TAMPA, Fla. — Joyce Edwards hadn't performed to her potential for most of South Carolina's run to the Final Four.
The freshman forward, who emerged as the No. 1 seed Gamecocks' leading scorer this season, averaged just five points per game after scoring 22 in a lopsided first-round matchup with Tennessee Tech. She wasn't a force on the court as her team won by slim margins through the second round, Sweet 16 and Elite Eight of the women's NCAA Tournament.
But from the moment Edwards subbed into the Final Four matchup with No. 1 Texas (35-4) at Amalie Arena on Friday, the Gamecocks (35-3) started getting her looks.
Edwards looked comfortable, unshaken by her low-scoring performances that preceded the biggest game yet of her young career. And she led South Carolina with a 74-57 win over Texas, giving the Gamecocks a chance to become the first repeat national champions since UConn in 2016. She ended the night with 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in the first Final Four of her career.
South Carolina will play for the title Sunday against the winner of Friday night's game between UCLA and UConn.
"Hello, Miss Joyce Edwards," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said during a postgame interview on the ESPN broadcast. "I know it had to feel good for her to see that ball go in. I’m so proud of her defense and her passing. We got to her skillset, because she has all of things. It’s just when you are pressing, you can’t see anything and you are moving too fast. She slowed down and took a beat here and there and she made the right basketball plays."
Edwards spent the last three games looking like a freshman for the first time all season, and she learned in real time to meet the moment for South Carolina.
Edwards fueled an 11-0 run late in the third quarter to give South Carolina a 17-point lead. She went coast-to-coast after grabbing the defensive rebound, and she was completely focused as she dribbled down the court.
She didn't hesitate or question herself as she dribbled through traffic and finished strong at the rim. Edwards gave the Gamecocks a 54-41 lead, its largest of the night at that point, then came up big again a minute later, grabbing an offensive rebound that resulted in a Tessa Johnson jumper for a 58-41 lead.
By the end of the third quarter, Edwards already had a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) and led South Carolina with four assists.
Edwards' rebounding in particular helped the Gamecocks swing momentum. They outrebounded the Longhorns 13-5 in the third quarter when they pulled away.
South Carolina ended up crushing Texas on the boards 36-28 and held the Longhorns to nine second-chance points. Texas had eight offensive rebounds, nearly half the 15.4 averaged during the season, and Edwards had eight defensive rebounds.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joyce Edwards' game is back, South Carolina goes to NCAA Championship
