UW-Milwaukee Falls to #25 Oklahoma in Preseason Women's NIT

Nov. 12, 2005

Box Score

NORMAN, Okla. -- Courtney Paris scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the University of Oklahoma claimed an 89-57 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Friday night in the first round of the Preseason WNIT.


The 25th-ranked Sooners scored the first 11 points of the game and never looked back in advancing to a second round Preseason WNIT contest Sunday against Southern Methodist University.


Freshman Turquoise McCain led Milwaukee with 14 points, while Nichole Drummond added 12.


The Panthers found the going tough all night long against the taller Sooners, as the highly-touted freshmen duo of Courtney and Ashley Paris lived up to their advance billing. Courtney Paris did her damage in just 20 minutes of action, while Ashley Paris added eight points and seven rebounds of her own. Plus, the Sooners held a 45-31 advantage in rebounding while forcing 22 Panther turnovers.


After UWM weathered the initial 11-0 surge by Oklahoma, the Panthers pulled within 18-10 on a Drummond jumper with 10:35 left. But, the Sooners scored the next eight points to lead 26-10 with 8:16 left and UWM would get no closer than 14 points the rest of the way.


Oklahoma had its lead up to 43-18 late in the first half on back-to-back threes by Laura Andrews and then Courtney Paris scored the Sooners' first 10 points of the second half to give OU a 53-27 lead with 15:38 remaining in the game.


From there, UWM could get no closer than 24 points and Oklahoma led by as many as 34 points in the final seven minutes of the game.


Along with the strong inside play from the Paris sisters, the Sooners got 11 points from Andrews and 10 points and eight rebounds from Preseason All-Big 12 selection Leah Rush. The Sooners shot 52.1 percent from the field for the game while limiting the Panthers to just 35.4 percent shooting.