Oklahoma Oklahoma/North Carolina N. Carolina Women's College Basketball recap on ESPN

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- Oklahoma (No. 15 ESPN/USA Today, No. 13 AP) did its part in the ACC-Big 12 Challenge. What Sooners coach Sherri Coale would really like is for her team to challenge No. 7 Iowa State and No. 9 Texas Tech in the Big 12.

"Playing in the Big 12 makes you concentrate on endurance and not on getting too up for these sorts of big games," Coale said after Oklahoma dispatched North Carolina 94-77 on Sunday. "The Big 12 is, if not the toughest conference in America, then one of the toughest."

Oklahoma (13-4) travels Wednesday to Kansas (7-9) before getting its shot at Texas Tech next Sunday. Oklahoma headed back to Norman after turning in what Coale called "one of our better performances."

The Sooners cut off the Tar Heels' transition game, made the extra pass on offense, and generally played like a team ready to get serious about Big 12 play.

"We keep getting better," Coale said. "We got better in practice Thursday and Saturday. And we got a little better today. That's one of the things I really like about this team."

Her Sooners free-lanced a bit more than Coale would have liked, but it was hard to rein them in when they were clicking so well on both ends of the court. Their 50 percent field-goal average was slightly better than their usual 47.3 percent. They had 18 turnovers, fewer than their normal 20.4 per game and the Sooners had more 25 assists, up from their typical 19.8.

"That usually means your offense is playing pretty well," Coale said.

The bottom line was more points than the Sooners' average of 83.3 a game, already tops in the Big 12 this season.

"One of the things people asked about this team earlier in the year was 'can they shoot?' Well, yes, we can shoot. We just haven't always taken good shots," Coale said.

The Tar Heels knew Oklahoma was talented, North Carolina's Sylvia Hatchell said.

"Defensively, we could have done better," Hatchell said, "But Oklahoma is a great team, really great on offense. They're very talented, with a lot of great players who can all score."

LaNeisha Caufield had 23 points and seven assists to lead Oklahoma (13-4). Rosalind Ross made a career best five 3-pointers and tied her career high of 19 points, while Stacey Dales added 18 points.

"North Carolina just seemed to concentrate on everyone else and left me open to dominate," Caufield said.

Caufield made 11 of 18 tries from the floor and contributed seven assists. Ross made six of 10 shots, five on nine coming beyond the arc. Ross scored 11 points in the first half and Dales 13 to help the Sooners easily erase an early 5-2 deficit and take command by halftime with a 45-37 lead.

The Sooners started the second half with three unanswered baskets, two by Caufield, to open up a 51-37 lead. They missed four straight shots during one stretch, allowing UNC to creep back within 53-46 on a jumper by Coretta Brown with 14:50 to play, but that was as close as North Carolina would get in the final minutes.

LaQuanda Barksdale led North Carolina (10-7) with 18 points and 14 rebounds for her 30th career double-double. She was held to a single basket in the second half's first 10:27.

Brown scored 17 points for UNC, despite her 5-for-17 shooting from the field. Juana Brown chipped in 12 points and Candace Sutton 10.

Hatchell wasn't too sympathetic about Oklahoma's conference challenges. North Carolina hosts No. 5 Duke on Thursday. Getting drubbed on ESPN was not her idea of how to get up for her team's archrival.

"We're not crazy about it, that's for sure," Hatchell said. "Normally, when you have a non-conference game this time of year, it's supposed to be a breather. Every conference game is emotional. You have to get up for each one."

ALSO SEE
Women's College Basketball Scoreboard

Oklahoma Clubhouse

North Carolina Clubhouse

AUDIO/VIDEO
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LaQuanda Barksdale skies for the rebound and puts it back for the deuce.
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LaNeisha Caufield drains the baseline jumper.
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Jamie Talber makes a nice low-post move to get the hoop and the harm.
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Oklahoma's Stacey Dales finishes the fastbreak with the layin and the foul.
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RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1