NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: REGIONAL SEMIFINAL - NORTH CAROLINA VS SOUTH CAROLINA

March 25, 2022

Dawn Staley

Aliyah Boston

Zia Cooke

Victaria Saxton

Greensboro Coliseum

South Carolina Gamecocks

Sweet 16 Postgame Media Conference

South Carolina 69, North Carolina 61

DAWN STALEY: That was a tough game. Hats off to North Carolina for playing an extremely efficient basketball game. They never gave up no matter how big or small the lead was, and they deserved to be here, and they pushed us to the limit.

I'm proud of our players. I'm proud of our players for gutting it out. We found ourselves in a two-possession game in the fourth quarter, and we bared down and won the game, and felt good to do that in the fourth quarter. Of course, we don't want it that close, but if it got that close, find a way to dig deep and get a win.

Q. This first one is for Aliyah. Aliyah, you scored all 13 of South Carolina's points in the fourth quarter. I just wanted to ask you, what works for you to lock in in those high-pressure moments whenever the game is within four, clock is ticking down? You know, what feeds into your mindset then?

ALIYAH BOSTON: In this game I think a lot of it just went to slowing down and being patient. We worked on that over the past couple of practices and me reading the defense. And so once I did that, I just went to score.

Q. Zia, did you notice anything about when you guys started hitting those threes? I think you and Destanni had three apiece here in the first half. Did you notice North Carolina's defense shift a little bit to start guarding you guys more and things opening up a little bit more for Aliyah in the paint?

ZIA COOKE: I think once they saw we started to hit a few threes, they started to come up on us, and they were able to bring Aliyah some good buckets. We were still able to get some shots, and we were still able for them to get rebounds for us, so it was pretty good.

Q. Aliyah, were you demanding the ball in the 13th -- in the fourth? Some of those points were put-backs, but were you saying: Give me the ball, I'll take this home?

ALIYAH BOSTON: No, not really. I probably should have, but -- (Laughing). I was just being patient, and a lot of it, just like you said, came off of rebounds because they took expected shots. And I was able to just be there for the rebound, so I just tried to crash the boards.

Q. For Aliyah, you've done a lot of tremendous things in your career, but it's the first time you've had a 20-20 game. Specifically in the second half, what was able to work for you so that you were able to become so dominant?

ALIYAH BOSTON: Just keeping dominance on my mind. Just crashing the boards. We talked about that. Making sure that, once they're taking expected shots, we're just going to crash the boards. And I was able to do that.

Q. Zia, what does a game like this do for you guys going forward? The Miami game was tough. This is another difficult game as you continue on this journey.

ZIA COOKE: I think it's only going to get tougher and tougher. Our opponents have been better and better each time down, so definitely just staying locked in, knowing that it will be hard, but we've got to keep our foot on the gas the whole time.

Q. For Victaria and Zia, what's it like to watch Aliyah in that fourth quarter be able to do what she did? Zia, you had a very strong first quarter with being able to get the points going, but to see what she was able to do to help you guys just get the job done to advance to the Elite Eight?

VICTARIA SAXTON: I think that us coming together and just telling her: We need you to go in there and be dominant. When you get the ball, go score.

I really loved watching that, being a part of it, and just seeing her do what she do.

ZIA COOKE: I agree. I think she was super dominant tonight. She hit some very, very big free-throws for us. She was super calm. And when she's calm, we're calm. It helped us out as well.

Q. Victaria, this is also for you. Just you guys are so, so experienced. You played so many big games. What can being in an atmosphere like this and getting through a tough one do for you guys going forward when it's going to be even bigger atmospheres, bigger --

VICTARIA SAXTON: We've got to stay poised and know what we're trying to do here, listen to Coach and being disciplined to what she's telling us and what she wants us to do.

Q. Zia, this is for you. You had a great game tonight. It was your best game so far in the tournament. You and Henny had your best games of the tournament. What were some of the things that you saw out there that told you, okay, tonight is going to be my night, and how much confidence does that give you as we get deeper into the tournament?

ZIA COOKE: Honestly, I just let everything come to me. Coach tells me sometimes let them forget about me, and then when it's time to go, then you go. So I felt myself having the hot hand. I was just trying to keep myself calm and just getting to my spots and knocking down my shots.

