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EIFFEL OF POWER: No. 21 Oklahoma Women's Basketball Tower Over No. 12 North Carolina
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- EIFFEL OF POWER: No. 21 Oklahoma Women's Basketball Tower Over No. 12 North Carolina
(Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images)
PARIS - No. 21 Oklahoma did not ease into the season. The Sooners went to France and took down No. 12 North Carolina 91-79 at Adidas Arena, the kind of opening night that immediately changes the temperature around a team.
This was not a late-survivor win or a one-possession escape overseas. Oklahoma controlled the pace early, stretched the lead by as many as 20, and then held off the Tar Heels when the second half got a little more uncomfortable.
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For a Jennie Baranczyk team that has made its reputation on pace, physicality, and offensive confidence, it was a familiar brand of basketball on a much bigger stage.The Sooners shot 44 percent from the field and went 10 of 28 from three. More important than the raw percentages was the balance.
LeeLee Bell led everybody with 25 points and eight rebounds. Sahara Williams followed with 22 points and six boards. Aaliyah Chavez did the connective work with 14 points, six assists, five rebounds, and two blocks. When your top two scorers combine for 47 and your sophomore star is filling up the rest of the sheet, the offense has real shape to it.
This is a big deal because Oklahoma is still living in the early part of the Aaliyah Chavez era, and nights like this are how that era is supposed to look. Chavez does not have to dominate the scoring column every time out if she can run the attack, defend, and keep possessions organized while Bell and Williams punish mismatches. Paris was a clean example of that hierarchy working.
North Carolina had its moments, and Kate Harpring was the clearest problem with 21 points and six rebounds. The Tar Heels just never fully recovered from the early deficit or their own messiness. Seventeen turnovers and 33.7 percent shooting will get you beat against a team that already wants to play fast and physical.
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Oklahoma did not need the game to get prettier. It needed to keep UNC uncomfortable, and for most of the night that is exactly what happened.
There was also a local layer that made the setting better. Paris native and OU sophomore Daffa Cissoko got to play in front of family and friends about 30 minutes from home. That is one of those details that does not show up in the box score and still belongs in the story. The Sooners already carry a real international presence on the roster, with four international players who traveled an average of more than 4,800 miles to get to Norman. Opening in Paris made that part of the program's identity feel visible instead of theoretical.
For Baranczyk, this fits the larger pattern. Oklahoma has not been shy about hunting ranked non-conference opportunities, and beating a top-15 North Carolina team on a neutral floor in Europe is a signature win whether it comes in November or March. It also gives the Sooners an early data point that the roster has enough scoring depth and defensive activity to bother good teams right away.
There will be harder tests, and one win in Paris does not build a whole season. But openers do set a tone. Oklahoma looked ready, aggressive, and comfortable in its identity. Bell was dominant. Williams was relentless. Chavez ran the show. The Tar Heels spent too much of the night chasing.
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UP NEXT:The Sooners return to Norman for their home opener this Sunday against Morgan State. That game will take place at 2pm CT from Lloyd Noble Center, and can be seen on SEC Network+.
If that is the standard for Year 2 of the Chavez era, the Sooners gave themselves a pretty good place to start.
