Sooners look forward to playing UConn again

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- Nothing is about to dim the excitement of Oklahoma's first trip to the regional semifinals of the NCAA women's basketball tournament. Not even another meeting with top-ranked

Wednesday, March 22nd 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- Nothing is about to dim the excitement of Oklahoma's first trip to the regional semifinals of the NCAA women's basketball tournament. Not even another meeting with top-ranked Connecticut.

"It kind of hit me this morning that we're still playing," guard Stacey Dales said Tuesday. "I went to class this morning pretty proud of what we've done. Hopefully, we'll get a little respect now. Going to the Sweet 16 is such an accomplishment for us and we've worked hard for it."

The Sooners (25-7) advanced to the East Regional semifinals in Richmond, Va., by beating defending national champion Purdue 76-74 on Monday night. Oklahoma, playing on Purdue's home floor, trailed by 17 in the first half and by 13 with 11 minutes remaining before rallying.

"I'm still a little stunned, not only due to the fact that we're going to the Sweet 16, but also by the way we won the game," coach Sherri Coale said. "We are thrilled to still be playing. We're one of 16 teams in America who have practice today and a game this weekend."

Oklahoma has been to the NCAA tournament two other times, mos trecently in 1995. The Sooners lost in the second round each of those years.

This team stumbled somewhat heading into the tournament. After tying for first place during the Big 12 regular season, the Sooners lost to Texas in their opening game of the conference tournament.

But they beat Brigham Young in the first round of the East Regional and followed that with the gutsy victory Monday.

"We are a wiser team than the one that went to Kansas City and lost to Texas," Coale said. "That might have been the best thing that every happened to us, because I don't think we would have beaten Purdue had we not endured the loss to Texas. "That's why you play games, to find out what you're not very good at. Then you go home and fix it."

UConn (32-1) has coasted through the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, winning its opener by 71 points and its second-round game by 38. The Huskies have two first-team All-America selections in Shea Ralph and Svetlana Abrosimova.

One of UConn's 32 victories came against Oklahoma in Norman, 84-68 in December. But Coale said that experience should benefit her team.

"They're very good basketball players and they're anexceptional team, but they're human," she said. "I don't know that we would understand that if we hadn't been on the floor with them already."