No. 16 Oklahoma vs No. 2 South Carolina | SEC | 1.22.26

NORMAN, Oklahoma — January 22nd, 2026

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Written by SoonerSports.com

Aaliyah Chavez scored 15 of her 26 points in overtime as No. 16 Oklahoma stunned No. 2 South Carolina 94-82 on Thursday night.

The freshman guard made 4 of 14 field goals in regulation before hitting 5 of 5 shots in overtime.

Payton Verhulst scored 19 points and Raegan Beers had 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Sooners (15-4, 3-3 Southeastern Conference. The win matched the highest-ranked opponent Oklahoma
has ever beaten. Most recently, the Sooners beat No. 2 Kansas State in 2024.

Tessa Johnson scored 19 points and Raven Johnson added 16 for South Carolina (19-2, 5-1), which had its 12-game win streak snapped. Joyce Edwards, who had averaged 20.6 points, finished with 12 on 3-for-12 shooting. The Gamecocks shot just 37% from the field.

Oklahoma's Kaya Smith fouled Ta'Niya Latson on a 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left in the first half, and Latson made all three free throws to give the Gamecocks a 43-36 lead at the break.

Oklahoma opened the second half on an 8-0 run that included a three-point play and a 3-pointer by Chavez to give the Sooners a 44-43 lead. Oklahoma took a 61-59 lead into the fourth quarter.

Oklahoma led 73-67 with just under four minutes remaining before South Carolina went on a 6-0 run to tie the score. Edwards made two free throws with 42 seconds remaining to give South

Carolina a 75-73 lead. Beers tied the score on a putback with 18.4 seconds to play, then the Sooners got a stop to force overtime.

POSTGAME NOTES

• No. 16 Oklahoma (15-4, 3-3 SEC) knocked off No. 2 South Carolina (19-2, 5-1 SEC), 94-82, in overtime Thursday night at Lloyd Noble Center. The win marked OU's third all-time victory over a top-two opponent and its first since a 66-63 win over then-No. 2 Kansas State on Jan. 31, 2024.

• After trailing by eight late in the first half and seven at the break, Oklahoma seized control in the third quarter, outscoring the reigning SEC champions 25-16 to take a two-point lead into the final period. South Carolina erased a six-point Sooner advantage late, but a Raegan Beers putback with 18 seconds remaining and a defensive stop forced overtime. OU improved to 14-0 when leading after three quarters, and the eight-point deficit was its largest overcome in a win this season.

• True freshman Aaliyah Chavez led all scorers with 26 points and took over in overtime, scoring 15 points on a perfect 5 of 5 shooting with four 3-pointers to seal the win. Chavez added a career-high eight assists in the nationally televised ESPN contest. She became the first freshman since Caitlin Clark in 2021 to post 26 points and eight assists against a top-25 opponent, and her 15 overtime points set a school record. Oklahoma improved to 5-1 in overtime games under head coach Jennie Baranczyk.

• Oklahoma finished with 75 points in regulation and 94 overall, becoming the first team to score 94 points or more against South Carolina since UConn on Feb. 11, 2019. The Sooners have topped 90 points 11 times this season, second-most nationally behind LSU.

• The Sooners have now earned 18 wins over ranked opponents under Baranczyk, including three victories against top-five teams – all at Lloyd Noble Center.

• Raegan Beers recorded career double-double No. 60 (leads all active players) with 18 points and 14 rebounds on 8 of 9 shooting. The senior leads the nation with 15 double-doubles this season.

• Junior Sahara Williams added a double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals. Oklahoma is 5-0 this season when Williams posts a double-double.

• Payton Verhulst scored 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting, adding four rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 34 minutes. The redshirt senior averaged 20.0 points for the week after scoring 21 against No. 6 LSU on Sunday.

• Oklahoma outrebounded South Carolina 54-39, improving to 14-2 when winning the rebounding battle. The Gamecocks entered the night fifth nationally in rebounding margin and had not been outrebounded by 15 since February 2025. In SEC play, South Carolina had not been outrebounded by 15 since March 2024.

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