No. 15 Oklahoma (1-0) defeated Oral Roberts 105-94 in its first game of the regular season on Monday in Norman.
Redshirt senior forward Madi Williams led the Sooners with 19 points while junior forward Skyler Vann logged a team-high eight rebounds.
OU dug deep into its bench to secure the win, as 13 of its 16 players received minutes.
Here are three takeaways from Oklahoma’s opening-night win:
Record-breaking start
The Sooners started hot Monday after some early offensive struggles to begin last Thursday’s exhibition win over Emporia State, breaking the school record for most points scored in a quarter with 38 in the first.
Williams scored OU’s first five points of the game, quickly grabbing four points in the paint. Williams scored seven of the Sooners’ 38 points in the first quarter.
Junior guard Aubrey Joens, an Iowa State transfer, added six points off the bench with a couple of 3-point makes and freshman forward Kiersten Johnson notched eight points off the bench, leading the Sooners in scoring to end the record-breaking first quarter.
“You can see in the first half that we’ve gotten a lot better,” said head coach Jennie Baranczyk. “We’ve got to extend it to the second half. We’re gonna be a fun team.”
𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐬𝐡.Nothing quite like setting a school record for points in a quarter in the first quarter of the season 🔥#Sooners x #ONE pic.twitter.com/rR67MIpbAO
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_WBBall) November 7, 2022
Super seniors strike
The Sooners’ three super seniors made a big impact against the Golden Eagles.
Guard Taylor Robertson made her presence felt by adding 13 points and five rebounds. Guard Ana Llanusa also had a strong showing in her return, totaling 13 points, four steals and two assists in the win.
OU’s three leaders scored 45 of the total 105 points.
“I would love to challenge any team in the country to have better senior leaders,” Baranczyk said. “They show up every day. They care about our freshmen. You don’t see a lot of super seniors bringing along young players, you see them separating and this program just doesn’t do that.”
𝐀𝐍𝐀. 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊‼️OU 12, ORU 5 | 7:45 1Q#Sooners x 📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/AnkkIyWpqn
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_WBBall) November 7, 2022
Sooners share ball
The Sooners also showcased their ability to distribute. Oklahoma dished 26 assists, including five by freshman guard Reyna Scott.
OU’s ability to share the ball compared to just 13 assists by ORU helped secure its first win of the season.
The Sooners’ 26 assists were just three shy of their team-high 29 assists last season.
“We played a lot of basketball together,” said redshirt senior forward Madi Williams. “We all have chemistry and we set each other up. We know what our strengths are, and we play to those strengths.”
That ball is movement is *chef's kiss* 🤌OU 72, ORU 48 | 6:09 3Q#Sooners | 📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/zDkejwbs14
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_WBBall) November 7, 2022
