The South Carolina women’s basketball team defeated Oklahoma 93-75 in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament on Saturday afternoon at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.
“I think we’re playing our best basketball, just individually and collectively,” head coach Dawn Staley said.
It was a quick start for the Gamecocks, as by the end of the first quarter the team found itself up 23-15, scoring 9 points off of five turnovers by the Sooners. In the first 10 minutes, Oklahoma turned the ball over nearly a quarter of its possessions.
Both freshman forward Joyce Edwards and senior forward Sania Feagin led the team with 7 and 4 points respectively at the end of the quarter.
Oklahoma would begin to cut into South Carolina’s lead in the second quarter, scoring 6 second-chance points off of nine offensive rebounds to cut the deficit to five.
However, just like the quarterfinals game against Vanderbilt, the Gamecocks would respond by going on a 14-2 scoring run to take a 45-28 lead at the half.
Junior forward Maryam Dauda made her presence on the offensive end, scoring 3 points in just six minutes, but also on the defensive side of the floor, getting three steals and one block.
“I've seen growth. I'm so proud for her,” Edwards said. “She comes in the game and she comes in and gives a 100% effort and it showed today. I'm just really proud of her.”
For much of the third quarter, South Carolina utilized the lead it had built in the second quarter to maintain a comfortable cushion over the Sooners, who outscored the Gamecocks 26-25 in the third.
The fourth quarter continued to see both teams go back and forth with Gamecocks ultimately maintaining a double-digit lead throughout the quarter and winning the game 93-75.
Sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 8 points in the quarter, and ended the game with 19. Edwards followed up her impressive quarterfinal performance against Vanderbilt with a team high 21 points and five rebounds.
The Gamecocks also did an excellent defensive job on junior center Reagan Beers, holding the Sooner to just 7 points compared to the 20 points she had yesterday.
Creating turnovers
In the matchup earlier this season between the two schools, South Carolina was able to force the Sooners into 20 turnovers and score 32 points off of them. The Gamecocks would go on to win 101-60.
It would be no different today, as once again, the Gamecocks scored 22 points off of 16 turnovers. In the SEC, Oklahoma ranks No. 1 in turnovers per game. Even with the high amount of turnovers, the Sooners had won nine games in a row before today.
South Carolina's opponents this year are averaging 16.7 turnovers per game, similar to the 15.6 turnovers they averaged last season en route to a national championship.
SEC tournament dominance
With the win against Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon, the Gamecocks have now made it to the SEC championship game in each of the last six seasons.
“We compete, we push one another, and we come together and grow,” Fulwiley said. “So I feel like all the records that we're breaking and everything that we're doing in history, it's just all a part of our game plan.”
The last time South Carolina lost in the finals was back in 2022 to Kentucky. If the Gamecocks win on Sunday, it would be the third straight SEC tournament championship win for South Carolina.
“I'm just proud that I got a chance to coach some really talented individuals and some great human beings,” Staley said. “It doesn't always end in you winning and being successful. But for us, we got the best of both worlds. So honored to represent this conference.”
Shooting slump
One reason for the Sooners third quarter success was its three-point shooting. Oklahoma would go 6-9 in the quarter, compared to 0-4 from South Carolina.
The Gamecocks three-point struggles were not limited to just the third quarter though, as for the entire game South Carolina would hit just two three's tying its fewest made in a game this season.
South Carolina was able to dominate the game by scoring in transition and getting easy layups, despite the shooting struggles, showcasing its ability to win games in a multitude of ways.
“We're resilient. The good thing about South Carolina is that you have so many players to be scored, whether it's in the mid-range or it's layups or threes. So we’re not dependent on one thing," Edwards said.
What’s next?
South Carolina will play the winner of Texas vs. LSU in the championship game of the SEC tournament finals on Sunday. The game will tip off at 3 p.m. and be broadcast on ESPN.