Sooner than later

Oklahoma routs Colorado for Big 12's first Final Four spot

BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- Five years ago, Oklahoma head coach Sherri Coale could offer recruits little beyond a down-and-out program and a sparkling vision that was more sunshine than substance.

Stacey Dales and LaNeishea Caufield bought into it, and now they're all going together to the Final Four.

Caufield scored 25 points and Dales had 20 points and nine assists as top-seeded Oklahoma rolled past No. 3 Colorado 94-60 Monday night in the West Regional final, sending the Sooners to San Antonio.

"These guys bought into a vision. They bought what I was selling," said Coale, who went 5-22 in her first season as coach in 1996-97. "And we're not finished. We've got a lot more work to do."

Caufield shot 5-for-5 from 3-point range in the second half and scored 14 points during a 32-6 burst that guaranteed Oklahoma (31-3) of becoming the first Big 12 team ever to reach the Final Four.

Jamie Talbert and Rosalind Ross each scored 12 for Oklahoma, which lost in the NCAA tournament's third round the past two years. Coale has won three consecutive Big 12 titles but now has the Final Four she always believed she'd get.

"I'm speechless,' said Coale, in her sixth season. "I have thought about this for six years, and I know what I was going to say. Now, I have no idea."

As the clock went under 1 minute, Oklahoma fans chanted, "Final Four, Final Four." Players put on their championship T-shirts and hats as Colorado's Virginie Delepine shot free throws at the other end of the floor.

"I'm thrilled to be going to the Final Four," Dales said. "I'm savoring tonight."

Oklahoma will play Duke in Friday's national semifinals. The Blue Devils advanced by winning the East Regional, 77-68 against South Carolina.

Eisha Bohman led Colorado (24-10) with 18 points but the Buffaloes committed 29 turnovers, 15 above their season average.

"The defensive pressure and their physical strength really affected us," said Colorado head coach Ceal Barry. "It's been a long time since we've had 29 turnovers, and that was the difference."

Dales was named regional most valuable player and was joined on the all-tournament team by Caufield and teammate Caton Hill.

The Buffaloes trailed 37-33 at halftime and used their superior size to hang with Oklahoma early in the second half. Colorado was within 46-42 on Tera Bjorkland's three-point play with 15:35 to go.

But that's when Caufield took aim from the right side and the Sooners simply flattened the Buffaloes, who couldn't hold back the flood gates despite a series of timeouts by Barry.

"We just started to get lost in the game," Caufield said.

The Sooners will join the Oklahoma men's team in the Final Four.

It was another huge night for Oklahoma's small and spunky head coach. Coale, who stands 5-foot-5, won two state titles in seven years at Norman High School before taking over the Sooners.

After her early struggles, Coale built Oklahoma into a national contender. Even more remarkable, considering the program was dropped in 1990 until coaches led a national protest that led to its reinstatement eight days later.

"It's a sign of a lot of hard work and a lot of hours in the gym," Dales said. "Just to be associated with this program and these people is better than winning this game."

Oklahoma beat Colorado for the fifth consecutive time, overwhelming the Buffs with a fastbreak offense that never stopped, not even when Coale cleared the bench with 4:09 to play.

The starters left to a standing ovation from Oklahoma fans.

The Buffaloes wore the letters "SNR" on their left hands, short for "Still No Respect." They've complained of being overlooked by the news media and had "NR" for "No Respect" written on their hands when they beat Stanford on Saturday.

That approach worked for a while.

With Bohman hitting midrange jumpers, the pesky Buffaloes -- in the regional finals for the third time in nine seasons -- trailed 37-33 at halftime and hung with the Sooners early in the second half.

That's when Dales started directing the attack and Caufield connected from long range twice during a 16-0 burst. Hill added a bucket, Dionnah Jackson converted a steal into a layup and Oklahoma never looked back.

"Dales was the difference," Barry said. "She is the most difficult player for us to match up with physically. If you can control Dales a little bit, then you can impact the rest of the team."

The Oklahoma bench got louder with every basket, and it was pandemonium for the Sooners and their fans when Rosalind Ross hit a 3-pointer for a 66-45 lead with 8:34 remaining.

The advantage continued to swell, reaching 82-51 with 4:51 to play when Caufield made a steal, tossed the ball to Dales, who finished the break with a dish to Jackson for a layup.

"The whole difference was the 29 turnovers," Bohman said. "They'd get these wide open looks and they started knocking them down."

 

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