OU Basketball: Three Takeaways From No. 2 South Carolina's Beatdown of No. 13 Oklahoma

South Carolina handed Oklahoma its fourth-worst loss in program history on Sunday afternoon.
South Carolina Gamecocks forward Sania Feagin (20) drives around Oklahoma Sooners forward Skylar Vann (24) in the first half at Colonial Life Arena.
South Carolina Gamecocks forward Sania Feagin (20) drives around Oklahoma Sooners forward Skylar Vann (24) in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. / Jeff Blake-Imagn Images
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Oklahoma’s first meeting with Dawn Stalely’s South Carolina game went about as poorly as anyone could imagine. 

The No. 2-ranked Gamecocks pummeled Jennie Baranczyk’s No. 13 Sooners. 

South Carolina jumped out on OU in the first quarter and stepped on the Sooners’ neck to win 101-60 on Sunday at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC. 

The Gamecocks have notched double-digit wins over top 10 opponents in TCU and Texas already this year, but Sundays thrashing was another level of dominance. 

The 41-point loss was tied for the fourth-worst loss in the history of the program. 

Baranczyk’s worst loss came in the final game of her first season in Norman when Notre Dame advanced to the Sweet 16 behind a 44-point beatdown of the Sooners. 

OU fell to 15-4 overall on the year and 3-3 in SEC action, while South Carolina moved to 18-1 this season and the Gamecocks stayed perfect in league play at 6-0.

Final Box Score
Final Box Score / OU Stats

Offensive Adjustment 

Turnovers have dominated the conversation around Oklahoma’s offense all year. 

There were offensive struggles against South Carolina, but turnovers weren’t the issue that let the Gamecocks build a healthy first half lead. 

Staley’s team frustrated OU with excellent on-ball defense — especially around the rim. 

South Carolina’s length was an issue as the Sooners shot 3-for-7 on layups in the first quarter. 

On the other end of the floor, the Gamecocks pounded the paint, going right at the Sooner defense. 

Oklahoma appeared to settle in and adjust to South Carolina’s athleticism a bit at the start of the second quarter, but the damage was done. 

The Gamecocks built a 28-9 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back. They closed the second quarter on a 6-0 run as well, ensuring that Oklahoma would find no real foothold at any point in Colonial Life Arena. 

No Equalizer 

Oklahoma had no answer for MiLaysia Fulwiley, Te-Hina Paopao, Joyce Edwards or Sania Feagin

All four Gamecocks scored at will, finishing in double figures. 

To try and match their production, the Sooners needed to shoot the ball well from deep. 

Unfortunately, that wasn’t in the cards for Oklahoma on Sunday.

The Sooners tried to shoot themselves back into the game, but OU only hit 7-of-28 attempts from deep, and four of those makes came in the fourth quarter with Oklahoma trying to avoid losing by 40. The Gamecocks knocked down 10-of-28 shots from deep.

South Carolina did an excellent job shutting down OU guard Payton Verhulst, who followed up scoring a career-high against Missouri by adding just three points on 1-of-6 shooting on Sunday. 

Only six Oklahoma players scored against the Gamecocks, and just two of those finished in double figures. 

Health Update

Perhaps the only good news that came out of Sunday was the status of centers Raegan Beers and Liz Scott

Beers’ action on Thursday against Missouri was limited to the first half, but she was fully available for a typical allotment of minutes against South Carolina. 

Fully back in the rotation, Beers led the Sooners with 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including a pair of 3’s, and she pulled down eight rebounds. 

Scott also was able to play her normal share of minutes after a scary collision against the Tigers that saw her night come to an end on Thursday. 

Oklahoma will now get some extra days to try and regroup. 

There is no mid-week game for OU to worry about, as the next time Baranczyk’s team will be in action will be on Jan. 26 when the Sooners host Georgia at the Lloyd Noble Center at 1:30 p.m.


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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is managing editor at Sooners On SI and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK.