NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - SOUTH FLORIDA VS SOUTH CAROLINA

March 19, 2023

Dawn Staley

Aliyah Boston

Kierra Fletcher

Colonial Life Arena

South Carolina Gamecocks

Media Conference

South Carolina 76, South Florida 45

ALIYAH BOSTON: I thought this was just a great overall game. South Florida is a great team. They like to push in transition. I think we did a great job of just getting out and trying to stop that.

On to the next; here we go.

DAWN STALEY: You did really well.

Q. Aliyah, it seemed especially at the beginning of the third quarter you were making a conscious effort to get the ball in the post, make the big plays on defense. You've been doing that a lot, but was that your determination, going and saying, okay, I'm going to take this over right now?

ALIYAH BOSTON: I just wanted to be physical, be that post presence, and defensively I was just trying to make it hard on Dulcy. She's a great post player, very physical, so I just wanted to make my presence known on both offense and defense.

Q. Kierra and Aliyah, what was going on in the first quarter, and how did you guys change things around and start to take over like you usually do the rest of the way?

KIERRA FLETCHER: Yep, I think it was a very physical game to start off with. We adjusted to that, I feel like, coming out in the third quarter very well, and we just did what we do. We played extremely good defense and rebounded well, and everyone was touching the ball.

ALIYAH BOSTON: At halftime Coach just said that we're playing pretty good basketball. Defensively just pay attention to the details a little bit more when it comes to their staggers because they set a lot of staggers in their motion, and just being disciplined in that, and I think we did a better job of that and got out in transition.

Q. Aliyah, do you now looking back have a favorite memory or moment from your time playing at CLA? I know there's been a lot of games here, but is there something that stands out to you now looking back?

ALIYAH BOSTON: I'd definitely say UConn our freshman year, we beat them here. That was just unreal, and then when we beat Stanford here, as well, because we were down at halftime, and then we came out and went on this big run and the crowd was into it, and those were pretty fun.

Q. How energizing is it to the entire team when you block a shot, you knock it into the stands, or better yet, when you're able to grab it and go right down court and let your defense turn it into instant points?

KIERRA FLETCHER: Definitely. It's super energizing. I think we have -- not I think. I know that we have the best shot blockers in the nation, and they just make plays all the time, bailing us out, the guards, a lot, me especially. Especially when they're able to keep the ball in play and we're able to give back to them on the other end, it's super energizing.

ALIYAH BOSTON: Yeah, we feed off of that. V did it today. She had a good block, kept it inbounds, and Ki went down and got an and-one, and the crowd went crazy and everybody just continued to feed off that energy, so we love it.

Q. We saw you allow a little bit of a screen there early. What was going on there and how much did that get your offense going in the middle of kind of a tough first quarter?

KIERRA FLETCHER: I try to keep my composure most of the time, but I felt like it was a big play, an energizing play, so sometimes I just have to let out a little bit of emotion. It was fun.

Q. Aliyah, where do you find that drive to play defense as hard as you do? You hit the floor a couple times. You went over, double-teamed on the sideline to force that turnover. That's not something everybody does in this game. Where do you find that drive to keep on going?

ALIYAH BOSTON: Just because I know my teammates are giving me their all, so I just need to be able to do the same. I think I've always had that energy when it comes to defense and just since I was younger, so I think I just keep it going now that I'm at the college level.

Q. For both of you, I wanted to ask, when Olivia hit her three at the end of the game, a lot of excitement. Just tell me about what that was like.

ALIYAH BOSTON: Yeah, I mean, Liv comes in every single day, and she gives it her all. So when she gets in and we know that she's the best shooter, and so she just lets it fly, and we just have a lot of energy because each day we come into practice, get in the gym, Liv gives us the same type of energy.

KIERRA FLETCHER: Just to piggy-back off that, Liv is a tremendous, tremendous teammate, and every time she steps on the floor after she gets past half court, I think it's going to go in, and it's just so nice to see her be able to come in and hit her shots and just seeing how much energy she brings everybody because she gives that to us every single day.

Q. Aliyah, you may have already answered this question, but today was a very, very physical game. It's basically "basket-brawl." Would you rather play in a game like that where they're not calling the little touch fouls, or do you like to get in there and mix it up like today?

