Relief is probably not an emotion most would associate with South Carolina women’s basketball’s first round victory in the NCAA Tournament.

The Gamecocks had as stress-free a game as imaginable, taking a 21-point lead in the first quarter and winning 108-48 over Tennessee Tech to advance into the second round.

But for one Gamecock, it was nothing but relief.

“I’m actually here,” a beaming Maryam Dauda said after playing in her first career NCAA Tournament game. “But also it was just stepping on the court for the first time, actually. saying that I played in my first NCAA Tournament or winning in my first NCAA Tournament game."

Dauda was one of four Gamecocks who made their NCAA Tournament debut on Friday. On a team loaded with experience, with a senior class trying to win its third National Championship in four seasons, these players are something of a rare commodity.

Joyce Edwards, of course, took the headlines. South Carolina’s leading scorer is a true freshman. As dominant as she plays and smooth as she looks, it is easy to forget she was at Camden High School at this time last year. And yes, Friday was her first opportunity to take the biggest stage.

She was the first player off Dawn Staley’s bench, and ripped off eight points before the end of the first quarter. Edwards finished the game with 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting, again leading her team.

“I would say I'm nervous before every game,” Edwards said. “You know, every game you come in, you don't really know what to expect, so once you get your first bucket or your first rebounds, the nerves settle down. [I was] just excited to play in the NCAA Tournament. You know, this is why we come here.”

Dauda’s numbers were not nearly as high, but the excitement was there all the same. Nobody embodies the mentality of coming to South Carolina to play in the tournament than her, the Arkansas native and former Razorback who transferred away from home for games like this.

She scored four points and grabbed four rebounds in nine minutes of action and was thrilled just to be in the mix.

"I'll keep the sign with my nameplate on it,” Dauda said. “Just a momento, something like that.”

Maddy McDaniel and Adhel Tac rounded out the newcomers, and Tac in particular has been waiting a long time for this moment. She was around last March as an early enrollee, but unable to play as she recovered from a torn ACL. She watched the Gamecocks run the gauntlet and win a National Championship, eager to be part of it a year later.

Her minutes are still sparing, as you would expect for a freshman. She was the last player to enter the game, finally doing so late in the third quarter with the outcome well in hand.

But she scored on her first touch, and ended up with six points total. Every basket, rebound and move drew cheers from her teammates, thrilled to finally see her get on the board. The same goes for McDaniel, who only scored two points but tacked on three assists and played 18 minutes.

“It felt pretty great, honestly,” Tac said. “I didn't want to come into the game with any expectations. I just wanted to play my game, so I went into the [third] quarter not expecting myself to do anything.”

Once Sunday’s game against Indiana tips off, this one will be old news. Nobody is going to remember South Carolina's NCAA Tournament run for its performance against Tennessee Tech, nor would the Gamecocks themselves want that to be the case.

But for four, this will always be the first one. The jitters are gone, the awe of playing in March Madness is now an old experience and it is just basketball.

What a relief.

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