Ta’Niya Latson Shines to Lift South Carolina Gamecocks Past Oklahoma Sooners to Advance to Elite Eight

Jacob Perrine
South Carolina Gamecocks guard Raven Johnson (25) takes a shot against the Oklahoma Sooners in the Sweet Sixteen game of the Sacramento Regional 4 of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament.

There’s dominant, and then there’s whatever word you want to use to describe the South Carolina Gamecocks as they handily beat the Oklahoma Sooners in a 94-68 finish to advance to the Elite Eight for the 6th straight year.

Gamecocks Offense Thrives and Defense Locks Down in Win

Although the game was pegged to be a close one coming into today, the Gamecocks controlled every aspect of it from the opening tip to the final buzzer. South Carolina would jump out to a sizable 23-13 lead in the first quarter and would not relinquish control from that point on, as they piled their lead as high as 29 points in the game. The Gamecocks would never trail for one second of game time, as they clamped down defensively on a very good Sooners offense.

The Gamecocks’ offense was spearheaded by star senior Ta’Niya Latson, who put together a masterful day on that end of the floor for South Carolina. The Florida State transfer finished with a game-high 28 points on a super-efficient 7 for 11 shooting from the floor, and 10 for 10 from the free-throw line. Latson would score all of those points in just 29 minutes of play, as she kept her foot on the pedal on offense during her short playing time today.

The Gamecocks would share the wealth everywhere on offense in the game, as 9 players would score at least once in the game, with 4 players also finishing in double figures. South Carolina would receive another nice performance from Raven Johnson, who would finish the game as the second-leading scorer for the Gamecocks with 18 points in the win. South Carolina would shoot 51% from the field and 71% from three for the game.

Dawn Staley Continues to Build an Impeccable Hall of Fame Resume

Since arriving in Columbia to take over for a struggling South Carolina program back in 2009, it’s been nothing but unbridled success for head coach Dawn Staley to this point. Following this latest win in the NCAA tournament, Staley became the first-ever women’s college basketball head coach to reach six straight Elite Eights.

Yes, you read that correctly, Staley did something that not even the greatest coaches in women’s basketball history like Geno Auriemma or Pat Summit have ever achieved. If Staley can lead the Gamecocks to another final four appearance with a win on Monday, she will become the 6th head coach to reach 8 or more final fours ever.

Oklahoma’s Fantastic Season Comes to a Crushing Close

While it isn’t the ending the Sooners wanted after coming into the season with heightened expectations following a Sweet Sixteen appearance last season, Oklahoma fans can hold their heads high after another successful season under head coach Jennie Baranczyk. The Sooners have seen some of their best success in years since Baranczyk was hired back in 2021, as she’s led Oklahoma to back-to-back Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2009.

Of course, to get far in the tournament, not only does your team have to play at its best, but the best players have to bring their A-game, and the Sooners came up flat at the worst possible time. The only player to leave somewhat of an impact in the blowout loss was Aaliyah Chavez, who led the team with 21 points but would shoot an inefficient 8 for 21 as she tried to kickstart the Sooners’ ice-cold offense.

South Carolina Set to Face TCU for a Trip to the Final Four

Although this game didn’t live up to expectations in terms of excitement, the Elite Eight game between South Carolina and TCU on Monday should more than make up for it. The Horned Frogs are coming off a close win over the Virginia Cavaliers earlier today. Both teams rank in the top 10 in offense in the nation, while also sporting a top 10 nationally ranked defense as well. Monday night’s game should prove to be a fun one in Sacramento.