Q. This is for all three of you. Zia and Aliyah, you said yesterday that you were expecting a physical, tough game, and that looked like one of more physical, tough, gritty wins you've had this season. What does that game do to prepare you guys moving forward knowing it's going to get more physical and a little grittier as you move on in this tournament?

ZIA COOKE: I don't want to repeat myself, but I knew already they were going to be super aggressive. Like I say, I feel like this is what it's going to be like for the rest of the tournament. Each team is going to get more aggressive. It's and going to get harder each time we go out.

ALIYAH BOSTON: I agree with that. As we move up, each game the teams are coming to win, and so it's going to be a battle.

VICTARIA SAXTON: We have to know that each game is going to be tougher and tougher because that's going to be how it is in the NCAA Tournament.

Q. Zia, this is for you. After the game was over, everybody was celebrating, but you still seemed very locked in and kind of like you had a lot on your mind. Where does that intensity come from, or kind of what was your mindset there at the end of the game?

ZIA COOKE: The whole time I was thinking we got three more, and that's what I kept telling myself. We got three more. It's March Madness. It's fun, but I'm really -- I'm super locked in right now. We got three more. I just want to execute and get it done.

Q. Victaria, I just want to check in on you and make sure you're feeling okay after that fall. Kind of take us through that sequence. And I saw you immediately kind of chuckle a little bit on the floor. And then, too, just talk about your defensive mindset and how that's also an option that this team can use as a way just to get itself going.

VICTARIA SAXTON: The fall, it didn't hurt, but I just got up and kept going for my team. I got to push for them. And then on defense I just -- that's just something that I do. That's something that I bring to the team. I take pride in it, and so I just go out there and I tell myself this is going to be the best defensive possession every time.

Q. Victaria, being the senior leader on the team, 14 rebounds tonight, but it looked like in the second half you just took over the game doing all the little things that needed to be done. What did you feel like your take was on the game?

VICTARIA SAXTON: That's what I do. I go out there and I do all the small things. I try to go get any rebound I can for the team and just protect the ball.

Q. This is for Victaria. Just wanted ask, how much fun is it to play teams outside the SEC who don't know y'all and keep giving you shots to block?

VICTARIA SAXTON: It's fun to get to play teams outside the SEC, just to know that it's not easy. It's always tougher teams out there, so it's fun to get the experience outside of it.

Q. Question for all the players. How are you able to use your size advantage in today's game?

ZIA COOKE: I didn't really use mine, but (Laughing) -- I think our post players, they just know that what they have to do out there, we lean on them to use their size to get the rebounds, and the guards was boxing out as well. So we definitely all just want to stay aggressive.

ALIYAH BOSTON: Just making sure that we're being physical in the post, looking to attack and just rebounding over them. We had some height advantage, so we're just trying to crash the boards and give us an advantage.

VICTARIA SAXTON: I agree with Aliyah. I just feel like we were trying to be aggressive and just dominate inside.

Q. Dawn, I think I heard you say before that sometimes Aliyah maybe needs to play mean. Do you think she played mean in that fourth quarter?

DAWN STALEY: Mean? Not mean. I don't think she has a mean bone in her body. I thought she played focused. I thought she played like the National Player of the Year. And that's what you do. When the game is on the line, you give them the ball, and they perform.

She's been that for us all season long, but she showed up on the biggest stage in the biggest game. This is the biggest game that we have in front of us, and she delivered.

Q. For Aliyah to be able to have 13 points and then 7 of those coming from the free-throw line, 9 rebounds, you've been around this game both as player and a coach, where would you rack this performance up? And I know it's win and advance right now for you guys, but in terms of maybe when you look back, how big could that performance be when you look back in retrospect?

DAWN STALEY: If you look at the games that we've played, the big games that we've played, she's been dominant. She's probably doubled up what she normally does in those games.

Looking at a player who really doesn't want to lose. I think she's got a goal in mind. She has goals in mind. Obviously, the big goal is to win a National Championship. That's what she's been talking about. That's what that whole group has been talking about.

She has goals and wanted to win a National Player of the Year. And some people can have those goals and not deliver and have people guessing as to what it is. She goes out there and performs. There's nobody that has performed at the highest level against the best competition in our country consistently all season long, and I think she wants it.

Q. It's already been asked of your players about the height advantage, but you guys put a lot of pressure on the perimeter as well defensively. What was the strategy there, and how successful do you feel like it was?

