Bell’s Stellar Debut Powers OU Past No. 12 UNC in Paris

Monday, November 2

Adidas Arena • Paris, France

1:30 PM

University of Oklahoma

1-0,0-0SEC

North Carolina

0-1,0-0ACC

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Oklahoma	18	21	31	21	91
North Carolina	19	19	14	27	79

November 02, 2026 | Women's Basketball

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By: OU Athletics Communications

PARIS (AP) — Sahara Williams scored 13 of her 22 points in the third quarter to help No. 21 Oklahoma pull away from No. 12 North Carolina and take a 91-79 season-opening victory in Paris on Monday.

Breaking away from a one-point halftime edge, the Sooners shot 50% while the Tar Heels suffered a second offensive struggle during the third quarter, shooting 30% from the field and essentially losing sight of their opponents.

Williams scored eight points in a three-minute stretch, and her two free throws with 3:37 remaining in the quarter gave Oklahoma a 60-47 lead.

Contributing to the Oklahoma run was freshman LeeLee Bell, a 6-foot-3 freshman from Minot, North Dakota. In her collegiate debut, she scored a game-high 25 points on 9-for-21 shooting. Bell added six rebounds.

Freshman Kate Harpring led North Carolina with 21 points on 9-for-26 shooting to lead five players in double figures.

Both teams went through prolonged scoring droughts that spanned the first two quarters. The Sooners went through an 0-for-8 spell before hitting eight of their next 10 to open up a 38-31 lead. The Tar Heels missed 11 straight shots before hitting three of the final four to make the game close. A fast break layup by Harpring tied the game at 38 with 29 seconds left before halftime. Oklahoma broke the tie nine seconds later on the second of two free throws by Caya Smith, and that's where the teams left it at the break.

The Sooners return to Norman to face Morgan State at the Lloyd Noble Center, Sunday at 2 p.m. CT. The game will air on SEC Network+ and tickets are available for purchase.

POSTGAME NOTES

• No. 21 Oklahoma (1-0) opened the 2026-27 season with a ranked win, knocking off No. 12 North Carolina, 91-79, at Oui-Play Paris in France, on Monday night.

• True freshman LeeLee Bell shined in her collegiate debut, scoring 25 points on 9-of-21 shooting with four 3-pointers, eight rebounds and four assists. The Minot, N.D., product's 25 points were the most by an Oklahoma freshman in a debut this century. Bell, who finished with a game-high plus-minus of +18, became the first freshman nationally to record 25 points, eight rebounds and four assists in a debut since Iowa State's Bridget Carleton did so against Hampton in 2015. Bell, a top-50 prospect in the 2026 class, is the only freshman since at least 1999 to accomplish the feat against a ranked opponent.

• The Sooners opened the game on an 8-0 run before a 17-3 North Carolina surge put OU behind, 19-18, after the first quarter. Despite sophomore star Aaliyah Chavez sitting much of the first half with three fouls, Oklahoma outscored the Tar Heels by two in the second quarter to take a 39-38 lead into halftime. OU took control in the third quarter, opening the frame on a 14-5 run to build a double-digit advantage. The Sooners maintained control the rest of the way, extending their lead to as many as 20 in the fourth quarter before securing the 91-79 victory.

• Monday's victory marked Oklahoma's 23rd ranked win under sixth-year head coach Jennie Baranczyk, who improved to 6-0 in season openers at OU. The Sooners now own 13 top-15 victories under Baranczyk, while Monday's win marked Oklahoma's first over a ranked opponent in a season opener since defeating No. 20 DePaul to open the 2006-07 campaign.

• Senior Sahara Williams made her 103rd consecutive start on Monday and surpassed 20 points for the seventh time in her career, finishing with 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting, six rebounds and four assists. The preseason All-SEC second-team selection played a team-high 30 minutes and finished with a plus-minus of +8.

• Aaliyah Chavez, who battled through illness Monday per head coach Jennie Baranczyk, finished with 14 points in just 24 minutes, extending her double-digit scoring streak to 29 games. The sophomore guard added a team-high six assists, two shy of her career high, five rebounds and a career-high two blocks. Chavez matched Bell with a game-best plus-minus of +18.

• Oklahoma's starting five featured Chavez, Keziah Lofton, Williams, Brooklyn Stewart and Bell. Chavez and Williams started all 34 games last season, while Lofton, Stewart and Bell each made their first career starts Monday. The starting unit outscored North Carolina 28-12 in its time on the floor, finishing with a plus-minus of +16.

• Oklahoma played 11 student-athletes Monday, including five Sooners making their OU debuts. Off the bench, Isi Ozzy-Momodu, Sa'Myah Smith, Jordan Speiser and Sina Höllerl all saw action. Ozzy-Momodu, Smith and Speiser each made multiple field goals, while Höllerl played five minutes.

• The Sooners, who led by one at halftime, have now won 23 consecutive games when leading at the break and improved to 92-6 when scoring at least 80 points under Baranczyk. Defensively, Oklahoma held North Carolina to just 33.7% shooting as the Tar Heels finished 29-of-86 from the field and 11-of-40 from beyond the arc.

• After being outrebounded 15-13 in the opening quarter, Oklahoma controlled the glass the rest of the way, outrebounding UNC 40-33 over the final three quarters to win the battle of the boards, 53-48. The Sooners also dished out 21 assists, reaching the 20-assist mark for the 95th time under Baranczyk. OU is 85-10 in those games.

• The Sooners return to Norman on Tuesday before hosting Morgan State in their home opener Sunday at 2 p.m. CT at the Lloyd Noble Center. The game will air on SEC Network+