Oklahoma Sooners beat Idaho 89-59 in NCAA tournament opener

The Oklahoma Sooners opened the 2026 Women's NCAA tournament with a resounding 89-59 win over Idaho to advance. Four different Sooners scored in double figures, led by All-American Raegan Beers, who had 18. Beers was 6 of 9 from the field and had 10 rebounds for her 21st double-double of the season.

and Sahara Williams, who had 17. Williams had 13 points in the first half on 5 of 8 shooting and was 3 of 3 from beyond the arc. Payton Verhulst had 12 of her 14 points in the first 20 minutes.

In her NCAA tournament debut, Aaliyah Chavez scored 15 on 6 of 14 shooting, and she was 1 of 6 from three. Oklahoma opened the game with a 27-19 first quarter, led by seven points apiece from Verhulst and Beers. The Sooners expanded their lead with a 30-point second quarter, where they shot 67% from the field, led by Williams 10 points.

In the third, the Sooners held the Vandals to three points on 1 of 18 shooting from the field. It was an impressive defensive performance. OU had four steals and three blocks.