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WBB: Oklahoma Set Records, Cruises to Easy Win Over Oral Roberts

Sooners roared to a huge lead early as everyone got in on the scoring, then hung on to a comfortable victory down the stretch.

John E. Hoover

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Oklahoma wasted no time getting the 2022-23 basketball season started on the right note.

The Sooners roared to a record-setting first half against Oral Roberts, then held on to a 105-95 victory Monday at Lloyd Noble Center.

The No. 15-ranked Sooners set program records for points in a quarter (38) and assists in a half (19) as OU (1-0) put five players in double-figure scoring.

“What a great first half,” second-year coach Jennie Baranczyk said. “Honestly there were some great lessons for us, but really there is some really great basketball in the state of Oklahoma. We knew that Oral Roberts would come in and play hard. We've got to play a lot better in the second half, but I am really pleased with the balanced scoring. We're going to be a really fun team.”

Super senior Madi Williams led the way offensively with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting while senior Skylar Vann poured in 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting and posted a team-high eight rebounds.

Ana Llanusa returned from injury to score 13 points. Taylor Robertson and Nevaeh Tot also scored 13 each.

The Sooners opened with the best offensive quarter in the history of the program.

Oklahoma used a 14-0 run to stake a 20-5 lead, shot 59 percent from the floor in the opening quarter and led 38-17 after one.

The school-record 19 first-half assists pushed the Sooners to a 68-37 lead at the break.

Oklahoma plays again Friday at 10:30 a.m. against SMU (1-0) in the annual Sooner Junior Kids Field Trip Day. The game will air on ESPN+.

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.