There was a lot of hype around Raegan Beers’ in addition to this team, and on merit, but a sophomore Sahara Williams stole the show on opening night.

Last week at Media Day, Baranczyk praised the work Williams has done to take a step forward this offseason.

As a freshman, she averaged 10.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

Williams was more active and looked comfortable on offense in the opener.

She led all scorers with 12 points at halftime and finished the contest with 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting.

Williams also appeared to work on her 3-point shooting in the offseason as well.

She shot 20 percent from deep a year ago on 2.1 attempts per game, but Williams got the green light Monday night. The sophomore finished 1-for-6 from deep, but was confident every time she let the ball fly beyond the arc.

“I think Jennie and I put a lot of time into feeling confident and comfortable around the arc and letting it fly,” Williams said after the game, “because it’s going to expand the game. Play in our system. … It’s really just about being confident in it and just repeating it and feeling comfortable.”

Oklahoma fans had to wait a few minutes for the ball to find Baranczyk’s impact carry.

Beers had one bucket in the first seven minutes, though she was doing plenty on the defensive end of the floor, but as the first quarter wound down, she showed all she can be in a Sooner uniform.

First, Beers sealed his defender, allowing Lexy Keys to throw a smooth inbounds pass. Working on the left block, Beers dropped his shoulder, spun into the lane and kissed a layup off the glass for two easy points — the kind of post offense that wasn’t prevalent in Baranczyk’s first three years in Norman.

Then, after pulling down a board from the other end, Beers got the ball at the 3-point line, dribbled twice and pulled up from the base of the SEC logo in the paint, sinking another bucket.

“Obviously we had a very rough start. Missed layup, turnover,” Beers said. “… But the moment that — every time that happened, there was someone next to me saying, ‘Hey, you’re good.’ … And that’s what helps eliminate those jitters, and that’s what helped today.”

Even though it took some time for Beers and the entire team to get going offensively, Baranczyk was pleased with the energy OU brought to the other end of the floor, and much of that started with Beers anchoring the defense.

“Raegan does a phenomenal job of understanding angles and paint protection and helping us out, and we need that,” Baranczyk said.

“(She’s) definitely an inside presence offensively and defensively,” Williams said. “Having to adjust with her was great. … Having her presence defensively was incredible.”

Beers finished with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting while also adding 14 rebounds and an assist. Her 11 field goal attempts improved her average of 10.7 field goal attempts per game from a year ago, despite not playing for a majority of the fourth quarter, which was only a confirmation that he will get more chances in OU’s rushing attack.

She really excelled in the second half, adding nine points in the third quarter of the win.

Skylar Vann didn’t disappoint in her season debut as last year’s Big 12 Co-Player of the Year had 12 points and seven rebounds against Southern.

But she was Vann’s younger sister, Zya Vannthat turned heads.

Zya Vann was one of Baranczyk’s first options off the bench, and the 5-foot-9 guard was a pest defensively.

She combined steady on-ball defense with comfort on the other end of the floor as she dished out two assists in her first official action as a Sooner, finishing with four points.

“Zya can play,” Baranczyk said. “I mean, she can play and she’s shown that in practice. He has a great feel for the game and doesn’t have to think too much about the game because he plays with so much experience.”

WATCH Payton Verhulst added four points, nine rebounds and four assists and Liz Scott finished the night with six points, three rebounds and an assist in his return to action after spending last year on the sidelines with an injury.

Oklahoma will next host Virginia on Friday at 8 p.m