UNC women’s basketball opened its 2026/27 NCAA college season 4,000 miles away from Chapel Hill, taking on the Oklahoma Sooners in the Oui Play Showcase at Paris’s Adidas Arena on Monday.
Now in its fourth year, the overseas doubleheader starred NCAA women’s basketball’s key opening event, drawing top programs across the ocean each November. And, despite the rankings differential — UNC is currently ranked No. 12 to Oklahoma's No. 21 — the Sooners managed to score the upset in France, beating the Tar Heels 91-79.
Sooners Pull Away in 2nd Half to Score Oklahoma vs UNC Upset
Still, the game stayed tight through halftime, with the Sooners clinging to a 39-38 edge heading into the break. Then Oklahoma took over in the third quarter, outscoring Carolina 31-14 to build a 70-52 lead. Fouls contributed heavily to the gap too as whistles piled up on the Tar Heels and fed Oklahoma's free-throw advantage.
On an otherwise rough night, freshman Kate Harpring showed why she was a five-star recruit. The guard scored 21 points with six rebounds and five assists, marking the highest single-game total by a Tar Heel freshman since at least 2020.
Nyla Brooks added 13, while Reniya Kelly and Achol Akot each scored 11. Kelly also posted a career-high seven assists, and Akot grabbed eight rebounds.
Even with 16 steals and 27 points off turnovers, the Tar Heels couldn't overcome a .337 shooting clip against Oklahoma's .440 mark. UNC next faces No. 1 South Carolina on November 8th at Charlotte's Spectrum Center in the NCAA season's Ally Tipoff.
