Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
Oklahoma
Lady Raiders Upended By No. 23 Oklahoma
February 25, 2004 | Women's Basketball
Feb 25, 2004
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - Sherri Coale and Oklahoma have won a lot of games and earned plenty of respect in the Big 12 over the past few seasons.
There's been an NCAA championship game appearance in 2002, three consecutive Big 12 regular-season titles and a league tournament championship.
Coale's goals are a bit more modest this year: a season sweep of longtime national power Texas Tech will do just fine.
"That earns you some stripes," the Sooners' coach said after No. 23 Oklahoma beat the eighth-ranked Lady Raiders 64-53 on Wednesday night.
The Sooners (18-7, 8-6 Big 12), who have won five of their last six games, swept the season series with the Lady Raiders. Oklahoma beat Texas Tech 68-62 in Lubbock on Feb. 10.
It was the Sooners' third sweep of the Lady Raiders in the past four years.
Point guard Dionnah Jackson matched a career high with 23 points to lead Oklahoma. Caton Hill had 11 points and seven rebounds and Maria Villarroel added 12 rebounds and seven points.
Texas Tech (23-5, 9-5), coming off a 73-68 upset of then-No. 1 Texas on Sunday, shot just 31 percent.
The Lady Raiders' depth has been depleted by the loss of starting center Cisti Greenwalt to a broken ankle last week and star guard Jia Perkins to undisclosed medical reasons last month.
Tech only got eight points from its bench in Wednesday night's loss.
"I think the challenge for this group is to grow up and handle success and failure both, and figure out you have to have a certain mentality every time," Tech coach Marsha Sharp said, "
Freshman guard Alesha Robertson led the Lady Raiders against the Sooners with 12 points.
Texas Tech led 24-23 at the break, but the Sooners opened the second half with a 6-0 run en route to a 12-point lead.
The Lady Raiders shot just 28 percent in the second half and trailed by double digits for much of the game's final minutes.
Trailing by 10 points with 1:25 to play, the Red Raiders were forced to foul and sent Jackson to the line eight times. She made six of them to seal the win.
"(Jackson has) been phenomenal," Coale said. "She has been the steadiest performer on our team. Night in and night out you can count on her."
