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BOISE, Idaho (Ticker) -- It is hard to believe that Oklahoma's women's basketball program was extinct nearly 12 years ago. LaNeishea Caufield 25 points and Stacey Dales added 20 as the top-seeded Sooners became the first Big 12 Conference school to reach the Final Four with a 94-60 rout of No. 3 Colorado in the West Region. The Sooners were dropped from Oklahoma's athletic department in 1990 before a protest by coaches led to the resurrection of the program just over a week later. Sherri Coale took over as coach in 1996 and quickly has built the team into a national powerhouse. After three straight Big 12 Conference titles and a pair of losses in the "Sweet 16" the last two seasons, the Sooners have given the league more credibility with their first trip to the national semifinals. Oklahoma will face Duke, the top seed in the East Region, in the Final Four on Friday in San Antonio. Colorado had a 46-42 lead after Tera Bjorklund converted a three-point play with 15:35 remaining, but Oklahoma (31-3) responded with an overwhelming 32-6 run. Caufield scored 14 points during the burst, which gave the Sooners a commanding 74-52 cushion. Caufield made 5-of-5 shots over the final 20 minutes, helping Oklahoma shoot 69 percent (20-of-29) after halftime. Dales dished out nine assists and Jamie Talbert and Rosalind Ross scored 12 points apiece for the Sooners, who finished at 55 percent (34-of-62), made 9-of-21 3-pointers and 17-of-20 free throws. Oklahoma recorded 23 assists compared to five for Colorado (24-10) and scored 37 points off 29 turnovers. Eisha Bohman scored 18 points and Bjorklund 11 as the Buffaloes suffered their fifth straight loss to the Sooners. |
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