CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Deja Kelly scored 21 points, Alyssa Ustby added 15 points and 13 rebounds and No. 24 North Carolina started slow before beating cold-shooting Oklahoma 61-52 Tuesday night at the Women’s Jumpman Invitational.
Kelly was 7-of-14 shooting and Ustby added three blocks. Lexi Donarski added 10 points for North Carolina (8-4).
Kelly sandwiched a pair of jumpers around back-to-back layups by Ustby to trim UNC’s deficit to a point with 8 minutes left in the second and Kelly scored the final six first-half points to make it 36-all at intermission. Paris hit a 3-pointer about a minute into the third quarter and Donarski hit another to make it 48-36 about 4 1/2 minutes later and the Sooners trailed by double figures the rest of the way.
North Carolina, which went into the game averaging 11.6 turnovers (No. 10 nationally) per game, committed a season-high 21 on Tuesday but limited the Sooners to just 16 second-half points — just four in the third quarter.
Payton Verhlust led Oklahoma (6-4) with 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Skylar Vann added 10 points and 12 rebounds but made just 3 of 17 from the field, 0 for 5 from 3-point range. Aubrey Joens and Sahara Williams, who went into the game averaging 12.2 and 11.4 points, respectively, combined for nine points on 2-of-15 shooting.
Kiersten Johnson scored in the lane to give OU a 36-30 lead with 1:36 left in the second quarter but the Sooners missed their next 15 field-goal attempts before Verhulst made a layup with 3:23 to play in the third quarter.
Oklahoma shot 26% (19 of 72) from the field and made 13 of 21 (62%) from the free-throw line.
Oklahoma scored the game’s first eight points and Williams made a layup to cap a 9-1 spurt that gave the Sooners their biggest lead at 23-14 with 38 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Sooners, went into the game ranked No. 13 nationally in scoring (84.9) this season and No. 5 in assists (21.8), finished with a season low for points and assists (seven). Lexi Keys hit a 3-pointer 15 seconds into the game but OU missed 26 straight from behind the arc from there.
Oklahoma closes its nonconference slate Friday at home against Southern. North Carolina is off until New Year’s Eve, when the Tar Heels play host to Clemson in their ACC opener.
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