Sahara Williams put together one of the finest all-around performances in program history Friday morning, recording the fifth triple-double in Oklahoma history as the No. 14 Sooners overwhelmed Oral Roberts before a Field Trip Day record crowd of 9,361 at Lloyd Noble Center. With more than 8,000 students in the building, Oklahoma moved to 4-0 and dropped the Golden Eagles to 2-3. The Sooners have now scored at least 90 points in each of their first four games for just the second time in program history, behind only the six-game streak that opened the 1989-90 season.
The senior from Waterloo, Iowa, finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists, and she added five steals to go with six offensive boards. Williams became the second Sooner under head coach Jennie Baranczyk to reach a triple-double, joining Payton Verhulst, who did it against Duke in 2024. Because Verhulst’s came in an overtime loss, Williams’ effort was Oklahoma’s first triple-double in a regulation game since Courtney Paris did it against Texas Tech on March 1, 2006. The moment that sealed it came late, when Williams found Jordan Speiser for a 3-pointer, her 10th assist of the day.
Oklahoma took control right away. LeeLee Bell knocked down a 3-pointer off a Williams assist on the opening possession, and Williams and Brooklyn Stewart followed with triples of their own as the Sooners jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the first two minutes. Oklahoma kept pressing, turning steals into easy baskets during a 14-0 run, and closed the first quarter ahead 26-14.
The second quarter looked much the same. The Sooners kept attacking the glass and getting out in transition, outscoring the Golden Eagles 25-13 in the period and taking a commanding lead into the locker room, 51-27.
Oral Roberts played Oklahoma close in the third, but the Sooners still won the quarter 16-14 to stretch the lead, 67-41. Oklahoma then put the game away with a 26-21 fourth quarter, pushing the margin to as many as 34 points with 6:28 remaining on the way to the final, 93-62.
The story of the game was on the boards. Oklahoma pulled down 66 rebounds, the fourth-most in program history, and outrebounded Oral Roberts by 23. The Sooners grabbed a school-record 34 offensive rebounds, breaking the mark of 30 they set Tuesday against San Jose State, which had ranked third in program history. That work on the offensive glass translated into a 29-0 advantage in second-chance points, the first time an Oklahoma opponent failed to score a second-chance point since Kansas on Jan. 27, 2024. OU has now opened the season with four straight games of 50 or more rebounds, two shy of the program-record six-game streak set last season, and has posted back-to-back 60-plus rebound games for the second time in as many seasons.
Four Sooners finished in double figures on the boards for the first time since at least 2009. Sa’Myah Smith led the way with 13, Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu added 12 rebounds, eight of them offensive, Bell grabbed 11 and Williams finished with 10.
Bell continued her remarkable start to her college career with 16 points and 11 rebounds for her third consecutive double-double. The freshman from Minot, N.D., became the first Oklahoma freshman since Paris to record three straight double-doubles, and her three double-doubles through four games are tied for the most in the nation. She added six offensive rebounds of her own.
Stewart matched her career high for the second straight game, scoring 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting in just 18 minutes. The sophomore forward, who set the mark Tuesday against San Jose State, also chipped in four rebounds and three blocks. Speiser, a sophomore transfer, hit five of her 10 attempts from beyond the arc to finish with a season-high 15 points.
The Sooners’ ball movement was on display again as well. Oklahoma entered Friday ranked fourth nationally at 24.0 assists per game and finished with 25 against the Golden Eagles. Since Baranczyk arrived in 2021, Oklahoma has recorded 38 games with at least 25 assists, the second-most in the country, and its rate of reaching that mark in 22 percent of its games is the highest nationally. The Sooners were just as active on the other end, recording a season-high 16 steals, their most in a game since collecting 21 against North Carolina Central last season.
Gentry Baldwin led Oral Roberts with 16 points, and Kayten Donley added 12.
The win extended Oklahoma’s streak against unranked opponents to 35 games, including 22 straight home wins over unranked non-conference opponents. The Sooners are 39-3 against non-conference opponents at Lloyd Noble Center under Baranczyk and have won 10 consecutive November games dating back to last season. Oklahoma has also won 25 straight games when leading at halftime, improved to 94-6 under Baranczyk when scoring at least 80 points, and is 76-3 since the start of the 2021-22 season when holding opponents under 70.
The Sooners return to Lloyd Noble Center on Sunday for their fourth game in eight days when they host Southern at 1 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.
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