The No. 2 South Carolina women's basketball team rode a hot offensive performance to defeat No. 13 Oklahoma 101-60 on Sunday afternoon at Colonial Life Arena.
Sunday's matchup between the Gamecocks and Sooners was part of the SEC's annual "We Back Pat Week," which honors the legacy of former Tennessee women's basketball head coach Pat Summitt. The week helps raise awareness for the Pat Summitt Foundation and the fight against Alzheimer's disease.
The Gamecocks (18-1, 6-0 SEC) got strong performances from sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley and senior forward Sania Feagin to beat the Sooners (15-4, 3-3 SEC) and break the century mark for the first time this season.
South Carolina took an early 10-point lead after back-to-back three pointers from junior guard Raven Johnson and junior forward Maryam Dauda. Late in the first quarter, the Gamecocks went on a 9-0 scoring run, including 4 straight points by Feagin. To end the quarter, Fulwiley nailed a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give the Gamecocks a 28-15 lead.
"When Raven had the ball, coach told Raven to give me the ball," Fulwiley said. "I had eight seconds left, and I can either shoot it or I can drive. I've been driving a lot and I felt like I needed to mix it up. I just shot it, when it went in I was so excited."
South Carolina's advantage grew to 22 points early in the second quarter after a layup from junior forward Chloe Kitts. After the Sooners cut the deficit to 15, the Gamecocks answered with an 8-0 run, including 4 points from Fulwiley. Just before the end of the half, senior guard Bree Hall scored to give South Carolina a 49-24 halftime lead.
"We're just playing well," head coach Dawn Staley said. "We're defending extremely well and our offense is starting to find and gain its footing."
Fulwiley and freshman forward Joyce Edwards both finished with 9 points in the first half, while Feagin added 8. For the Sooners, junior center Raegan Beers posted 8 points and seven rebounds. Despite this, the Sooners went 11-38 from the field and 1-13 from three-point range in the first half.
The Gamecocks went four-of-six from three-point range in the third quarter, including a pair from senior guard Te-Hina Paopao. Late in the quarter, South Carolina's lead stretched out to 40 points.
The Gamecocks continued to dominate the Sooners in the fourth quarter. In the final ten minutes, sophomore guard Tessa Johnson scored 6 points on two three-pointers.
In the final minute of the game, redshirt freshman forward Adhel Tac hit a jumper to give the Gamecocks over 100 points for the first time this year.
"It's great for our fans," Staley said. "I think it's a great moment for Adhel because she's had to sit and she's had to be on the highlighter team for most of the Christmas break. Sometimes when a player doesn't get as much playing time as the work they're putting in, it can be deflating."
South Carolina's hot shooting continues
The Gamecocks shot 39-81 (48.1%) from the field against the Sooners, including 10 made three-point shots. The Gamecocks were also successful at the free throw line, going 10-15 in the contest.
"We wanted to play fast," Staley said. "We wanted to get up and down the floor, we wanted to control the paint. We wanted to take rhythm threes and just have a fluid offense."
Edwards finished with 17 points on eight-of-ten shooting. Fulwiley scored 15 points and seven assists and Feagin added 12 points and seven rebounds.
"I'm very confident with the entire roster," Staley said. "They have a way of playing well together. They prep extremely well, they are finding their footing. They want each other to play well."
Sooners quieted
The Gamecocks' defense held the Sooners to just 24-67 (35.8%) shooting from the field and 7-28 (25%) from three-point range. The Sooners also struggled from the free throw line, going five-for-ten as a team.
Despite only five players scoring for the Sooners, Beers finished with 23 points and eight rebounds.
"We wanted to take care of Beers," Staley said. "That's a hard feat to do at all. I thought she was probably the hardest out that we've faced. When she gets into your body, there's really nothing you can do. She took advantage of us and she got into a rhythm."
Redshirt senior forward Skylar Vann also posted 13 points and four rebounds for the Sooners.
"She starting hitting shots from the outside, Staley said." "But I thought we took care of pretty much everyone else to allow us to just build a lead and hold onto it."
Gamecocks take care of the basketball
In addition to its shooting performance, South Carolina shared the basketball at a high level on Sunday. Against the Sooners, the Gamecocks finished with 26 assists to six turnovers.
Staley said this was important for the Gamecocks after struggling with turnovers in recent games.
"Obviously, we didn't go crazy after having 22 against Texas and 15 against Alabama," Staley said. "It's not really us. It hasn't been us. I think we average around 13 to 15. One of our keys is to take care of the basketball. Just don't play high risk, high reward basketball."
What's next?
South Carolina continues its season on Thursday when it hosts No. 5 LSU (20-0, 5-0 SEC). Tip-off is set for 8 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPN.