ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 4, 2021

Kiara Lewis

Syracuse Orange

Postgame Press Conference

Syracuse 67, Boston College 61

Q. Congratulations on the win. You found out just before game time that Tiana wasn't going to play. How did that change if at all? Did it change your mindset?

KIARA LEWIS: Not really changed it because as coach Q said, I did that all last year. But I just had to find ways to play smart, and I knew that I needed to be on the floor, and in order to stay on the floor I had to play a little smarter. That was something that kind of changed for me, but everything else was pretty much the same.

Q. Kind of off of that last question, what's it like coming into a game where you're kind of at the top of the key and working from there instead of maybe on the wing or having to run on curls? How does that change maybe your game play strategy?

KIARA LEWIS: It is a little more difficult just because the defense is all looking at you at the top of the key, but that's when your mid range has to come into play and you've got to be able to knock down outside shots. I think I missed like my first four shots, but I was able to get into some type of groove, and I knew they liked to take charges, so I had to just play on two feet at the rim.

Q. This is back-to-back 20-point games for you. Did you just see holes for the defense last time and this time, or did something else feel like it was going well for you?

KIARA LEWIS: I just took what the defense gave me, and I just took my time. I thought if I got my teammates involved, it would open up some things for me, and that's what I did. I tried to get everybody involved before taking some shots, and like I said, I missed my first four shots so that's when I knew I really had to get my teammates involved so I could get settled down and get into some type of groove.

Q. Obviously kind of just to play off of Tiana being out of the game, how important of a team win was this, to have other players like Amaya, like Priscilla, step up and be ready to fill roles in a game where you're missing Tiana?

KIARA LEWIS: It was very important. That's what it comes down to. It comes down to the younger ones and Amaya coming off the bench. They stepped up and filled the role that they needed to play. And coming off a tough loss on Sunday, I think this was a great team win for us.

Q. What do you tell your freshmen after a win like this where they kind of struggle, especially Kamilla, and what do you think they can learn from this experience?

KIARA LEWIS: Just tell them to just take their time and just be patient; things are going to come to them. We were able to survive and advance, so they have another opportunity to showcase their talent and just let the game come to them and have fun.

Q. I'm curious how you chose your moments, when to sort of play quickly, when to slow the game down, wait for the shot clock to tick down. Was that part of the game plan? Did Coach Q talk to you about that? How did you pick those moments?

KIARA LEWIS: Yeah, Coach Q was on the sideline telling me to either push the ball in transition or slow it down. Also I had to conserve a little more energy playing 40 minutes and having the ball. I just picked moments when I saw that my teammates were open, running in transition, and I knew if we could score in transition it would be a little easier than having to run a set in a half court.

Q. This is probably a little bit unusual to be playing with so many bigs in the lineup at once. What was it like playing with Emily and Digna and Amaya and Maeva together?

KIARA LEWIS: It was a little different, especially for Digna. She was playing at the top of the zone with me, something that hasn't happened all season. But they were able to fill the roles and step up and be put into any position and have success with it. I thought Emily played a great game. Coach Q said she had 15 rebounds. I didn't know that. That shocked me. But that's what Emily does. That's why she got Sixth Man of the Year.