ALIYAH BOSTON: I've got to be careful. I like a little bit of the physicality. I think today was pretty good. I think both teams fought through it today and tried to get to their spots, tried to knock down their tough shots.

Q. Aliyah, the class of 2019 you guys lost one game in your career at Colonial Life Arena. I asked the other ones if they remembered the one game --

ALIYAH BOSTON: Sure do. (Laughter.) I sure do. NC State.

Q. What did you guys learn from that game --

DAWN STALEY: Who didn't remember? Please don't tell me Zia. Zia for sure.

Q. What is it about this place that has become so hard for other teams to win?

ALIYAH BOSTON: I think just the energy that's formed every time you step on the floor. The fans, they show up and they show out. We hear them every single possession, and I think we feed off that energy a lot, and so it makes it hard for other teams. Sometimes they can't hear their play calls, we can't hear ours, but I mean, it's just really good.

Q. In the locker room the rest of the players were saying that this being the last home game wasn't like a point of emphasis or main talking point. How do you find a way to compartmentalize taking care of the task at hand knowing that at the same time obviously it is the last game?

ALIYAH BOSTON: Yeah, I just think we've gotten pretty good at just compartmentalizing. I think that part of it comes from Coach, just understanding that when you're on the floor, that's what you're worried about, then you step off the floor. That's what we did today. During the game we didn't really talk about it or even before, but then after the game, we were like, guys, that was just our last game at the CLA as a group, so just understand that we needed to complete the task at hand.

KIERRA FLETCHER: Yeah, just what Aliyah said. I think she said it perfectly, and also think that we just do a very good job of keeping the main thing the main thing. We focus on one game at a time and we don't look ahead against anyone, and we just try to stay in the moment.

Q. Aliyah, I saw you left the game during the third quarter. I was wondering what that injury was and if you're feeling good now.

ALIYAH BOSTON: Yeah, I think I just like attention a little bit. I'm all good. (Laughter.)

Q. Dawn, you've obviously seen Aliyah have a lot of takeover performances. Was there a message at halftime going into the third quarter? Is she ever the type to say, hey, give me the ball in the third quarter? Does she ever demand things like that in a halftime locker room?

DAWN STALEY: Never. Never. We've always been an establish ourselves inside-out, and I just don't think we give her the ball enough, so I think sometimes we just have to be intentional about making sure she touches it, making sure that we're playing through her. We know she's not going to make a bad decision. Like she's not. She always finds a way to make the right basketball decision.

Even just at her expense, because I think sometimes she should force it a little bit more and just be a little bit more selfish and patient to get a shot up at the basket because a lot of times she'll make it.

So we were just intentional about getting her the ball.

Q. You've talked a lot this year about how defense travels more than anything else. How much of a crutch is that or something you can rely on even in a game like today where maybe the offense didn't get going for the first half?

DAWN STALEY: I mean, that's our staple. That's something that we definitely have to do because we don't know. We shot 42 percent. We shot 35 percent in the first quarter, 42 in the second, 32 in the third. Like it's hard to win basketball games shooting at that clip. If you don't allow people to score, you've still got a shot. You've got a real good shot at still winning the basketball game.

Q. Has this season been kind of a different challenge in the sense that do you let your older players kind of, hey, we know we're not playing well, so we'll work it out, we'll figure it out, we know what we can rely on? How do you keep everybody calm and steady when things aren't going the right way?

DAWN STALEY: I mean, it's more of a feel. I think they know. Like they are very aware of when things aren't going well, and I do think sometimes, as coaches, we just have to remind them. Sometimes knowing it and hearing it will make the connection of we have to do something and not panic.

It's not really a panicky type team. They've never been that way. Maybe because of the leaders that they had prior to them growing up, and then who they are as -- they're very confident in themselves because of the experience and the minutes that we logged playing together.

Q. Could you tell us a little bit about your Cheyney jersey that you're wearing today, just where you got that and why you decided to rep them today?

DAWN STALEY: I just got this jersey. Somebody texted me and said they wanted to send -- one of my friends texted me and asked me if I wanted a jersey. They didn't really ask me to wear the jersey, and I was like, of course, I like the jersey, I like what it stands for, I like that it's Coach Stringer, who just had her birthday on March 17th; Yolanda Laney, who wore this -- not this jersey, but she's from Philly, grew up -- she actually started leagues for us. Like when I was younger, we played in something called the DBL, and she was very much a part of creating that league to give younger players an opportunity to just come together and play in the summertime. So fond memories of that.

