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PHOENIX — One year ago Joyce Edwards sat at the podium after losing the national championship with South Carolina.
A year later, the only thing that changed was Edwards sat in the locker room, not in the press conference.
The Gamecocks (36-4) lost 79-51 to UCLA on April 5, marking the second straight season coach Dawn Staley's group has crumbled in the title game. Last year it was against UConn.
"Obviously we failed last year, failed this year, so hopefully next year is a different story," Edwards said.
The 6-foot-3 sophomore finished with eight points, well below her 19.2 average, on 3-of-10 shooting with 11 rebounds.
UCLA's Lauren Betts, a senior 6-foot-7 center, provided 14 points and 11 rebounds, dominating inside to take home her first championship.
The Gamecocks finished 18-of-62 (29%) from the floor, but even when Betts was off the floor and UCLA had cold shooting streaks, the Gamecocks never capitalized.
Effort for loose balls was minimal and on both ends UCLA attacked the glass, outrebounding the Gamecocks 49-37.
It wasn't all on Edwards and she wasn't even the main defensive matchup for Betts. Madina Okot, who is 6-foot-6, finished with six points on 3-of-9 shooting with three rebounds. Okot led the SEC with 10.6 rebounds per game.
South Carolina players not named Tessa Johnson finished just 12-of-50 from the floor (24%).
All five starters for the Bruins scored in double figures to create 40 fast break points (28 for Gamecocks) and 40 points in the paint. The Gamecocks allowed 25 second-chance points.
For Edwards, leading this South Carolina team meant carrying it through the hiccups. She was just one of two starters to never miss a game after losing two veterans in Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins before the season started.
Staley lost six other players to injury and illnesses during the season.
Edwards was at the center of a frontcourt that saw Okot through some growing pains and added a new player from France in Alicia Tournebize.
"This is a completely different team than South Carolina ever had before," Edwards said. "Always fighting injuries but we made it here, a lot of people think we wouldn't have made it here. We came close to the goal we really wanted to achieve."
In some ways her job will get easier next season. Kitts and Watkins are both set to return, but Edwards is still just one of three players returning who played in both losses.
"You just got to get better," Edwards said of the message between now and the season opener. "Obviously you get a little break. We've been playing basketball for a while, it's been a really long season but when you come back, you gotta be better than what you were before."
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Joyce Edwards on 2 South Carolina title-game losses in two seasons
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A year later, the only thing that changed was Edwards sat in the locker room, not in the press conference.
The Gamecocks (36-4) lost 79-51 to UCLA on April 5, marking the second straight season coach Dawn Staley's group has crumbled in the title game. Last year it was against UConn.
"Obviously we failed last year, failed this year, so hopefully next year is a different story," Edwards said.
The 6-foot-3 sophomore finished with eight points, well below her 19.2 average, on 3-of-10 shooting with 11 rebounds.
UCLA's Lauren Betts, a senior 6-foot-7 center, provided 14 points and 11 rebounds, dominating inside to take home her first championship.
The Gamecocks finished 18-of-62 (29%) from the floor, but even when Betts was off the floor and UCLA had cold shooting streaks, the Gamecocks never capitalized.
Effort for loose balls was minimal and on both ends UCLA attacked the glass, outrebounding the Gamecocks 49-37.
It wasn't all on Edwards and she wasn't even the main defensive matchup for Betts. Madina Okot, who is 6-foot-6, finished with six points on 3-of-9 shooting with three rebounds. Okot led the SEC with 10.6 rebounds per game.
South Carolina players not named Tessa Johnson finished just 12-of-50 from the floor (24%).
All five starters for the Bruins scored in double figures to create 40 fast break points (28 for Gamecocks) and 40 points in the paint. The Gamecocks allowed 25 second-chance points.
For Edwards, leading this South Carolina team meant carrying it through the hiccups. She was just one of two starters to never miss a game after losing two veterans in Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins before the season started.
Staley lost six other players to injury and illnesses during the season.
Edwards was at the center of a frontcourt that saw Okot through some growing pains and added a new player from France in Alicia Tournebize.
"This is a completely different team than South Carolina ever had before," Edwards said. "Always fighting injuries but we made it here, a lot of people think we wouldn't have made it here. We came close to the goal we really wanted to achieve."
In some ways her job will get easier next season. Kitts and Watkins are both set to return, but Edwards is still just one of three players returning who played in both losses.
"You just got to get better," Edwards said of the message between now and the season opener. "Obviously you get a little break. We've been playing basketball for a while, it's been a really long season but when you come back, you gotta be better than what you were before."
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Joyce Edwards on 2 South Carolina title-game losses in two seasons
Continue reading...
