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.
North Carolina: Faces No. 1 South Carolina on Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Oklahoma: At home on Sunday to face Morgan State.
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