The Oklahoma Sooners finally got a win that meant more.
The Sooners thumped South Carolina 82-62 on Saturday afternoon at Lloyd Noble Center. It was OU's first-ever SEC win in men's basketball history after joining the conference this year.
OU had started its SEC era 0-4 until the win against the Gamecocks ended the four-game losing streak. That came after the Sooners jolted the season with 13 straight wins in nonconference play.
South Carolina on Saturday kept things close in the first half, with the Sooners holding only a narrow 34-30 lead at halftime. The Gamecocks then at least started the second half even stronger with a 3-pointer then a 3-point play take their first lead of the game, 38-36.
Things went back and forth for the next five minutes until freshman Jeremiah Fears gave OU a 49-47 lead with 14:23 left, and the Sooners took control from there.
OU eventually piled on a 13-0 run to put things away and make the score look much worse than what it actually was early in the game.
For the second straight game, Jalon Moore led the Sooners in scoring, this time with 22 points and eight rebounds. Moore scored 29 points in a loss against Texas on Wednesday night.
Also like Wednesday night, Fears was second on the team with 16 points. Moore and Fears had more help on Saturday than they did Wednesday, though. Kobe Elvis came off the bench and added 12, while the other three starters -- Sam Godwin, Duke Miles and Brycen Goodine -- all dished in six points apiece.
The win was a huge relief for Porter Moser & Co. to get back in the win column and finally get one in SEC action. The Sooners' NCAA Tournament odds took a major blow in the last two weeks during their losing streak. A loss to South Carolina, which is probably the worst team in the SEC, likely would have ripped up OU's ticket to the Big Dance.
The Sooners have another good chance to chalk a second straight win and get rolling against Arkansas on Saturday. The Razorbacks are struggling at 11-7 and have lost five in a row. The Razorbacks and South Carolina are the only SEC teams left still without a conference win.
OU also doesn't have a midweek game so gets extra time to rest and practice between now and the trip to Arkansas. The Razorbacks will play No. 23 Georgia before on Wednesday night.