South Carolina faced Mississippi State on Feb. 5 at Colonial Life Arena, and it was another dominant win after Texas A&M. But records were hit early in the quarters for the sophomore forward even before the game was complete.​

Joyce Edwards scored her 1,000th career point, making the milestone in the third quarter against Mississippi State. She reached the milestone in just 64 games, which is faster than A'ja Wilson, who hit 1,000 points in her 69th career game at the end of her sophomore season.

So now Edwards is the 5th person to score 1,000 points in womens college basketball legaue. First it was done by Katrina Anderson and she was the quickest. She reached the milestone in her 47th game in 1979. Following her was Beth Hunt (48 games), Denise Nanney (57 games), and Shannon Johnson (59 games) ahead of Edwards.

Not just that, but as a sophomore, Edwards is only the third in program history to reach 1,000 career points. And with this she joins Wilson and Sheila Foster in that elite club. 

She entered the game needing 18 points and didn't waste any time, scoring seven points in the first three minutes and finishing the first half with 13. In the game, she ended with 21 points in 24 minutes as South Carolina finished strong, defeating Mississippi 88-45. Edwards is a true player dominating the game this season.

Sophomore Sensation Leading Gamecocks

Edwards leads the No. 3 Gamecocks in 23-2, 9-1 SEC, scoring at 20.3 points per game. The 6-foot-3 forward's putting up 18 per SEC game, fresh off a 28-point explosion against Texas A&M on Feb. 2, including 14 in the fourth quarter.

It was her eighth time scoring over 25 and fifth double-double this season. When she playing her days as a freshman, she led the Gamecocks in scoring at 12.7 points per game. This sophomore forward now leads the team with  28.7% usage rating. And helping the gamecocks by making 1.06 points per play and 1.24 per scoring attempt. She's also second on the team in field-goal percentage at 59.9%. Which is right behind Madina Okot's 60.3%.

If one sees through Edwwards record from Dec., Edwards scored 25 points or more in multiple games. She's also made two 29-point games and a career-high 34 against USF on Dec. 18. Not just25 plus but also she's scored 20-plus in five of her nine SEC games. And amid all her performances she has also earned a place in the 2026 Katrina McClain Award Midseason Top 10. With her career scoring average of 15.6 points per game, she ranks 10th in program history despite being just a sophomore.

Edwards' ability to finish efficiently, shooting 8-of-11 from the field against Mississippi State, shows why she's become the focal point of South Carolina's offense.

Written by

Ishika Ghosh

Edited by

Joyita Das