Freshman Aaliyah Chavez showed up and showed out for her coach, scoring 15 of her game-high 26 points in overtime to lead No. 16 Oklahoma to a 94-82 victory over No. 2 South Carolina at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma on Thursday.
It was the Sooners third-ever win against an AP top 2 opponent. The victory served as a national coming out party for Chavez, who shot 9-of-19 from the field and 5-of-10 from the 3-point line. After being limited to three points in the first half, Chavez went off in the second half and overtime.
Chavez may have shined down the stretch, but it was a team effort to hand the Gamecocks their first loss since Nov. 27. All five Oklahoma starters reached double-digit scoring: Payton Verhulst had 19 points, Raegan Beers 18 points and 14 rebounds, Zya Vann 11 points and Sahara Williams 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Oklahoma had an advantage on glass (54-39) and in the paint (50-40), which proved to be the difference in the game.
South Carolina went on a 10-2 run in the fourth quarter to take the lead, 75-73, with 41 seconds remaining in regulation. Beers was able to wrangle an offensive rebound and convert on the second-chance opportunity with a layup to tie it with 18 seconds left. South Carolina had the final possession, but Vann got a steal to force overtime.
Then, Chavez took over. Chavez scored or assisted in 17 of Oklahoma’s 19 points in the extra period, including four 3-pointers. The only shot she missed in overtime was a free throw attempt when the game was out of reach. The win ended Oklahoma’s three-game skid, with losses to Ole Miss, Kentucky and LSU. The ranked conference win should bolster Oklahoma’s standing and resume as the NCAA Tournament approaches.
Tessa Johnson had a team-high 19 points for South Carolina. Raven Johnson added 16 points and Joyce Edwards had 12.The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.