Aaliyah Chavez, the top recruit in the 2025 class, isn’t new to this. But the first-year Oklahoma guard put up a signature performance in a 94-82 overtime win over No. 2 South Carolina on Thursday, announcing herself on the national stage.
Chavez dropped 26 points and made five three-pointers along with eight assists as the Sooners handed South Carolina its second loss of the season. She took over in overtime, scoring 15 of Oklahoma’s 19 points in the extra period plus one assist, accounting for 17 of her team’s overtime points to ice the Gamecocks.
UNCONSCIOUS 🔥@AALIYAH2CHAVEZ // 📺ESPN pic.twitter.com/hUKdXZ63PD
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_WBBall) January 23, 2026
Four of her threes came in overtime, catching fire that no team, even Dawn Staley’s South Carolina squad, could keep up with. Thursday’s 26-point night isn’t Chavez’s first big game—her career high is 33 points in an overtime win over NC State—but the magnitude of the upset and overtime outburst puts the performance in a league of its own.
DAGGER 😴@AALIYAH2CHAVEZ // 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/bkvxlcNMD1
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_WBBall) January 23, 2026
According to ESPN, she joined Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Hannah Hidalgo as the only freshman players to average at least 18 points, four assists and four rebounds per game over the last 10 seasons. Not bad company, as Chavez averages 18.8 points, 4.1 assists, 4 rebounds and 1.8 steals a night with 10 games left in her first season at Oklahoma.
Chavez’s big night helped the No. 16 Sooners advance to 15-4 on the year and snap a three-game losing streak with a statement win. Oklahoma hasn’t had an easy start to its SEC schedule, losing to ranked Ole Miss, Kentucky and LSU over the last three games. The road doesn’t get any easier with No. 4 Texas and No. 5 Vanderbilt ahead, but anything is possible for the Sooners with its star freshman who just silenced one of the best teams in the nation.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Aaliyah Chavez Announces Herself With Dominant OT Performance vs. South Carolina.
