UConn women’s basketball’s other star freshman Aaliyah Edwards has become one of the most valuable players in the NCAA Tournament

Against second-seeded Baylor in the Elite Eight on Monday, UConn women’s basketball freshman Aaliyah Edwards played the first eight minutes of the game before picking up her second foul. The Huskies led the Bears by five when she checked out of the game.

As Edwards sat for the entire second quarter, Baylor went on a 25-16 run, took the lead, scored 14 points in the paint and outrebounded UConn 14-13.

It’s unfair to put all of UConn’s second-quarter struggles on Edwards’ foul trouble — the Huskies shot just 4-for-12 from the field — but it is undeniable that when the freshman from Canada is on the court, UConn is better. That was true in the regular season where she averaged 10.2 points on 68% shooting and was named the Big East’s Sixth Woman of the Year and to the conference’s All-Freshman team.

She’s raised her game even more in the NCAA Tournament. Edwards is a plus-55 in the 107 minutes that she’s played and has averaged 14.5 points on 77% shooting. Her performance against Baylor (four points on 2-of-5 shooting) drags those metrics down, but she was a team-best plus-two in the 26 minutes of the 69-67 win.

Edwards scored 17 points against High Point on 8-of-10 shooting, 19 against Syracuse on 5-of-5 shooting (9-of-11 from the free throw line) and 18 points against Iowa on 9-of-11 shooting. While fellow freshman Paige Bueckers leads the team’s in scoring (22.5 points per game), Edwards has been the most efficient Husky in San Antonio.

“If it wasn’t for Aaliyah Edwards, we wouldn’t be here today. That kid has really added so much to our team. Her strength, her physicality, her toughness, her finishing around the basket.” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said after Saturday’s Sweet 16 win over Iowa. “To have a freshman like that, I can’t imagine what she’s going to look like in a couple years.”

The future is wildly promising for the 6-foot-3 forward who was the 23rd overall recruit in her class coming out of high school. Like Bueckers, Edwards plays with poise. Her efficiency numbers on offense aren’t just gimme layups that come because the defense is occupied elsewhere. She takes defenders one-on-one, sometimes one-on-two, and can outwork them.

Against Iowa, Edwards backed down Monika Czinano, a 6-foot-3 junior forward, for positioning in the post. UConn’s Evina Westbrook dumped the ball down to Edwards from the corner, and the freshman put it on the floor, took two dribbles to her right and spun around the first-team All-Big Ten honoree to bank in a layup.

A few plays later, Christyn Williams passed her the ball on the perimeter. She watched and waited as Westbrook positioned herself down low against a smaller Gabbie Marshall, and lobbed the pass into her. Westbrook laid it in, and Edwards picked up the assist. On UConn’s next offensive possession, Westbrook found Edwards again in the post. The freshman caught the ball in stride, spun and laid it in over Iowa’s Kate Martin.

Leading the Hawkeyes by 15 points in the third quarter, Edwards picked up a pass from Bueckers in the paint, shook off her defender and wormed her way under the basket where she was fouled and made the layup.

Her baskets have comes at crucial times, too. Tied with Baylor at 55-all in the fourth quarter on Monday, Edwards pulled down an offensive rebound over two Bears, cut to the left and went back up for a go-ahead layup.

Per HerHoopStats, Edwards leads the nation in field goal percentage (69.6%) though she hasn’t recorded enough field goal attempts to land on the NCAA’s official leaderboard. Her points per scoring attempt (1.39) is fourth in the country.

“Physical, big body down there just doing what she does, setting screens, and just making herself known down there,” Westbrook said following the Iowa game. “She’s not afraid of any contact from anybody. And she’s huge on the defensive end as well. And she does a lot of great things for us, has been doing a lot of great things for us, night in and night out, and as you’ve seen tonight in our previous games as well, so we’re so proud of her.”

She’s a physical presence on defense, too. Early in the first quarter against Iowa, she guarded Martin one-on-one. As the 6-foot Martin dribbled into the paint, Edwards kept her footing and backpedaled in lockstep with the guard. Martin rose up for a layup, but Edwards timed it perfectly, smothered her shot and knocked it out of bounds.

She’s one of 17 players in the country who averages better than five rebounds and has 25 blocks total on fewer than 22 minutes per game.

“Aaliyah has been probably one of our most improved players,” UConn assistant coach Chris Dailey said before the NCAA Tournament. “The more comfortable she gets, the better she plays. I think she’s worked on finishing around the basket. I think she’s working on her outside shot. She’s definitely our most physical banger. She’s also one of our quickest players. She’s able to defend post players, she can guard out on the perimeter as well. So she gives us a different dimension when she gets in there, both on the defensive end and on the offensive end.”

Edwards, who’s started in place for the injured Nika Muhl since the second round of the tournament, could do so again Friday against No 3 Arizona in the Final Four — a team that doesn’t boast much for size (the Wildcats’ tallest player who regularly plays is 6-2 junior Cate Reese).

“She’s a phenomonal player,” said Arizona’s Shaina Pellington, who’s played with Edwards on various Canadian national teams. “She’s very athletic four-five big post player. I think the key for that game is guarding her and making sure we slow her down and not letting her get to the rim as easily. Overall, she’s a fantastic player.”

Shawn McFarland can be reached at smcfarland@courant.com.