Fulwiley keys fast start for No. 2 South Carolina in 101-60 rout of No. 13 Oklahoma
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 15 points and dominated early with her athleticism as No. 2 South Carolina pounded No. 13 Oklahoma 101-60 on Sunday.
Fulwiley finished an acrobatic midair assist from Raven Johnson, swiped a ball near Oklahoma’s bench that she turned into a one-handed, over-the-head feed to Bree Hall for a layup, and sunk a 30-foot 3-pointer to beat the buzzer — all in the first quarter.
The Gamecocks (18-1, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) outscored the Sooners (15-4, 3-3) 28-9 in the opening period and never looked back.
Sooners All-America center Raegan Beers, listed as a game-time decision, started and finished with 23 points and eight rebounds. Payton Verhulst, coming off a 38-point game in a win over Missouri, only scored three.
Joyce Edwards led South Carolina with 17 points.
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, two days after signing a contract that makes her the highest-paid coach in the history of women’s basketball, stretched her streaks to 53 straight SEC regular-season wins and 68 straight wins at Colonial Life Arena.
Takeaways
Oklahoma: The Sooners tried to run past the Gamecocks in transition before figuring out it played right into South Carolina’s hands.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks are three games through a five-game stretch against ranked opponents. They have won them all by an average of 25.3 points.
Key moment
Maryam Dauda made a 3-pointer to give South Carolina a 16-6 lead in the first quarter. It was only her fourth 3 of the year and it signaled a long day ahead for Oklahoma.
Key stat
The Sooners are the worst team in the SEC at turning the ball over. Their 22 giveaways on Sunday led to 32 South Carolina points.
Up next
Oklahoma: Hosts Georgia next Sunday.
South Carolina: Hosts No. 5 LSU on Thursday.
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