Oklahoma Beats Fairleigh Dickinson Behind Strong Game From Transfer Guard

NORMAN - Oklahoma failed to put together a complete performance in any of its first three games.

And the Sooners didn't do that in their fourth game either.

OU's reliance on the three-ball and struggles in the paint continued against Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday. Still, the Sooners were able to pull away from their inferior competition, winning 74-58.

"A lot of good," OU coach Porter Moser said. "A lot of absolutely knowing that our ceiling is high. We have to keep reaching for it because we've got some things we have to continue to improve on."

Oklahoma improved to 3-1 with the win, while FDU dropped to 2-3.

Here are three takeaways from Friday's game:

Isaacs stands out

Transfer guard Pop Isaacs was OU's most efficient offensive player against the Knights.

He finished the contest with a game-high 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting. His 17 points are the most he has scored since arriving at OU, and he also logged five rebounds, three steals and two assists.

Of Isaacs' 10 field-goal attempts, nine were three-point attempts. He made five of them.

"(I'm) just trying to make the right play," Isaacs said. "I'm not trying to do too much. I don't think any of us are trying to do too much."

Before Friday, Isaacs was averaging 11 points, 4.3 assists and three rebounds per game.

Isaacs is playing his fifth college basketball season. He previously played for Texas Tech, Creighton and Texas A&M. He competed against the Sooners three times last year while playing for the Aggies.

Continued struggles down low

Once again, the Sooners didn't do much offensively near the basket.

Of the Sooners' 74 points, only 24 of them came in the paint. Even though the Sooners held significant advantages in both size and athleticism, OU and FDU each scored 24 points down low.

Individually, centers Duke Brennan and Kai Rogers both struggled to find any rhythm offensively. Brennan finished the game with eight points and went 3-of-8 from the floor. Rogers was held to zero points on 0-of-2 shooting in his 18 minutes on the floor.

The Sooners are eagerly awaiting forward Tae Davis' return.

Davis, who played for the Sooners in 2025-26, is seeking a fifth year of eligibility. He filed a motion against the NCAA for a temporary restraining order and will be present at the Cleveland County Courthouse on Dec. 1. Last year, Davis averaged 10.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game and started in all 37 of OU's games.

The road gets tougher

The Sooners will play one more "cupcake" game - against Campbell on Wednesday - before the schedule gets more challenging.

Oklahoma will battle Pitt and Purdue at the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Nov. 24 and 26, respectively. The next week, OU will host Syracuse as part of this year's ACC-SEC Challenge.

Before opening SEC play, the Sooners will also face Arizona State and Oklahoma State in neutral-site games, and they'll face SMU on the road on Dec. 22.

Next week's game against Campbell will begin at 7 p.m.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.

Today's best reads

• Oklahoma Shakes Off Rust, Pulls Away from North Alabama for Second Win
• Oklahoma Pulls Away from Mississippi Valley State to Earn First Win of 2026-27
• Winners and Losers From No. 14 Oklahoma's Field Trip Day Triumph Over ORU
• Oklahoma's Matchup With Ole Miss Could be Affected by Nationwide Air Traffic Stop
• Oklahoma Releases Full 2027 Softball Schedule

This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/oklahoma as Oklahoma Beats Fairleigh Dickinson Behind Strong Game From Transfer Guard.