University of Missouri
Oklahoma
Paris Twins Send Tigers Home With 75-54 Win
3/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 9, 2006
DALLAS (AP) -- Junior guard Tiffany Brooks (Leavenworth, Kan. / Leavenworth HS / Kansas State) led all scorers with 24 points, yet freshman twins Courtney and Ashley Paris were too much to handle as No. 1 seed Oklahoma registered at 75-54 win in Thursday's first semifinal of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Championship at Reunion Arena.
The loss eliminates the fourth-seeded Tigers (21-9) from the tournament after reaching their first-ever Big 12 semifinal, while the Sooners (28-4) advance to face the winner of the Baylor/Texas A&M semi.
Brooks was 11-of-21 from the field, and hit both of her free throws, yet was the only Tiger with more than two field goals. Courtney Paris, who owns the NCAA single-season rebounds and blocks records for a freshman, had 17 points and 10 rebounds to notch her 24th straight double-double, and 29th overall. Ashley Paris added 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while Erin Higgins and Chelsi Welch chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively.
"Obviously (OU was) hitting on all cylinders early, and I think that's a lot of credit to them. I think they are an outstanding team. I think that they showed why they won the Conference," Head Coach Cindy Stein said. "But I'm very proud of our team. ... We were missing a lot of open shots, but I thought our kids came out the second half and gave everything they could and really worked hard. We'll be okay. I mean, obviously, sometimes you have one of these days where things are not going your way and that was today for us. But this team has accomplished a lot. I don't think that we should forget that, and you know, I think the main thing for us is to get ready for the NCAA Tournament."
Mizzou missed its first six shots of the game and committed three turnovers, while Oklahoma converted on half of its first 10 trips down the floor - including a pair of 3-pointers - to take an 11-0 lead with just 4 minutes, 39 seconds gone. Courtney Paris' second bucket extended the lead to 13 before Brooks hit a runner in the lane for the Tigers' first points at the 14:37 mark.
OU's Chelsi Welch, who had already hit her first 3-pointer, then banged home two more treys in the next two minutes to open up a 21-4 Sooner lead and force Mizzou's second timeout of the game. Oklahoma extended its lead to 21 (27-6) on a Paris bucket inside with 10:19 to go before Brooks scored eight of Mizzou's final 11 points of the half; the Sooners led, 46-17, at the break.
The Tigers made just seven of their 30 first-half field-goal attempts (23.3 percent), while OU was a solid 19-of-32 from the field (59.4 percent). Both senior guard LaToya Bond (Urbana, Ill. / Urbana HS) and junior forward Carlynn Savant (Euless, Texas / Trinity HS) were held scoreless in the opening 20 minutes; they finished with six and three points, respectively.
Mizzou more than doubled its scoring in the second half, and Brooks picked up right where she left the first half off, scoring Mizzou's first 10 points coming out of the locker room. She found the bucket in every manner, whether it came from a pair of runners in the lane, a nice feed from senior center Christelle N'Garsanet (Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire / Illinois Central College) for a layup, a pair of free-throws, or her signature mid-range jumper. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Oklahoma kept finding Paris inside, and she scored four baskets for the Sooners.
Following a Higgins 3-pointer, Mizzou rolled off a 10-2 run capped by a Bond 3-point play to trim the gap to 27 (63-36). The Tigers then traded buckets with Ashley Paris, who scored eight straight for the Sooners. Mizzou then closed the game with a 9-2 run for the final margin.
The Tigers will now await an at-large bid to the 2006 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship Tournament. The 64-team bracket will be unveiled live on Monday at 6 p.m. on ESPN. The team will watch the selection show from the SportsZone in the Holiday Inn Select.
