• Recap
• Bleachers

Price, press lead Mississippi over Oklahoma

Mar 25, 2007 - 10:33 PM DAYTON, Ohio (Ticker) -- Courtney Paris has been a dominating presence since the day she stepped on a collegiate court. Armintie Price and Mississippi used a full-court press to continue Paris' struggles in the NCAA Tournament.

Price scored 31 points and Ashley Awkward added 25 as seventh-seeded Mississippi took advantage of a slew of turnovers to shock third-seeded Oklahoma, 90-82, in the Dayton Region semifinal.

Alliesha Easley chipped in 12 points for the Lady Rebels (24-10), who advanced to their fifth appearance in a regional final. They will face Southeastern Conference rival Tennessee, which beat Marist, on Tuesday.

Mississippi dropped the only previous meeting with Tennessee, 81-69, on the road on February 15.

The Lady Rebels were able to overcame the 31 points and 20 rebounds from the 6-4 Paris by turning up the tempo of the game. With a full-court press, they grabbed 16 steals and forced 26 turnovers, converting those giveaways into 29 points.

Price also had 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals for Mississippi, which overcame 38 percent (28-of-74) shooting by holding a 22-13 advantage in fastbreak points.

Paris, who extended her streak of consecutive double-doubles to 61 games, shot 14-of-24 from the field and pulled down eight offensive boards.

Chelsi Welch and Britney Brown had 11 points apiece for the Sooners (28-5), who dropped to 2-2 in the NCAA Tournament over the past two years despite a 45-17 overall record in that span. Last season, eighth-seeded Oklahoma lost in the first round to Arizona.