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TAMPA, Fla. — It wasn't fully quiet in Amalie Arena, but the cheers were far away across the gym, and those standing up with enthusiastic smiles and claps were donning burnt orange and white.
Defending national champion and No. 1 seed South Carolina women's basketball (35-3) trailed 8-2 to No. 1 Texas when freshman forward Joyce Edwards jogged to the scorer's table.
Greatness was everywhere. A'ja Wilson, the most decorated player in program history, was inches away from the bench. Aliyah Boston, another forward whose name fills the program's history books, was just two rows back.
Edwards turned back to look at Boston and smiled.
In the seven first-quarter minutes Edwards played, she scored six of her 13 points. By the start of the second quarter, South Carolina trailed only 19-18 after trailing 12-4.
Edwards dominated and the freshman's double-double − she also had 11 rebounds − helped the Gamecocks advance to their second consecutive national title game on Sunday (3 p.m., ABC) with a 74-57 win over the Longhorns (35-4). South Carolina will play UConn (36-3), which crushed UCLA 85-51 in the other semifinal.
Edwards also had three blocks and six assists and drew six fouls.
Coming into Friday, the scouting reports for both sides screamed defense but begged for offense, as neither team had a particular strong offensive showing throughout the Birmingham Regionals.
Edwards leads South Carolina in scoring with 13 points per game, but after putting up 22 points against Tennessee Tech in the Gamecocks' NCAA tournament opener March 21, she failed to score six or more in their next three March Madness games.
"I feel I was more definitive," Edwards said. "More open-minded, giving what the game gave me, not overthinking, not second-guessing, just going."
Edwards is typically the first player off the bench, but Friday it came with extra pressure. Not only was the freshman playing in her first Final Four game, but Texas had the height advantage in the paint. When the Longhorns defeated South Carolina 66-62 in Austin on Feb. 9, Staley said the reason Edwards (and Chloe Kitts) didn't play in the fourth was because they couldn't guard Texas' post players.
She had to score to get out of a mental and statistical funk, but defending and taking away post options was just as critical.
"It's comforting just knowing I was gonna bounce back," Edwards said. "It wasn't an if, it was a when. So I'm happy it was (Friday).
Texas' post players didn't have the speed to match what Edwards could do with the ball. Her footwork and improvisation with the ball is tough to defend, something Wilson applauded her for in February.
In an attempt to halt any offensive flow, Texas tightly face-guarded South Carolina's guards, which meant Edwards brought the ball up and was forced to dribble outside the arc. Although she had eight turnovers in the previous three games, she was strong with the ball and didn't rush into forced passes. As Kyla Oldacre and Taylor Jones sagged off, Edwards got an extra step that allowed her to go to work.
REQUIRED READING: Why Dawn Staley is unlikely to call timeout in Final Four. South Carolina players love her for it
South Carolina scored 40 points in the paint compared to Texas' 22 and Oldacre and Jones finished with only four each.
"I don't want to put that much pressure on her, but that's what she's been doing all season long," Staley said. "When she doesn't get her average, when she doesn't fly around out there, we feel it. ... I thought she took her time. She didn't seem pressed. She uses her athleticism, her strength and her ability to direct line drive. Her game was very lean today, and we love to see that."
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Freshman Joyce Edwards delivers for South Carolina, Dawn Staley vs Texas
Continue reading...
Defending national champion and No. 1 seed South Carolina women's basketball (35-3) trailed 8-2 to No. 1 Texas when freshman forward Joyce Edwards jogged to the scorer's table.
Greatness was everywhere. A'ja Wilson, the most decorated player in program history, was inches away from the bench. Aliyah Boston, another forward whose name fills the program's history books, was just two rows back.
Edwards turned back to look at Boston and smiled.
In the seven first-quarter minutes Edwards played, she scored six of her 13 points. By the start of the second quarter, South Carolina trailed only 19-18 after trailing 12-4.
Edwards dominated and the freshman's double-double − she also had 11 rebounds − helped the Gamecocks advance to their second consecutive national title game on Sunday (3 p.m., ABC) with a 74-57 win over the Longhorns (35-4). South Carolina will play UConn (36-3), which crushed UCLA 85-51 in the other semifinal.
Edwards also had three blocks and six assists and drew six fouls.
Coming into Friday, the scouting reports for both sides screamed defense but begged for offense, as neither team had a particular strong offensive showing throughout the Birmingham Regionals.
Edwards leads South Carolina in scoring with 13 points per game, but after putting up 22 points against Tennessee Tech in the Gamecocks' NCAA tournament opener March 21, she failed to score six or more in their next three March Madness games.
"I feel I was more definitive," Edwards said. "More open-minded, giving what the game gave me, not overthinking, not second-guessing, just going."
Edwards is typically the first player off the bench, but Friday it came with extra pressure. Not only was the freshman playing in her first Final Four game, but Texas had the height advantage in the paint. When the Longhorns defeated South Carolina 66-62 in Austin on Feb. 9, Staley said the reason Edwards (and Chloe Kitts) didn't play in the fourth was because they couldn't guard Texas' post players.
She had to score to get out of a mental and statistical funk, but defending and taking away post options was just as critical.
"It's comforting just knowing I was gonna bounce back," Edwards said. "It wasn't an if, it was a when. So I'm happy it was (Friday).
Texas' post players didn't have the speed to match what Edwards could do with the ball. Her footwork and improvisation with the ball is tough to defend, something Wilson applauded her for in February.
In an attempt to halt any offensive flow, Texas tightly face-guarded South Carolina's guards, which meant Edwards brought the ball up and was forced to dribble outside the arc. Although she had eight turnovers in the previous three games, she was strong with the ball and didn't rush into forced passes. As Kyla Oldacre and Taylor Jones sagged off, Edwards got an extra step that allowed her to go to work.
REQUIRED READING: Why Dawn Staley is unlikely to call timeout in Final Four. South Carolina players love her for it
South Carolina scored 40 points in the paint compared to Texas' 22 and Oldacre and Jones finished with only four each.
"I don't want to put that much pressure on her, but that's what she's been doing all season long," Staley said. "When she doesn't get her average, when she doesn't fly around out there, we feel it. ... I thought she took her time. She didn't seem pressed. She uses her athleticism, her strength and her ability to direct line drive. Her game was very lean today, and we love to see that."
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Freshman Joyce Edwards delivers for South Carolina, Dawn Staley vs Texas
Continue reading...