I mean, Cheyney State was the only HBCU to make it to a Final Four, and for them to be led by Coach Stringer who opened doors that now I walk through, I mean, it was truly an honor to wear this jersey and to represent them.

Q. We spoke of the 2019 class's amazing record here at home. When you think of that record, the fan base, the attendance, has this become the hardest arena to win at in the game, for road opponents that is?

DAWN STALEY: I wouldn't even know that because we've always won.

I mean, it's what our fans created, yes. I do think it's a very hard place to win because the proof is in the pudding. They've created it. They show their appreciation by coming here season after season, not knowing whether or not we're going to win or not, but they're going to do their part. They've done it not just for the past four years, they've done it -- I don't even know -- what's our record over the past eight years? We've only lost a couple games in here. UConn is one of them I can remember, Tennessee.

Even prior to them coming, this was a hard place to play, once we started getting five-digit numbers in here. It is a very hard place to get a win.

Q. You had a 12-0 run there in the second half. The first basket was scored by Brea Beal and then it was Breezy and LA with the next 10 points. What is it about their makeup especially when you real a need a push where they can come in and be that difference maker for you?

DAWN STALEY: Yeah, I mean, they are -- I know they don't get as much of the attention as some of our other players, but I mean, they are highly competitive, and they just have to play a different role for us, but when it's time to shine, they come through.

I thought Breezy played an awesome game today. I thought LA was the energy we needed off the bench at different times. It was awesome to see them actually play well, get the publicity and the recognition that they deserve.

But when you have the three players that you just mentioned coming off your bench, you know that your future is bright.

Q. I'm curious, now that the dust is kind of settling, is there a favorite memory you had, particularly with the group here in CLA that comes to mind?

DAWN STALEY: I mean, I think the UConn win, something that we hadn't done before, is probably the fondest memory, because it was our first one, and then because it allowed us to open the door to no one that comes in here will get a win on this particular group. That's pretty cool.

Q. How much of an emphasis was it to attack Dulcy early, and then how important was it to limit her production?

DAWN STALEY: It was intentional to go at her pretty early, but she played with two fouls for 20 minutes, and we were still trying to pick that third one up.

But I don't think the fouls had any impact on the game and the way that she plays because she was able to stay on the floor. I just thought that just player after player after player just throwing different bodies at her really just allowed us to create an advantage there.

But Elena -- I don't want to mess up her last name. She had hers and Dulcy's. You have to stop somebody. I thought us not allowing Dulcy to get off really paid big dividends for us.

Q. Obviously Zia in the first half had it difficult shooting, but then the third quarter kind of went on a personal run. We know her mindset is to stay aggressive, but what do you think was working for her in that third quarter?

DAWN STALEY: I mean, Zia wants to win like you wouldn't believe, so it works against her at times, and then it works for her. Like it worked against her in the first two quarters, and then in the third quarter I just thought she exploded and just got some shots to go in. I mean, we're going to live and die with it; that's what we've done. More times than not we still come out on the winning sides of the ball.

But the most impressive thing about Zia today was her defense, her ability to just stay in plays and the want to win. She's got some crucial steals. Just staying in plays. I know she's probably exhausted right now for having to chase Elena all around the court, and Zia is going to get some shots up, so she exhausted herself with shooting the basketball, as well.

Q. When you got here and you were building a fan base, did the school charge admission when you first got here for games? And second, Diana was saying that you used to actually let if people had questions come up to the basketball office and somebody would talk to them. Could you tell a couple stories like that. Did you ever make house calls?

DAWN STALEY: I mean, there was a discussion once -- is Charles in here? Charles Waddell was our sports administrator, and then he came to me and asked me if we wanted to start charging a dollar admission for our games, and I'm like, no, absolutely not. Absolutely not. We're not that desperate at this point.

Our marketing department came up with the Drive For Five, and it was a reference to my number, the No. 5 that I wore in the Olympics, and we just played off of getting 5,000 people at our games, and we ended up averaging a little more than that. That's when we just started getting good. The product that we put on the floor, the cornering the market with the players that are really good in South Carolina, because we had some that were not just really good in South Carolina, they were good nationally.

