South Carolina blows out Oklahoma, advances to 6th straight Elite Eight
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South Carolina women’s basketball is in its golden age under the continued mastery of head coach Dawn Staley, winning national championships in 2017, 2022 and 2024.
On Saturday afternoon, the powerhouse Gamecocks continued their drive toward a possible 4th national crown with a 94-68 victory over SEC rival Oklahoma in the Regional 4 in Sacramento semifinals. It was South Carolina‘s 6th straight berth in the Elite Eight, all under the legendary Staley, and it set up a regional final on Monday night (9 p.m. ET, ESPN) against the winner of Saturday’s second regional semifinal between No. 10 seed Virginia and No. 3 seed TCU.
The Gamecocks have steamrolled their way to a 34-3 record and are the No. 1 seed in the Sacramento region. Meanwhile, No. 4 seed Oklahoma saw its stellar season come to a sudden and brutal end at 26-8, with the Sooners falling behind by 10 points after the 1st quarter and 19 at halftime.
It made the second half a mere formality for the Gamecocks, who blazed away with 51% shooting from the field and an astounding 71% from 3-point territory. South Carolina shared the ball really well, too, piling up 21 assists, and it smothered Oklahoma all afternoon, forcing 15 Sooner turnovers.
Ta’Niya Latson led the high-octane Gamecocks with 28 points, making all 4 of her 3-point attempts, Raven Johnson added 18 points, and Madina Okot dominated the boards, pulling down 12 rebounds to go with her 9 points.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma struggled all day offensively, shooting just 39% from the field and 30% from 3-point range. Aaliyah Chavez led the Sooners with 21 points but needed 21 shots to get those points.
It was another dominant performance from Staley’s team, which pounded Southern, 103-34, in the first round before taking out USC, 101-61, in the second round to book its trip to the Sweet 16. Now, it’s going to the Elite Eight yet again, with another trip to the Final Four in its sights and a shot at that 4th national title.
With South Carolina safely through to yet another Elite Eight, here is what the Kalshi market is currently seeing for the odds of the remaining teams to win the national championship:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
