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Dawn Staley Acknowledges Aaliyah Chavez After Breakout Performance in Oklahoma Win

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley had to give it up to Oklahoma freshman Aaliyah Chavez after the Sooners stunned the Gamecocks in overtime.
Robin Lundberg|
Aaliyah Chavez (2) cheers after a basket and foul during the women's college basketball game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the South Carolina at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Thursday Jan. 22, 2026.
Aaliyah Chavez (2) cheers after a basket and foul during the women's college basketball game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the South Carolina at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Thursday Jan. 22, 2026. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Avid followers of women's college basketball were certainly aware of Aaliyah Chavez before Thursday night. Chavez was the No. 1 recruit in the country after all, before choosing to head to Oklahoma.

But what Chavez did in leading the Sooners to an overtime win over South Carolina served as a breakout for her on a bigger stage.

The freshman star was electrifying in OT, pouring in 15 points as the Sooners stunned the Gamecocks by turning what was a tie game at the end of regulation into a 94-82 victory.

After the contest, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley was asked about the performance from Chavez and had to acknowledge the heroics.

"She was great, she ran her team, hit big shots, delivered the ball, everything that you want a point guard to do. She's having a great freshman year," Staley said of Chavez.

Chavez Joins Elite Company Amid Freshman Season at Oklahoma

Aaliyah Chavez of Oklahoma
Oklahoma's Aaliyah Chavez (2) watches her 3-point basket in the second half of the women's college basketball game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the South Carolina at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Thursday Jan. 22, 2026. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Chavez did more than score in powering Oklahoma to the win over South Carolina. She finished with 26 points but also added 4 rebounds and 8 assists. And her overall contributions have been strong enough to put her in elite freshman company thus far.

ESPN flashed a graphic during the game that showed a list of freshman over the last 10 seasons who have tallied at least 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. There was only four players on it: Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Hannah Hidalgo, and Chavez—a testament to the type of season the Sooners sensation is having.

Of course, it was a big victory for Oklahoma overall, as they upended the No. 2 team in the country, in what could lead to a shake up in the rankings considering South Carolina also has a date with undefeated Vanderbilt on Sunday.

Chavez was quick to credit her teammates amid her individual brilliance, sharing that it was their words of encouragment that helped spur her overtime explosion.

"It was big on my teammates. They kept on telling me to keep on shooting. Sahara [Williams] and Raegan [Beers], both of them. They were like, that's a great shot, I'll take that shot a million times with you. So just knowing that they trust me on taking the shots that I was taking brought my confidence up," Chavez said.

It seems said confidence will only go up from here, especially after what Chavez was able to accomplish in leading Oklahoma past South Carolina.

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Robin Lundberg
ROBIN LUNDBERG

Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!

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