So we started recruiting them and getting them to commit to South Carolina, and then their families and everybody else, and then our fan base grew to the point where they want more, they want access. Our fans want access.

So they would -- I think we had an event at our office where any of our fans could come and check it out and we'd show them all around our offices, and then word of mouth took over, and then they wanted to buy multiple. They don't just buy one season ticket, they buy multiple season tickets and they give it out to people who don't have it, and once you're hooked in, you're going to buy your own and you're going to do the same thing, and it just grew over time to now it's -- I do think this is a place in which women's basketball is a priority here on all levels.

Q. To clarify, there was a charge for tickets, and they asked if you wanted to lower it to $1.00? It wasn't free and --

DAWN STALEY: No, it was never free. It was never free.

Q. How helpful is it to have a game like today that's really wrestle-rama out there today and you really have to fight, knowing you've still got some more ahead of you in the tournament?

DAWN STALEY: I mean, it's always great. It's always great to be able to allow the players to make plays and to determine who wins the game.

I thought the officials let us play both ways. Both ways. It benefitted -- it probably benefitted us more because we just have so much depth, and we have the ability to just play that way if we needed to play pretty physical.

So it was a good game. Good game for us.

Q. You got Olivia in the last couple minutes, and for her to hit that three, what did that moment mean, to send her off after she's stuck with it for these four years?

DAWN STALEY: I've got to tell you that every time that we put O in the game, she's like, I've got to warm up. Really, like we want her to go out there and shoot the ball, and she'll tell us, I've got to warm up.

Then today, I saw her wanting to get about five shots up. I mean, it's fitting. I mean, the crowd loves her. She's done a tremendous job for our team, being a great teammate, a voice in our locker room. It's only fitting that she ends it. She hasn't said she's coming back or not, but if that's the last memory of her playing on Colonial Life Arena's floor, it's one that she'll live to tell generations of her family.

Q. I know you've got some work still to do, but as this undefeated season has progressed, do you allow yourself to think about -- there's been only four teams to go undefeated. Do you think about becoming No. 5?

DAWN STALEY: Not in those terms. Just about wanting to win the National Championship. That's all we really think about. At this point, we don't think about losing. We just think about what's in front of us and trying to make it to the next stage of this tournament.

Q. I know you don't get jaded about it, but having a player like Aliyah, who sacrifices herself on defense -- not even All-Americans do that. That's got to be something fairly unique that you've been able to witness the past four years.

DAWN STALEY: I mean, Aliyah, again, simply, she just wants to win. She does her part without complaint. She does her part.

I've never coached a player like a superstar like herself that is full of sacrifice. Like full of it. She could have easily had 30 and 15, if we really just said, hey, let's just continue to feed her, feed her, feed her, feed her. But for us to be able to do what we do while she -- like us working through her, like we give her the ball at the high post, she's almost like a point center, for her to dive on the floor for loose balls, knowing that she's probably one step away from going to the next level and being the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, she's not saving herself. This is who she is. That's the culture. That's the standard that she lives by, a personal standard. Because I'd tell her don't do it, seriously, because I want her to make it to the next level. I want her to be able to be as healthy as possible, not just the next level but just to finish this year out being in the best shape, the best health that she can be.

Q. Your team seems to compartmentalize incredibly well, and I imagine that's taught from you and your experiences. I'm wondering how you do that. I got choked up when O hit the three, so you know these women better than anyone, and to have so many milestones, so many big moments, how are you able to do that with so much happening that's so special right now?

DAWN STALEY: For me, I just go by who's in front of me and how they deal with things. I don't know if that's me. It's more probably them and the way that they are. Like if they're just straight narrow, I'm just going to be straight narrow. But if they veer off a little bit, then I'm going to try to veer off with them and get them back on the straight path.

But I've never had to veer off too often. Every so often I would just say, hey, this is kind of what we need to do, they'll shake their heads in affirmation, and they're like, okay, we got it.

It's been like truly, like truly probably a coach's dream. I hope that every coach gets a chance to coach a team like this, like really, because we coach so many other teams in which they're exhausting. But this team is just -- we're just about basketball. We really are.

I hope every coach gets a chance to just experience it because -- even if it's just for a day, because things happen all the time, but if they can experience it, they'll probably be more energized if anything else is different than -- like if anything else is different than this year, I'll feel it, but also I'm appreciative of having experienced it because not every coach experiences it at all.