OSU women's basketball notebook

Published: February 21, 2008

Junior forward Shaunte Smith, one of only two holdovers from coach Kurt Budke's first season, has played well the past month. Smith scored 14 points and grabbed 17 rebounds against Texas. Smith has averaged 13.8 points and 11.0 rebounds the past six games.

"Coach (Kurt Budke) gave us a talk a while back on how we need to help Andrea (Riley) a little more,” said Smith, a former Putnam City North standout. "I'm trying to do whatever I can to help the team out and go to the boards more. I'm also looking to score a little more.When I get a rebound I just need to go back up with it. "

•Money shot: Lonnie Brickman, a 1999 OSU graduate who lives in Stillwater, collected $10,000 when he made all four shots during a halftime contest. Brickman swished a layup, free throw, 3-pointer and half-court shot.

Trooper Taylor, football coach Mike Gundy's new co-offensive coordinator, joked he should get half since it was his birthday. Turns out, Brickman's wife, Cristen, also was celebrating her birthday.

•Milestone win: Budke recorded his 400th career win. Budke was 273-31 in nine junior college seasons and 80-16 over three seasons at Louisiana Tech. Budke is 47-37 at OSU and is 400-84 during his 15-year career.

•First impression: First-year Texas coach Gail Goestenkors made 13 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances at Duke, which plays in the rugged ACC. This year, the Big 12, her new conference, is ranked No. 1 in RPI by College Basketball News, collegerpi.com and Sagarin.

"This year, the Big 12 is definitely the best conference in the country,” Goestenkors said. "Some leagues are top heavy. This league, top to bottom, has always been one of the best. The depth really sets this league apart.”

•Rare slump: Sophomore point guard Riley is shooting 31.7 percent from the field over the past five games. Against Texas, Riley was 6-of-21 from the field. Riley finished with a game-high 21 points by going 9-of-11 from the line.

By Mike Baldwin

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