CLEVELAND – Ashlyn Watkins' texts to Dawn Staley were short and sweet.

"Come on, let's get this work in."

The South Carolina women's basketball coach got the text reminders once a week this season. She forgot a couple times, but Watkins didn't. And it wasn't just about a player getting in the gym extra.

It was Watkins accepting Staley's challenge. It was the sophomore forward showing she wanted to be a difference-maker for the Gamecocks. It was Watkins proving her commitment – and maybe more importantly, her trust in Staley.

It all paid off Friday when Watkins grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds in the No. 1 seed Gamecocks' dominant Final Four win over No. 3 seed NC State (31-7) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. South Carolina (37-0) won 78-59 to advance to the championship game Sunday (3 p.m., ABC), where it will face No. 1 seed Iowa (34-4).

"We don't win the game without her contributions," Staley said. "The X factor for me was Ashlyn Watkins, her ability to defend, her ability to rebound."

The weekly workouts were agreed upon at the beginning of the Gamecocks' undefeated season. Watkins wanted to start, but that wasn't how things worked out. Staley talked her through it; she didn't lie to her or sell her a false dream. But she told her what she could do about it, and it started with the workouts.

But Staley wouldn't text her first, she made Watkins text her. The onus was on her to prove she wanted it.

"She knew that it would take me to reach out to her," Watkins told Greenville News. "It would take me to want it. So that's what I did. I knew that I wanted it. I did want it."

Watkins sees the impact of her commitment. She knows her spots on the court. She looks to score because of those workouts. She feels more confident in the moves she has repeated over and over.

Watkins is one of nine Gamecocks to average at least 15 minutes per game this season. Her role is critical to their success, and starting doesn't matter. On Friday, Watkins played a team-high 29 minutes off the bench. She had eight points, two blocks and an assist in addition to her dominance on the boards.

Watkins leads South Carolina with 90 blocks and her 67.2 defensive rating leads the country (of players who appeared in more than 17 games), according to Her Hoop Stats. She is an anchor for the Gamecocks, and she embraces the gritty work.

It's the same attitude that led her to this performance in the Final Four. Watkins embraced the unglamorous parts of becoming exceptional. And she trusted Staley to get her there.

"It is that – it's a process of being great," Staley said. "It's a process of trusting."

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It took a great level of trust to accept a role that wasn't what Watkins envisioned. But she did, and she not only had belief in what Staley saw in her – she had confidence that Staley would bring it out of her.

Watkins only started nine games this season. But on Friday, she became just the fifth player to record 20 rebounds in a women's Final Four game. She was one of the biggest reasons South Carolina made it back to the NCAA championship game after the heartbreak of last season. And she did it coming off the bench.

"We want to win," Watkins said. "And I just accepted it, because I want to win."

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: South Carolina's Ashlyn Watkins' trust in Dawn Staley led to 20 rebounds