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OU falls to South Carolina in SEC Tournament semi-finals

headshotby: George Stoia03/08/25GeorgeStoia
NCAA Womens Basketball: SEC Conference Tournament Semifinal - South Carolina vs Oklahoma
Mar 8, 2025; Greenville, SC, USA; Oklahoma Sooners center Raegan Beers (52) goes up for a shot defended by South Carolina Gamecocks forward Chloe Kitts (21) and forward Sania Feagin (20) during the first half at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The winning streak has come to an end. No. 5 South Carolina snapped No. 10 OU’s nine-game winning streak on Saturday in the semi-finals of the SEC Tournament. The Gamecocks beat the Sooners 93-75.

Oklahoma played the tournament’s one-seed close for most of the first half. Four minutes before the half, OU trailed by just five. But South Carolina finished the half on a 14-2 run, taking a commanding 45-28 lead into halftime. The Sooners were able to cut the deficit to 10 in the third quarter, but the Gamecocks responded with a 9-0 run. OU would never get closer, losing by 18. The Sooners lost to South Carolina by 41 earlier this season.

A main reason for Oklahoma’s struggle was because of an off-game by center Raegan Beers. The All-SEC first-team selection was just 2-for-10 from the field with seven points. Beers got in foul trouble early, playing nearly the entire fourth quarter with four fouls. Guard Payton Verhulst was one of the lone bright spots for OU, totaling 15 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds. Sahara Williams added 14 points and Reyna Scott added 10.

OU struggled from beyond the arc, going 11-of-33. But where the Sooners really struggled was bench points. South Carolina’s bench outscored Oklahoma 56-20. OU also lost the battle in points in the paint, 50-26.

The Sooners will now shift their focus to the NCAA Tournament as they expect to host a regional as one of the top 16 seeds in the country.

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