Back to the ’Ship: South Carolina WBB ousts Oklahoma to reach SEC Tournament finals
There are only so many things that are certain in life. South Carolina women’s basketball playing in the SEC Tournament championship game has become one of those certainties.
South Carolina secured another trip to the title game thanks to a semifinals win Saturday over Oklahoma at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The No. 1-seeded Gamecocks beat the No. 8 Sooners 93-75.
Dawn Staley’s squad put together a well-rounded performance in the victory.
Title game bound
With the win, South Carolina will play in the SEC Tournament championship game Sunday.
The Gamecocks have played in each of the last five SEC Tournament title games and have made an appearance in nine of the last 10. The last time South Carolina did not make the conference finals was in 2019.
USC will play No. 2-seeded Texas on Sunday. The Longhorns eliminated No. 3 LSU 56-49. A win would give South Carolina its ninth SEC Tournament championship.
“We just got to come out and play Gamecock basketball,” Maryam Dauda said of what’s needed to secure a championship for USC. “Throw the first punch and keep throwing the first punch all the way to the 40th minute of the game.”
Making the SEC title game, let alone winning it, will likely have an impact on where South Carolina is seeded in the NCAA Tournament.
The Gamecocks were the highest-ranked No. 2 seed in the NCAA Selection Committee’s last Top 16 reveal, behind No. 1 seed Notre Dame in the Birmingham 4 region. The Fighting Irish have since lost three of their last five games, including being eliminated from the ACC Tournament on Saturday. That leaves South Carolina in a prime spot to hop back on the No. 1 seed line.
No Beers on tap
When South Carolina dismantled Oklahoma earlier this year with a 101-60 win, Raegan Beers still found a way to shine for the Sooners. She tallied 23 points and eight rebounds in the game.
That was not the case Saturday.
South Carolina’s defense got the better of the All-SEC first-teamer. Beers finished with just seven points, nearly setting a season low. She was 2 for 10 from the field.
“We just stayed disciplined. Matched her intensity and matched her toughness,” Sania Feagin told The State.
The Gamecocks were often able to cut off Oklahoma’s attempts to get the ball to Beers in the post. The combination of Chloe Kitts, Joyce Edwards, Feagin and even Maryam Dauda kept Beers scoreless in the second and third quarters.
“It’s applying a lot of pressure on the outside,” Feagin told The State. “Because it’s kind of hard to front and play the post the way we are. So just having a hand up in the front and when they got the ball and anticipate.”
Good in all phases
Staley got a well-rounded effort from her team to send the Gamecocks to the SEC title game.
“It was a great game for us today, especially after yesterday,” Te-Hina Paopao told The State. “I thought our second half was a better performance than yesterday, and that’s what that’s what we do. We make adjustments and we know that it’s a new day, new game, and we just got to have a better day today. And that’s what we did.”
South Carolina limited Oklahoma’s offense all evening.
The Sooners shot just 39.4% as a team in the game. The Gamecocks forced Oklahoma to turn the ball over 16 times and scored 22 points off those turnovers.
USC’s offense got help from all over the place Saturday. Five different Gamecocks finished in double digits in the scoring column. Edwards led the Gamecocks with 21 points.
Staley’s bench unit provided a strong push on offense. The Gamecocks’ reserves scored 56 points and three of South Carolina’s leading double-digit scorers (Edwards, MiLaysia Fulwiley and Tessa Johnson) came off the bench. Fulwiley had 19 points.
The Gamecocks shot 47.4% as a team and hung around with Oklahoma in the rebounding battle the whole game.
South Carolina’s upcoming schedule
- 3 p.m. Sunday: SEC Tournament championship game (ESPN)
This story was originally published March 8, 2025 at 6:32 PM.
