Sooners Headed to Sweet 16

The Oklahoma Sooners delivered a 60-44 win over the University of Arkansas-Little Rock to a packed crowd in the Lloyd Noble Center.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 11:35 am

By: News On 6

Originally Published: Mar 23, 2010 9:47 PM CDT

Stephany Speck
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

NORMAN, Oklahoma -- Oklahoma gave its home crowd something to cheer about Tuesday - establishing an early lead and dominating Arkansas-Little Rock 60-44. With the victory, the Sooners advance to the Sweet 16.

Oklahoma (24-10) knew it wouldn't be an easy road to Kansas City after getting a stiff test from South Dakota State in the first round. While UALR (27-6) was the 11th seed, head coach Sherri Coale had her team ready for the Trojans, who beat Georgia Tech in the first round for their first NCAA tournament victory.

“They know how to win,” Coale said. “It really doesn’t, at the end of the day, matter who you’re playing against. If you win and win and win, you expect to win.”

UALR struggled offensively, failing to hit any of their 15 three-point shots. Chastity Reed, the team’s leading scorer who averages 25 points per game, scored 20 points.

The Sooners took an early lead, and went into the half up 28-13 . Despite struggling from three-point range, the Sooners shot 50 percent from the field in the first half. They landed 87 percent of their shots at the charity line, while the Trojans struggled, hitting only 50 percent.

The Sooners’ starting seniors offered their fans a show Tuesday. Abi Olajuwon, who has silently and diligently practiced in the shadows of Courtney Paris in past years, got another opportunity to shine for Oklahoma.

Olajuwon earned her fifth double-double of the year in front of fans in the Lloyd Noble Center, with 19 points and 11 rebounds. She utilized her strong build to box out and hit the fad-away jump shots the Trojans struggled to defend.

Nyeshia Stevenson ended with 10 points, while teammate Danielle Robinson added 13 points and four steals.

The Sooners out-rebounded the Trojans, recording 35 rebounds by the end of the game.

In their 11th-consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament, the Sooners look to build on last season’s Final Four exit. Their next step is picking up a victory over No. 2 Notre Dame (29-5) in Kansas City on March 30.