Women's Hoops Fall To Oklahoma, 84-69, In Big 12 Final
March 9, 2002
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Stacey Dales scored 25 points as fourth-ranked Oklahoma defeated No. 7 Baylor 84-69 Saturday night for its first Big 12 Conference tournament championship and an NCAA berth.
Oklahoma (27-3) fell behind early, but took control before halftime. The Lady Bears (26-5), who got 23 points from Danielle Crockrom, never recovered.
Oklahoma, the regular-season champion, forced 23 turnovers and beat Baylor for the ninth straight time.
Oklahoma stymied Baylor in the opening minutes to take a 6-2 lead. The Lady Bears shot 1-of-9 in the first five minutes. Then they couldn't miss. They hit on nine straight shots and built a 23-14 lead with 10:50 remaining in the half.
But Rosalind Ross hit a 3-pointer to cap a 13-4 run that tied it at 27 with five minutes left. Ross scored another five points during the Sooners' charge to a 41-29 halftime lead.
Dales hit consecutive 3-pointers to start the second half, and Oklahoma went up by as many as 19 points. Baylor, which had won eight straight games, never got within 12 points thereafter.
Dales, the tournament's MVP, added 11 rebounds. Ross had 16 points, LaNeishea Caufield 15, Caton Hill 12 and Dionnah Jackson had 11 for the Sooners.
Sheila Lambert added 15 points for the Bears.
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