Joyce Edwards should be familiar with big stages, given how much elite basketball she has played early in her life.
At the state level, she starred in multiple South Carolina High School League 3-A championship games, including two won by Camden High School during her junior and senior years. Edwards has already represented USA Basketball and claimed multiple gold medals in international competitions. And in her first season at South Carolina, she has featured in a number of nationally-televised contests.
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That stage only grows larger as regular season and conference tournament play transitions to the “Big Dance.” For Edwards, no matter the profile of the game, there will always be some level of nerves associated with it.
“I feel like I’m nervous before every game, so that doesn’t necessarily change,” Edwards said on Thursday.
She did not make those nerves visibly apparent in her NCAA Tournament debut – arguably, the biggest stage she has played on in her college basketball career. Edwards put up a strong individual performance in the Gamecocks’ 108-48 tournament-opening victory over Tennessee Tech, which set a single-game program record for scoring offense during March Madness.
“Every game, you come in, you don’t really know what to expect. So, once you get your first bucket or your first rebounds, the nerves settle down,” Edwards said. “(I’m) just excited to play in the NCAA Tournament. This is why we come here. (I’m) just making the most of my opportunity.”
Edwards got her first taste of postseason action during the SEC Tournament one week prior to Friday’s game. She recorded double-digit points in all three of South Carolina’s games, including a tournament-high 21 against Oklahoma. It was the fourth time she had eclipsed 20 points in a contest this season.
She repeated the feat against the Golden Eagles – and needed just three quarters to do so. Edwards finished with 22 points on 9-12 shooting, putting her six away from her career high. The game served as the 15th instance this year where she led South Carolina in scoring.
She did not score those points in large bunches, either – her production was consistent throughout the contest. By the end of the first quarter, she had already scored eight points and made three of her four baskets. Edwards totaled six points in each of the second and third quarters, before scoring just two in the fourth quarter in limited playing time.
Edwards’ offensive exploits provided the most eye-opening numbers of her NCAA Tournament debut. But she said she was proud of the effort she showed on both sides of the basketball.
“I know it’s hard for people to guard me, just in general, offensively. So, I was just happy that I was aggressive on offense, but also, solid on defense,” Edwards. “Being a two-way player is very important to me.”
Raven Johnson has familiarized herself with Edwards’ game since the two competed against each other in the AAU ranks. Johnson said Edwards’ desire to win fuels her to perform well when spotlights shine on her.
“Her IQ for the game is phenomenal,” Johnson said. “As a freshman, she’s a big leader of this team. Her standards are high, and we should expect that from her. We should expect a dominant performance from her because that’s what she wants, and that’s what she puts in work for and shows us in practice.”
Dawn Staley also praised Edwards for her strong showing in her first NCAA Tournament game. Edwards’ efficiency near the rim and ability to create space contributed to her scoring success, Staley said.
She added that Edwards is a player who, despite finding herself at the beginning of her college basketball career, finds a way to produce, no matter the circumstances surrounding the game.
“Joyce prepares herself extremely well for situations. Whatever the situation calls for, Joyce is right there. She’s able to make adjustments in real time,” Staley said. “Hopefully, she can continue to play that way as long as we have opportunities to play in the tournament.”
