South Carolina women's basketball: Joyce Edwards posts a double-double and the Gamecocks shut down the Aggies

Joyce Edwards had 19 points and 10 rebounds and South Carolina stifled Texas A&M for a 90-49 win in its first game without Ashlyn Watkins.

Watkins tore her ACL on Sunday against Mississippi State and is out for the season. She is South Carolina best defensive player and shot-blocker, but at least for one game, it didn’t matter. 

“I think we were locked in. We understood they are a very physical team,” Dawn Staley said. “If you give it back to them, it can cause some disruption.”

South Carolina held Texas A&M to a season-low 49 points on a season-low 28% shooting. Texas A&M didn’t reach 40 points until 2:40 left in the game, when both teams had their reserves in the game.

“They didn’t let us get to our spots and we just conceded,” Taylor said. “I thought they punched us in the mouth and we didn’t punch back. We just conceded to, I’m not open.”

Aicha Coulibaly, who has been a thorn in South Carolina’s side going back to her Auburn days, scored the first six points for Texas A&M to give the Aggies a 6-4 lead. 

South Carolna tightened up its defense on Coulibaly, and then Chloe Kitts and Joyce Edwards combined to score the next eight points to give South Carolina the lead for good. Tessa Johnson added a pair of free throws to make it a 10-0 run.

South Carolina led 25-10 after the first quarter. Texas A&M recovered defensively in the second quarter, holding South Carolina to just 12 points. But the Aggies offense never found any sort of rhythm of its own. 

The Aggies went scoreless over the final 6:25 of the first half. The Gamecocks scored nine points during that span to stretch their lead to 37-17 at halftime. The second half began the same way. 

Coulibaly made the only Aggie basket during the first six minutes of the third quarter, and the Gamecocks extends their run to 24-2. Texas A&M missed 21 of 22 field goals during that stretch and didn’t attempt a single free throw.

By then, South Carolina had its offensive rhythm. The Gamecocks scored 53 points in the second half and shot 53%. Six Gamecocks hit double figures scoring. 

“They did whatever they wanted to do, and that was disappointing to see,”Joni Taylor said. “They’re very good and if you let them pass and catch and move and flow you’re in for a long night. I thought in the third and fourth quarter we weren’t aggressive.”

Edwards led the way with 19 points and 10 rebounds, collecting her second career double-double. It was just her second career game with double-digit rebounds, but Edwards said she wasn’t trying to do anything different with Watkins out. 

“I just let the game come to me today. The offense was flowing, the defense was pretty good,” she said. “I don’t feel any pressure when it comes to Ashlyn. I feel like everybody is stepping up. You don’t try to fill in her position, you just do what you do.”

[USC-Texas WBB: Win tickets, parking]

Staley, on the other hand, sees something different in Edwards.

“Joyce has probably personally elevated her game. Her practices, there’s a little more oomph to them,” Staley said. “I think Joyce feels the absence of Ashlyn. Although I didn’t say give us more, she’s taken it upon herself to give more and do more and to prepare herself for moments like these. She was relentless on the boards.”

MiLaysia Fulwiley chipped in 17 points. Sania Feagin added 12 points. Chloe Kitts and Tessa Johnson had 11 points. Kitts added seven rebounds, and Johnson had five rebounds and four assists. Bree Hall rounded out the group with 10 points.

Maryam Dauda, Adhel Tac, and Sakima Walker got playing time in Watkins’ absence. Dauda made an appearance in the first quarter and finished with two points, a rebound, and a block in nine minutes. Tac had a foul and turnover in five minutes. Walker had four points, including an impressive hook shot, a rebound, and a strong block in eight minutes. 

Staley was happy with what she saw from the trio, particularly Dauda.

“Maryam is coming,” Staley said. “There are spurts when she looks really good, and then there are spurts where she looks rusty.”

Notes:

Maddy McDaniel and Ashlyn Watkins were listed as out and did not play. McDaniel was able to attend the game and go through shootaround. She hadn’t attended the last three games. … Sakima Walker was active and played for the first time since Iowa State. … All 11 available Gamecocks played. All but Raven Johnson and Adhel Tac scored. … South Carolina hit 18-21 Free throws. Texas A&M was just 5-8. … Even without Watkins, South Carolina blocked nine shots. Feagin and Fulwiley each had two. … Former Gamecock assistant Darius Taylor, who is married to Texas A&M coach Joni Taylor, sat behind the A&M bench. Taylor is also the general manager of the Connecticut Sun. … Dawn Staley’s outfit: Staley wore a tan sweater and slacks with a white shirt. Joni Taylor wore a black leather dress. … Announced attendance was 15,479. … South Carolina’s next game is Sunday against Texas.

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