Women's Hoops Blog

Inane commentary on a game that deserves far better


Monday, March 26, 2007

Ole Miss continued their impressive performance in the tournament with a 90-82 win over Oklahoma on Sunday in a very hot UD Arena.

The Rebels unleashed their style of basketball on a Sooner team that has not handled trapping, pressure defense well this year. But not even playing Texas A&M twice in the Big XII season could prepare OU for the attack by Ole Miss. "There are no clones, no other Armintie Prices in this world,” Ashley Awkward said. "So no, there's no team like us. And that's what we thrive on. We thrive on what we do and who we are.”

The Sooners eventually adjusted better to the Rebels style of play and got Courtney Paris going and were within two points with 6:40 remaining in the game. But the Rebels answered each Sooner run, often with a key offensive rebound.

Paris continued her amazing double double streak with 31 points and 20 rebounds, but the star of the day was Armintie Price. The senior topped her great performances of the first two rounds with her best game of the tournament - 31 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. She joins Cheryl Miller as only the second player in NCAA history to tally 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 400 assists and 400 steals in her career.

Next up for the Rebels is a Tennessee team that they have lost to 13 times straight. But they may have a plan. "I hope they turn it up 5 more degrees," Awkward said. "So that we're sweating puddles (Tuesday)."