No. 6 Oklahoma Escapes Against Iowa State, 67-64

Freshman Danielle Robinson scores career-high 23 points for Sooners

Jan. 9, 2008

AMES, Iowa (AP) - Freshman Danielle Robinson scored a career-high 23 points to lead No. 6 Oklahoma past Iowa State 67-64 on Wednesday night in a rematch of last season's Big 12 title game.

The Sooners (10-2, 1-0 Big 12) picked up their 10th straight win despite a subpar night from junior star Courtney Paris, who spent most of the second half on the bench because of foul trouble. Paris finished with 12 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks, but was just 4-for-11 from the field.

The Cyclones saw their home winning streak snapped at 15 games.

Down 10 with 4:46 left, Iowa State (11-3, 0-1) went on an 11-0 run to take a 61-60 lead. Amanda Nisleit tied the game with a 3, and freshman Kelsey Bolte gave the Cyclones the lead on a free throw with 54.5 seconds left.

But Paris, a 51 percent free-throw shooter, hit two from the line to give the Sooners a 62-61 lead. Iowa State turned the ball over on its next possession, and Jenna Plumley and Amanda Thompson hit free throws to make it 66-62.

Allison Lacey then hit a pair from the line to bring Iowa State within three, but her 3-point try at the buzzer rimmed out.

Bolte led Iowa State with a career-high 23 points.

The Cyclones took a 37-36 lead on a runner by Bolte, who scored 13 of Iowa State's first 21 points in the second half. Paris then picked up her fourth foul with 13:27 left and was forced to the bench for the stretch run.

Behind Ashley Paris - Courtney's twin sister - the Sooners didn't buckle. Paris keyed a 14-3 run with three inside scores to put Oklahoma ahead 55-46 with 6:46 to play. Robinson then followed a Plumley 3 with an underhanded layup to push Oklahoma's lead to 60-50.

Courtney Paris re-entered the game with 3:09 left, but she couldn't stop Iowa State from retaking the lead.

This was the second straight impressive outing for Robinson, who had 20 points in a win over South Carolina on Dec. 30. She was 10-for-16 from the floor against the Cyclones.

Nyeshia Stevenson made a 3 and a layup and Rose Hammond added a jumper to help give Oklahoma a 23-15 lead late in the opening half. The Sooners outrebounded the Cyclones 28-16 in the first half, with 18 of those coming from the Paris twins.

Courtney Paris picked up her 73rd straight double-double, though she scored below her season average for the fourth straight game. Paris had 23 points and 21 rebounds in Oklahoma's 67-60 win over Iowa State in the 2007 conference championship game.