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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 8, 2019

Greensboro, North Carolina

Syracuse - 92, Miami - 85

THE MODERATOR: To my left is Coach Quentin Hillsman and student-athletes Tiana Mangakahia, Gabrielle Cooper and Digna Strautmane.

COACH HILLSMAN: Guys, obviously you're here this time of year just to survive and advancing. You've got to give Miami a lot of credit. They're a great basketball team. And it's one of those deals where you're in the best conference in the country, the best teams in the country and unfortunately one of us has to go home today because Katie does an amazing job and those kids are really tough and good players.

Our team, we just gotta get out. We knew we had to make shots. We knew -- the first game we played them at our place we just didn't make shots. And we know when we can make shots we can get into our pressure and force tempo. And that was the biggest thing we wanted to do. We just wanted to put the ball in the basket so we can play defenses that we could call, not playing against an unsettled floor the entire game.

Just a lot of balance in this game. Players make plays, and our best players stepped up today and they all played well. We could talk about five, six different players in this game right now. So, I'm not going to bore you with all of those because you all have the stats.

But we knew we had to win the game. Our goal was to host the NCAA Tournament at home and try to get back to a Final Four. We know that's the path is to play at home for those first two rounds and we're just excited and really to move on to tomorrow.

Q. Coach, in the first quarter, Miami kind of took the lead pretty early and you guys came back in the second quarter to have a 13- or 14-point lead at halftime. What was the difference between those quarters?
COACH HILLSMAN: Our interior defense really buckled down in the second quarter. Did an amazing job in the post. Something we've been stressing to them. But more importantly they just didn't let them score the ball around the rim. They were making them take tough 2s and they were missing shots and getting rebounds and running transition.

And Tiana did a good job attacking the paint and finding shooters on the wing. Tiana was just fantastic in this game, 25 and 13. And four assists -- four turnovers in 39 minutes, that's just pro numbers. She just did a fantastic job. And our players did a really good job of running the floor, give her space to attack the paint.

Q. I guess I'll start with you and anyone else who wants to answer. You've said before that you don't feel like your team is playing its best basketball. You said that about a week ago. Do you feel like today you hit that mark?
COACH HILLSMAN: We're getting better. We still have these spots to where we don't make plays. We still let teams make some runs. But it's all about toughness. All we talk about is toughness; what are you willing to do to save a possession? They made a run. They took the lead. We came back and we made our run.

It's about playing tough. If we can put 40 minutes together, I think we've got a real chance to do something special this year.

TIANA MANGAKAHIA: Yeah, I think this time of the year is a lot different to just regular season play. And like Coach Q said, toughness and grit really, especially tomorrow we play the winner of this game and coming off a good game we'll be confident. And just really pushing to the very end and giving it everything we have. And I think that's going to help us get to the championship game.

GABRIELLE COOPER: I think now is the time we lock in. We're locking in, focusing in, preparing better. We're just doing all the little things that we probably didn't do exactly the right way we needed to before. So, we're just locking in, trying to finish out, like you said.

But there's still times we have plays we don't compete. But we only had, what, eight turnovers this game. And we've been focusing on little things like that. So we're hitting goals and marks that we need to. So we're just trying to buckle down and be ready.

DIGNA STRAUTMANE: I agree with what they said. It's like it's a different part of a season and we just have to push through all the little things that we didn't do. We have to just try to do better every situation. Like, in every game we have to get better, like, in all those things. So it's the last moment when we can show this season. So we have to do it.

Q. Tiana, at one point they had Hof on you and Cornelius down low. How hard is it for you to get the ball around the floor?
TIANA MANGAKAHIA: I know which situation you're talking about. At the time, like, obviously Maya was in the post and I was waiting for the clock to run down a little longer. And, I mean, it's either I attack her or give it in and let Amaya take on the guard. And I think at that time I threw it in to Amaya and let her do what she does best.

Q. Gabby, in the fourth quarter, you were involved in some plays that probably won't show up in the stat sheets in terms of tipping the basketball out, I think you got a block down the stretch. What kind of clicked for you as the game was sort of the tightest?
GABRIELLE COOPER: I'm a leader on this team. I know I have to make certain plays. Certain plays you can't let go. So when I missed that 3 I'm, like, we need this ball back. And I seen an opportunity for me to go get the rebound. And I didn't think I was going to be able to grab it because the way the two players coming at me were.

I see Tiana quick at the top. I thought maybe I could get the tip to her I was able to do that. That made me happy. Like you said, it's the latter part of the season. We're just really trying to focus in and grind in. So every little play counts. And we're really trying to focus on every little single play.

I know I caught myself in the beginning in the first half, I shot the shot and my rebound kind of came back my way. And I probably could have attacked it. And I thought about that when the second time happened. It's like, I've got to get it this time; I can't let it happen again. We're trying to bypass every little mistake we can.

Q. Tiana, after Miami came back from 15 down in the second half and took the lead in the fourth quarter, what were you wanting to do at that juncture to get the lead back quickly?
TIANA MANGAKAHIA: I just wanted to move the ball and really attack them because that's what was working for us, attacking them. But I knew Gabby and Miranda were both hurt. They were shooting well. Gabby hit one down the stretch at the top of the key and that really helped us get the good vibes back in the game. So, yeah, just sticking to what we're good at, attacking and dishing and just playing everyone's strengths.

Q. You guys keep talking about it being the sort of the second season and rightfully so. But you can't just become who you aren't overnight. In what ways through the course of the year have you guys prepared for this moment?
TIANA MANGAKAHIA: I think a lot of ways, our preseason games that we played were really strong and that definitely helped us. I think the tournaments that we went to, Cancun and Florida, both prepared us for this tournament to have tough games and to push through those adverse times.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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