Tulsa Women's Basketball to Host 2002 Bertha Teague Classic
11/21/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 21, 2002
Tulsa, Oklahoma - The University of Tulsa women's basketball team will serve as the host institution for the 2002 Bertha Teague Classic. The two-day event will take place Nov. 22-23, at the Donald W. Reynolds Center. Ticket prices are $12 for reserved seating, $8 for adult general admission and $4 for children general admission.
For the fourth straight season, the Golden Hurricane will participate in the Classic. However, this year marks the first time TU as served as the host site. The all-Oklahoma field is comprised of Oral Roberts, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Tulsa.
On Friday, Nov. 22, Oral Roberts will battle Oklahoma State at 6:00 p.m. followed by Tulsa and No. 22 ranked Oklahoma at 8:00 p.m., or 20 minutes following the conclusion of the first game. On Saturday, Nov. 23, ORU will take on Oklahoma at 6:00 p.m., while Tulsa and Oklahoma State take the court at 8:00 p.m. or 20 minutes following the end of the first game.
Tulsa is 1-1 this season after splitting its first two games in the Preseason WNIT. TU defeated Southwest Missouri State, 81-80, in the season opener before falling at No. 24 Mississippi State, 92-66. Tulsa enters the weekend averaging 73.5 points and 28.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 45.8 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from behind the three-point line and 69.2 percent from the free-throw line. Senior All-America candidate Allison Curtin leads TU in scoring (25.5), rebounds (5.0), steals (5.0) and is tied with Alyssa Shriver for blocked shots (1.5).
Except for a 58-53 loss to Tulsa during the 1976-77 campaign, Oklahoma has dominated the series with TU by a 20-1 advantage. The Sooners last played in Tulsa during the 1986-87 campaign, a span of nearly 15 years, and has a record of 8-0 against TU in Tulsa.
Oklahoma, then the19th-ranked team in the nation, opened the 2002-03 season with a 94-68 loss to second-ranked Tennessee on Nov. 10, 2002, in Knoxville, Tenn. Senior transfer Theresa Schuknecht led OU with 27 points, while classmate Caton Hill grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds. Oklahoma shot 31.4 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from behind the arc and 68.9 percent from the charity stripe. However, the Sooners did outrebound the Vols, 44-41. Oklahoma is coming off a 32-4 season in 2001-02, which culminated in a loss in the national championship game to Connecticut, 82-70. OU Head Coach Sherri Coale is in her seventh season and has a career record of 113-74.
Oral Roberts (0-0) features nine freshmen on a roster of 16 players and the Golden Eagles were picked to finish fourth in the Mid-Continent Conference, but received 2 first place votes. Cori Williston is a preseason first-team all-MCC selection. ORU completed the 2001-02 season with a 13-16 overall record. The Golden Eagles are 20-12 against Oklahoma State and 14-18 vs. Oklahoma.
Oklahoma State (0-0) was 16-15 a year ago and enters the 2002-03 season under the leadership of first-year Head Coach Julie Goodenough. The Cowgirls return four letterwinners, including three starters this season. The Cowgirls are 16-2 vs. Tulsa and have won two out of the last three meetings
Bertha Frank Teague, the namesake of the Classic, is the most celebrated female figure in Oklahoma sports history. In her 43 years of coaching (1927-69) at Byng High School, she compiled a 90 percent winning average with a win-loss record of 1,157-115. Her record included eight state championships, and at one time, a 98-game winning streak.
Bertha Frank Teague Awards o Coach of the Year 1967, 1969 o Oklahoma Girls' Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame 1972 o Special Service Award given by the Men's Coaches' Association of Oklahoma, 1975 o National Federation of State High Schools Hall of Fame, first woman inducted, 1983 o Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame, 1985 o Naismith National Basketball Hall of Fame, 1985 o Given special recognition at the Olympic Festival, 1989 Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame, 1989 o Received the Coaches Association Service Award at the Final Four, 1990 o Inducted into the inaugural class of the 1999 Women's Basketball Hall of FameFor ticket information, please call (918) 631-GoTU (4688)
