OU women's basketball

Thursday, October 25th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Irving, Texas-AP) -- Oklahoma basketball coach Sherri Coale hopes last year's Big 12 player of the year Stacey Dales will lead OU back to San Antonio for her final collegiate game.

San Antonio will host the NCAA Final Four in March, not far from the arena where Dales tore a knee ligament during her first basketball game for Oklahoma. The injury ended her freshman season and provoked thoughts of returning to her native Canada.

Oklahoma, picked this year to defend its Big 12 championship title in a pre-season conference coaches' poll, is working toward that return trip. The Sooners lost to Washington in the third round of last year's NCAA tournament.

Dales and Coale were among Big 12 coaches and players who discussed their championship hopes yesterday at the Big 12 Women's Media Day in Irving.