When South Carolina steamrolled past Iowa State at the Fort Myers Tip Off, their first game after losing to UCLA, there were a lot of positive takeaways for the Gamecocks. They won by 40 points—more than the 36 Iowa State put on the board—and 10 players contributed to their 76 points scored.
However, the brightest aspect of the game was Joyce Edwards’ performance. The freshman phenom was unstoppable. She earned her first career double-double and was a force of nature in the post. It was her, not Iowa State, that was spinning around like a cyclone inside the paint, wreaking havoc. Iowa State had no answer for her, and she went an efficient 6-for-8 from the field, finishing with 13 points, 11 boards and three steals.
After the win, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley commended Edwards’ game, saying:
This is the Joyce that we envision having. And sometimes it takes a little bit longer than we think it’s going to take because she’s so smart and she’s able to compete at the high highest level. But I hope she gains a lot of confidence from the way that we did it. She was really efficient, she rebounded the basketball, she was flying around, her defense was pretty darn good. She put together a complete game and I’m truly happy for her.
When playing for a program that…
