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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 4:43 p.m., Wednesday, March 4, 2009

CBKB: Courtney Paris wins final home game with No. 3 Sooners

By JEFF LATZKE
AP Sports Writer

NORMAN, Okla. — Courtney Paris added to her record-setting double-double total with 12 points and 16 rebounds in the final home game of her illustrious career, and No. 3 Oklahoma survived a sloppy senior night to beat Texas Tech 61-49 and clinch the Big 12 championship outright.

Danielle Robinson added 18 points and Courtney's twin sister, Ashley, had 15 points and 10 rebounds to help the Sooners (26-3, 14-1 Big 12) overcome 23 turnovers.

After the Sooners trailed at halftime at home for only the second time this season, Robinson scored the final six points in a 10-0 surge that pushed Oklahoma ahead to stay. Her last two points came on a pair of free throws following a technical foul called against Kierra Mallard during a scrum for a loose ball, and that made it 38-30 with 16:09 to play.

Mallard and Dominic Seals led Texas Tech (15-14, 5-10) with 11 points apiece, and Maria Moore scored 10.

The Lady Raiders, needing an impressive win to bolster their NCAA tournament resume, got as close as 40-38 on Moore's 3-pointer before Oklahoma scored the next seven points.

The Sooners continued a disturbing trend, though, with postseason play drawing near. In the three games since guard Whitney Hand broke a finger on her left hand, Oklahoma has had two of its three highest turnover totals of the season.

It's the primary shortcoming that dogged the Sooners last season, and eventually helped cause their early demise in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Nyeshia Stevenson, who replaced Hand in the starting lineup, turned it over five times and went 2-for-8 from the field before sitting the final 15 minutes of the game. But she was hardly alone. Robinson, the starting point guard, had four turnovers and three other players had three apiece.

Fortunately for Oklahoma, the Lady Raiders were even less efficient with the ball. They turned it over 24 times and had only 15 baskets.

Red and white balloons dropped from the ceiling as the Sooners were presented with their sixth Big 12 championship trophy immediately after the game and before a ceremony to honor the Paris twins and fellow senior Carolyn Winchester.