Published: March 23, 2008 11:32 pm         

OU women hold off late rally to record 69-61 win in first round

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Fourth-seeded Oklahoma started the second half with a 13-0 run, then held off a late rally to beat No. 13 seed Illinois State 69-61 in the first round of the Oklahoma City regional Sunday.

Courtney Paris had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Sooners to extend her double-double streak to 91 consecutive games. Ashley Paris scored 13 points for Oklahoma, which escaped the upset bid to snap a three-game losing streak.

Kristi Cirone led Illinois State (26-7) with 22 points. The Redbirds had won four straight, including three to win the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.

Oklahoma (22-8) advanced to play Notre Dame on Tuesday.

Illinois State dropped to 1-5 in NCAA tournament play.

The Redbirds led for much of the first half, but Oklahoma’s Amanda Thompson hit a long 2-point jumper in the closing seconds to give the Sooners a 31-29 lead at the break.

The Sooners shot just 38 percent in the first half, but forced 13 turnovers to stay in the game. There were five ties and eight lead changes in the first 20 minutes.

The Paris twins each scored a basket early in the second half to give the Sooners a 35-29 lead and force the Redbirds to call timeout.

Courtney Paris scored again, then Thompson blocked a 3-pointer, got the rebound and went in for a layup that gave Oklahoma a 39-29 lead. A layup by Danielle Robinson made it a 12-point advantage and forced another Illinois State timeout.

Shala Jackson’s layup with 15:26 to play accounted for Illinois State’s first points of the second half.

Illinois State rallied late. A 3-point play by Tiffany Hudson made it 61-57 with 2:43 to go, and Hudson made the second of two free throws to make it 61-58 with just over two minutes left.

Oklahoma guard Jenna Plumley hit 4 of 4 free throws in the final minute to keep Oklahoma in control.