DAWN STALEY: We just want to make it hard. We want to be disruptive. We don't want you to -- we don't want you to score on us on your first option. You got to go a little bit deeper. You know, maybe your second option.

And then we don't want their best players to perform at their average. I thought Deja Kelly did a great job at just putting us back on our heels and scoring. But then we had to take care of everybody else, and I thought we did a great job at taking care of everybody else. And if we were able to do that, we increase our chances of winning. And look at the stat sheet. If they're able to get their average, we're in trouble. We're in big trouble. We wouldn't be sitting where we are today.

Q. How refreshing was it to see Zia have a big game? Seems like you were waiting for her to break out, and she broke out. What did that do for you guys and your offense?

DAWN STALEY: It helps. It helps Zia, it helps us. Zia is a player that is in the gym all times of the night. She actually invests in this game. She invests in her game. And you basketball guys are crazy because she hasn't really had the season that she's wanted, nor the season that should get the return on her investment. But if you just stay at it, if you just don't get too high with the highs or too low with the lows, it will even out, and I hope it evens out as we continue to advance in this tournament for her.

Q. Kind of piggybacking off that, how would you describe Zia's intensity and the, I guess, mindset that she has when it comes to playing and even off the court?

DAWN STALEY: She's super competitive. She wants to win. Like, she wants it all. She wants everything that you could probably get out of the game, like, now. She has no filter when it comes to that. She has no gauge when it comes to knowing that the WNBA is -- I remember talking to her freshman year. She's like, Should I be thinking about the WNBA? I'm like, Right now? Your freshman year?

It's just the way she's wired. And she attacks her workouts in that way. She's always thinking about that. She just doesn't want to -- she doesn't want to fail. So some of this is a little fear of failure, and some of it is just "I'm just super competitive." It's a little bit of both of those.

Q. It's not often we see this team get beat in the paint. What does it say about these players that they were able to adapt and still find a way to win this game despite one of the core traits of its offense being taken away from it?

DAWN STALEY: North Carolina was committed to just clogging up the paint and forcing us to do something other than pass the ball down there and have Aliyah or any of our bigs score the ball, so I thought it was huge for us to come out and hit some shots.

Henny hit some shots. Zia hit some shots. It allowed us to open it up a little bit, and it didn't put as much pressure as we've been playing on the offensive end over the past two games. So it gave us an opportunity to feel good about ourselves, but you can take away entry passes, but you can't really take away our length and our ability to rebound the basketball. Especially on offensive rebounds.

Q. Dawn, you spoke of Aliyah. On Sunday she said she was frustrated. She wasn't happy with the way she played. What did you see from her this week in practice that? Did she have a different look or feel in practice? What did you see from her?

DAWN STALEY: I just saw her concentrating on trying to put herself in the same position she was in against Miami, which is we tried to crowd her space. We tried to rush her a little bit to have her feel that.

I thought she was just calm, just trying to be patient out there, not to play as fast as she was playing in the Miami game. I thought those days of working on that -- I thought she did a good job of executing on game day.

Q. Zia and Destanni probably had their best games of the tournament so far. More particularly to Destanni, what did you see out of her performance, and how much of a confidence boost do you think it can give her as we get deeper into the tournament?

DAWN STALEY: Our players, they're not -- they're confident players. It doesn't matter if they shoot 20% for two games or five games. I think what we do with our players is we don't get too high with the highs or too low with the lows. We find a way to maintain because we know if we maintain getting from here -- getting from here to here is a shorter distance from down here to here. So if you just stay in the middle, you won't drop. If you drop, it's not too far, but you can get back up.

We knew what was coming. We knew they were going to hit some shots. And it was good to see it go down for them. We weren't really efficient, but they got some shots to go in. And when they start going in, we can work on the efficiency a little bit later.

Q. I guess you got to say hi to Lamont Paris a little bit. Did he have any advice for you tonight?

DAWN STALEY: No, I just told him he is going to love this place. He is going to love the fans. He is going to love the people of South Carolina, and I hope they give him a chance. I really hope they give him a chance to succeed.

This is a town in which they love winners. They love hard workers. They're not very patient, so we're hoping that they're a little patient because people were patient with me. We weren't -- my first three years here was a dogfight. It was what I thought was professional suicide. So I hope Lamont doesn't get to that place, and I hope people are super patient and allow him to grow and make his imprint on Columbia, South Carolina, and our university and our state.

Thank you.