SEC stunner: No. 2 South Carolina falls to No. 16 Oklahoma. What we learned
The South Carolina women’s basketball team found itself on the wrong end of an upset Thursday night.
The No. 2 Gamecocks lost to No. 16 Oklahoma 94-82 in overtime on the road in Norman, Oklahoma. The loss was just the second of the season for South Carolina (19-2, 5-1 SEC).
Thursday’s result snapped a three-game losing streak for the Sooners.
Oklahoma clinched a back-and-forth game by outscoring South Carolina 19-7 in overtime. Aaliyah Chavez led Oklahoma with 26 points — including 15 in OT.
“(Oklahoma) made winning plays, and we didn’t,” Staley said. “I mean, it’s not really rocket science. It’s really a very simplistic thing.”
Tessa Johnson led USC with 19 points. Three Gamecocks and five Sooners finished the game with double-digit scoring.
South Carolina now turns its attention to another ranked matchup with Vanderbilt this weekend. The No. 5 Commodores are one of two undefeated teams left in the country. The result of the game will affect the race for the SEC regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
South Carolina was first in the league going into Thursday, but now Vanderbilt is in the driver’s seat (although there’s still plenty of basketball to be played this season).
Anybody’s game ... until OT
South Carolina led for most of the first half, but Oklahoma kept things interesting in the second half.
The Gamecocks were up 43-36 at halftime after outscoring the Sooners 20-17 in the first quarter and 23-19 in the second. USC shot 44.1% as a team in the first half and kept Oklahoma to 39.5% from the field as a team. The Sooners out-rebounded the Gamecocks 25-18 in the first half.
Oklahoma came out swinging to start the second half. The Sooners opened the third quarter on an 8-0 run and outshot South Carolina 50% to 33.3% in the period. Oklahoma outscored USC 25-16 in the third and took a 61-59 lead into the fourth quarter.
Things got crazy late in regulation. All momentum seemed to be with the Sooners as they grew their lead to six points in the game’s final minutes. But three turnovers and an 8-0 run in the final two minutes of the game helped South Carolina regain the lead 75-73 with 42 seconds to go. OU’s Reagan Beers tied things up at 75-75 with 18 seconds left. South Carolina couldn’t get a shot off on its final possession of the fourth quarter, leading to overtime.
Oklahoma didn’t miss a field goal in overtime, going a perfect 7 for 7 (USC was 3 of 10 shooting in OT). An onslaught of overtime points — including four 3-pointers — from Chavez, one of the top freshmen in the country, ultimately did the Gamecocks in.
Post play makes a difference
South Carolina’s trademark in the Staley era has been dominant post play. On Thursday, the Gamecocks seemed to be outmatched.
Beers, Oklahoma’s star forward, gave USC fits all night. Even when Beers found herself in foul trouble, she still affected the game. Beers finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds.
“She’s a tough guard,” Staley said. “… Credit to Beers. She did a great job fighting for her position, and she was constant with it.”
Oklahoma dominated the glass in general. The Sooners out-rebounded the Gamecocks 54-39 in the game and outscored South Carolina 50-38 in the paint.
Madina Okot, who has been averaging a double-double this season, looked like a shell of herself against the Sooners. Okot had to sit early with foul trouble but still only played nine minutes in the first three quarters of the game. Okot finished with six points and four rebounds.
French midyear signee Alicia Tournebize somewhat helped fill the gap in production. Still, she was forced to head to the bench in crunch time after recording her fourth foul early in the fourth quarter. Tournebize scored nine points in 14 minutes.
Adhel Tac was the next woman up in the post and played a majority of the fourth quarter before Okot returned to action late in the fourth quarter. Okot ultimately played 17 minutes.
Chavez in overtime
Oklahoma’s star freshman found a different gear to end the game.
She scored or assisted on 17 of Oklahoma’s 19 points in overtime. Chavez finished with 26 points.
Of those, 15 points came in overtime and 23 came in the second half. Chavez also logged eight assists and four rebounds.
“She was great,” Staley said of Chavez. “She ran her team, hit big shots, delivered the ball, everything that you want your point guard to do. She’s having a great freshman year.”
South Carolina WBB’s next four games
- Sunday vs. Vanderbilt, 3 p.m. (ESPN)
- Jan. 29 at Auburn, 9 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Feb. 2 at Texas A&M, 8 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPNU)
- Feb. 5 vs. Mississippi State, 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 9:47 PM.
