South Carolina defeats Oklahoma 93-75, heads to SEC final

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Joyce Edwards scored 21 points to help No. 5 South Carolina advance to the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship after a decisive 93-75 victory over 10th-ranked Oklahoma on Saturday.

Off the bench, MiLaysia Fulwiley contributed significantly with 19 points for South Carolina (29-3), while Sania Feagin chipped in with 14. Oklahoma’s Sahara Williams managed 17 points, and Payton Verhulst had 15 points along with nine assists, though the Sooners (25-7) seemed exhausted, competing in their third consecutive game.

The Gamecocks established their dominance early through a strong defensive performance, forcing Oklahoma into rushed, poor shots and committing five turnovers. South Carolina quickly built a double-digit lead in the first quarter. By halftime, they were leading 45-28, embarking on a 14-2 run that left Oklahoma scoreless from the field for the closing four minutes.

Throughout the second half, South Carolina maintained a lead of at least 10 points, controlling the pace of the game.

Oklahoma Takeaways: Center Raegan Beers was held to just seven points and eight rebounds, despite having scored 42 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in her prior two tournament games. South Carolina, although struggling from long range with just 2-for-15 shooting beyond the arc, compensated with a strong interior game, outscoring Oklahoma 50-26 in the paint.

A pivotal moment came late in the third quarter when Oklahoma trimmed the deficit to 10 points. Edwards responded with five consecutive points in the paint, including a crucial three-point play, helping South Carolina regain their comfort zone.

A key statistic was South Carolina’s 22 points off 16 Oklahoma turnovers, compared to the Gamecocks’ eight turnovers.

Next up for the Gamecocks is the pursuit of their third consecutive SEC title on Sunday against the winner of the No. 1 Texas/No. 9 LSU matchup. Oklahoma will now await its NCAA Tournament seeding.