LIVE FROM COLONIAL LIFE ARENA: Pao & Edwards PUT ON A SHOW in South Carolina’s Play 4 Kay Blowout!
COLUMBIA, S.C. – What a night for No. 4 South Carolina! The Gamecocks didn’t just bounce back from their loss to Texas—Te-Hina Paopao and Joyce Edwards made sure it was a statement win against Florida!
After combining for just 17 points in Sunday’s tough road loss, Paopao and Edwards exploded for 32 in the first half alone.
PAOPOA LIGHTS IT UP EARLY! The opening possession set the tone—49 seconds of patience before Paopao drilled a three to crack open the scoring. And she didn’t stop there. The senior guard was locked in, scoring or assisting on 14 of the next 20 points.
Head coach Dawn Staley couldn’t praise her enough:
“She’s an elevator, like she elevates our team,” Staley said.
Paopao was everywhere—dropping dimes, grabbing boards, and going a perfect 5-5 from the field, including four deep threes. That’s a season-high six assists and six rebounds before halftime!
Staley made it clear: “We want the ball in her hands … Pao just took more of an effort to play-make today and we need that.”
JOYCE EDWARDS RESPONDS IN A BIG WAY! Coming off a rough outing against Texas, the freshman sensation knew she had to “turn the page.” And she did it in dominant fashion!
Edwards scored eight of South Carolina’s last ten points in the first quarter and kept rolling into the second. By halftime, she had 18 points—more than her last two games combined!
“A loss really makes me lock in,” Edwards said. “You don’t know how tough you are until you get punched down.”
She kept her foot on the gas, dropping 10 more points in the second half on 50% shooting. When the Gamecocks needed a push heading into the fourth, Edwards delivered—six of the last eight points in the third came from her.
Coach Staley wasn’t surprised: “This is how she is as a human being. She wants to be the best at everything she does.”
HISTORY MADE! When the final buzzer sounded, Edwards had put her name in the record books—a career-high 28 points, making her the first freshman in Gamecock history to hit that mark in an SEC game.
She also became the first South Carolina freshman since Kelsey Bone (2009, 32 points) to drop that many in any game.
What a performance! South Carolina gets back on track, and with Pao and Edwards playing like this, the sky’s the limit for the Gamecocks.
