How South Carolina star Joyce Edwards showed Dawn Staley she can do more than score

COLUMBIA — When Joyce Edwards scored her 27th point against Penn State on Dec. 14, she didn’t know she was nearing a career-high.

Three minutes later, a short jumper from the right corner swished in with 3:24 to play and Edwards had a new career-high 29 points for No. 3 South Carolina women’s basketball.

“I just do what I need to do to win,” Edwards said.

But her efforts in the 95-55 win went beyond the scoring column in coach Dawn Staley’s eyes. It was pure dominance in the paint, as South Carolina (10-1) had 60 points from inside. This is what Staley has been asking for from Edwards specifically.

“I do think we are working with her to just kind of be more than a scorer because she is one that can pretty much fill the stat sheet,” Staley said. “It wasn’t at (all) times where she did that. Now she’s aware of it and she’s executing.”

Joyce Edwards scores career-high 29 against Penn State

Edwards also had a career-high in steals with six, to go with five assists and four blocks, her sixth time scoring over 20 points this season and third with 25 or more.

South Carolina was without 6-foot-6 starting center Madina Okot, who was out with what Staley last said was sickness related, after she missed the second half Dec. 7.

“Joyce is going to play that way with Madina, without Madina,” Staley said. “If this game and a ball is being played, she’s going to play to the best of her ability. She’s just playing really loose and finding a way to impact the game through an entire stat line.”

Edwards had four rebounds, and South Carolina lost the battle on the boards 51-43. She came into the game averaging a team-high 19.4 points per game with 6.1 rebounds. Okot is averaging 11.1 rebounds.

“We want the rebound to be a little better, yes we do but the other stuff, the five assists, no turnovers, six steals, four blocks, that is who she is,” Staley said of Edwards.

Edwards set her previous career-high of 28 of Feb. 13, 2025, and finished her freshman season averaging 12.7 points. Before her career game against the Lady Lions (6-4), her numbers had already increased in scoring, rebounds (5.0 to 6.1), assists (1.2 to 2.9) and blocks (0.5 to 1.5).

The sophomore post was both unselfish and aggressive, not forcing her own shot too much but also recognizing that Penn State’s post players couldn’t keep up with her.

Just under seven minutes into the third quarter, Edwards missed a shot, followed it and punched out the offensive rebound that gave Raven Johnson a put-back bucket. Then Maddy McDaniel immediately picked off a pass the inbounds pass, pulled it back out and found Edwards sprinting towards the hoop.

When both defenders collapsed on Edwards, she hit McDaniel, who threw up a shot over a taller player for the score and foul.

“(My dad) always emphasizes me following my own shot,” Edwards said. “Nine times out of 10, I can usually tell where the ball is going when it leaves my hands. I knew exactly where the ball was going, I had to get there.”

South Carolina heads to Florida for the next two games, starting at USF on Dec. 18 (7 p.m., ESPN2).