 18 points just 11 minutes into the game. She was unable to pull Oklahoma State any closer than nine points the rest of the way.

Robinson was 7-of-13 from the field and scored six points in the first 3 minutes as the Sooners raced to an 8-0 lead.

"She did really good tonight," Riley said of Robinson. "She ran her team well. She got to the basket on me. I like how she's leading her team. She's blossoming at a peak."

Coale was more emphatic concerning Robinson.

"She looked like what she's become, which is one of the best point guards in America," Coale said.

Consecutive 3-pointers off the bench by Stevenson put Oklahoma up 29-11. Riley's 3-pointer with 1:32 left before halftime brought the Cowgirls within 43-34, but Oklahoma freshmen Jasmine Hartman and Hand combined to score the final six points of the half.

Back-to-back buckets by Tegan Cunningham, who scored 20 points, cut Oklahoma's margin to 53-43 with 17:32 left, but Robinson scored six points in an 11-1 run by the Sooners, and a 3-pointer by Hand made it 64-44 with 15:02 left.

Oklahoma led by 27 points, and in the final minutes, pockets of Oklahoma fans inside the Cowgirls' arena began chanting "Boomer! Sooner!" in celebration.