This version of MiLaysia Fulwiley changes everything. This showing from the sophomore point guard was one you had no choice but to turn your head at.

And if you’re Dawn Staley, no choice but to put all your trust in.

South Carolina women’s basketball overwhelmed Oklahoma 101-60 in its best offensive showing of the season, a nearly flawless performance with just six turnovers, five players scoring in double-figures and a 19-point lead by the end of the first quarter.

The Gamecocks were at their absolute best and nobody — certainly not Oklahoma — was getting in the way of that train barreling down the tracks.

“A lot of coaches have a vision for how they want their teams to play,” Staley said. “And that was it.”

Sunday’s never-ending highlight reel peaked in two moments, back-to-back possessions in the final minute of a dizzying first quarter. First, a zip down the floor between Fulwiley, Chloe Kitts and Raven Johnson, a three-on-one fastbreak which saw Kitts feed the ball to Johnson before she tossed an alley-oop to Fulwiley for a lay-up in mid-air.

On the next trip down, Fulwiley got a full clearout on her side of the court and buried a deep 3-pointer at the first quarter buzzer. It was the end of a nearly perfect quarter, an exclamation point on her start to the night and an electrifying moment in front of a sold out crowd.

“What I was thinking about was oh, she’s [Oklahoma’s defender] backing up,” Fulwiley said laughing. “I might as well shoot. I can’t get taken out of the game, because it’s a buzzer-beater.”

In a vacuum it was three points in a 41-point win, but it was a microcosm of Fulwiley’s growing confidence and performance level after a sluggish start to the season. She entered the season with every expectation imaginable after her dazzling freshman season, and then had more turnovers than assists in six of South Carolina’s first 11 games, all while her scoring average hovered below last season’s mark.

How do you get from that point to a place where Staley trusts Fulwiley enough to tell the other four players on the floor to back away and let her make the decision on the final possession of the first quarter?

“It’s been a steady climb,” Staley said. “Since probably our Mississippi State game, it’s been a climb for Lay. That doesn’t mean that she’s not going to go back to a different place; that’s part of the process. But it [her struggles] hasn’t happened in a couple games, and that’s growth.”

There is nothing wrong with jacking up a 30-foot 3-pointer on a clearout, as long as you are playing defense at the other end. A flashy, jumpy, crowd-popping layup is fine, as long as you’re taking care of the ball more than you’re giving it up.

Fulwiley finished Sunday with a career-high seven assists and only one turnover, all while scoring 15 points attacking the defensive challenge head on with two blocks, a steal and solid off-ball work.

“It always makes me feel good when I play on both sides of the floor,” Fulwiley said. “It motivates me to want to do a little bit more, and today was one of those days. I felt like I had more in my tank, and I honestly didn’t think I even played as good as I could have.

“I love defense. I’m starting to find my love for defense, and I’m excited to see how far I go with it.”

Fulwiley showed the closest version of herself to last year’s player yet this season, and the Gamecocks knocked the No. 13 team in the country out of the game in one quarter. On a team full of greatness, she is the separator to that next cut above, the difference between a big win and a ‘wait, they won by how much?’ win.

“I’m proud of her,” Staley said. ‘Because I ask her to be a little more disciplined while giving her the freedom to do whatever she needs to do.”

She looks like the same player as last season again. Her team might end up with the same result, too.

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