Dawn Staley compares 18yr old South Carolina star to Aliyah Boston, thinks she's found the future "best player in college basketball"

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley praised freshman Joyce Edwards after the team's crucial 66-56 win against No. 5 LSU on Friday. Staley noted similarities between the 18-year-old and former Gamecocks star and NCAA champion Aliyah Boston.

Edwards, who came off the bench, led the Gamecocks with 14 points along with four rebounds and one block. The No. 2 South Carolina's depth was on full display, as the bench players outscored LSU's reserves 31-2.

In the postgame press conference, Dawn Staley lauded the young player when speaking about the team's bench presence.

"You got Joyce. I mean, Joyce is — I’mma put it out there — Joyce is going to be the best player in college basketball one day," Staley said (12:30). "I say that only because of her work ethic, her intellect, and her want. She's highly motivated.

"I don't know if that's what she wants to do, but she's got it all. She's very much Aliyah [Boston] like when it comes to what she pours into her game. A lot of times basketball will repay you in such a way that you become the best player in the country."

For the third straight game, Edwards has emerged as a spark off the bench for the Gamecocks, cracking double-digit scoring in each contest against ranked opponents. She poured in a career-high 21 points against No. 19 Alabama last week and 17 points versus No. 15 Oklahoma on Sunday.

Dawn Staley praises South Carolina bench as the best in country

Dawn Staley, a three-time national champion coach, made it clear after the LSU win that her team's success is not solely attributed to the starting five.

The Gamecocks (19-1, 7-0 SEC) trailed the Tigers 21-22 in the first period, but the bench players, including Joyce Edwards, Tessa Johnson and MiLaysia Fulwiley provided a much-needed scoring punch to hand Kim Mulkey's team their first loss of the season.

"I always tell our bench like you're the number one bench in the country," Dawn Staley said postgame (11:47). "I got to let them know what they mean to our team.

"We don't win without the contributions in the first half of MiLaysia Fulwiley — she had it going, she was getting to the bucket, she was assisting. Then you come back, and Tessa hits the biggest shot of the game to me."

Johnson, a 6-foot sophomore guard, scored nine points and grabbed three rebounds, whereas Fulwiley chipped in eight points, three rebounds and three steals off the bench.