LeeLee Bell scores 25 in her debut as No. 21 Oklahoma beats No. 12 UNC

Oklahoma freshman LeeLee Bell scored a game-high 25 points in her college debut on Monday, and No. 21 Oklahoma beat No. 12 North Carolina 91-79 in Paris. Bell, a 6-foot-3 forward from Minot, North Dakota, shot 9 of 21 with four threes, eight rebounds and four assists, according to Oklahoma's official recap.

Oklahoma says those 25 points are the most by a Sooner freshman in a debut this century. The school also says she is the first freshman nationally with 25 points, eight rebounds and four assists in a debut since Iowa State's Bridget Carleton in 2015, and the only freshman since at least 1999 to do it against a ranked team. She finished plus-18, the best mark in the game.

She also didn't have much help early. Sophomore star Aaliyah Chavez sat much of the first half with three fouls and played through an illness, according to coach Jennie Baranczyk. Senior Sahara Williams then took over the third quarter, scoring 13 of her 22 points in that period as Oklahoma pulled away.

"Because I don't really know exactly what LeeLee can do, she's a freshman and so we're going to let her play and we're going to let her figure out all the things that she can do," Baranczyk said, per Sports Illustrated.

North Carolina had its own freshman scorer. Kate Harpring scored 21 points for the Tar Heels, but she needed 26 shots and committed seven turnovers. Bell took five fewer shots, scored four more points and hit 4 of 7 from three. In the first freshman matchup of the season, Bell won it clearly.

The win was Oklahoma's first over a ranked opponent in a season opener since it beat No. 20 DePaul to start the 2006-07 season. Baranczyk is now 6-0 in openers at Oklahoma.

The debate for the rest of November is whether Bell is a one-night story or Oklahoma's second star next to Chavez. Oklahoma lists her as a top-50 prospect in the 2026 class. On Monday she played like one of the best freshmen in the country, on a neutral floor against a top-15 team.

Oklahoma returns to Norman on Sunday against Morgan State at 3 p.m. ET on SEC Network+. Another 20-point night there and SEC teams will have to plan for Bell and Chavez both.