♪ COACH, IT HAS BEEN A LITTLE WHILE.

WE HAVE A LOT TO CATCH UP ON.

A LOT OF EXCITING GAMES OVER THE LAST COME TO OF WEEKS.

LET'S START WITH WHAT BETTER PLACE TO START THAN THE TRIPLE OVERTIME THRILLER.

WHAT THE WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR HEAD AS THE GAME CONTINUED TO EXTEND AND EXTEND.

HOW DID YOU KNOW YOUR TEAM WOULD BE ABLE TO PULL IT OUT?

>> I KNOW THAT WE ARE IN SHAPE FOR THE ROAD AHEAD, WHATEVER THAT MIGHT BE.

AND THE WAY WE WERE ABLE TO JUST SIT WITH OTHER PLAYS.

PLAY DOM IN THE FOURTH QUARTER AND BRING HER BACK INTO THE FOLD.

WITH FRESH LEGS.

NOT HAVING LAILA WAS A CONCERN FOR SURE BUT OUR TEAM FOUND RESILIENCY AND RESOLUTE.

WE WERE GOING TO BE UNWAVERING IS WHAT WE STAND FOR THIS YEAR AND THEY PROVED IT IN THAT LONG GAME GLUE THOSE FRESH LEGS FOR DOM REALLY CAME IN HANDY, THE GIMME WINNER, HOW EXCITED WERE YOU FOR HER TO HAVE THAT MOMENT.

>> WE CERTAINLY NEEDED THAT, A LONG TIME COMING.

SHE HAD A LONG STRETCH OF NOT PLAYING AT HER OPTIMUM LEVEL, AND ALTHOUGH WE WERE HAVING SUCCESS, SHE WASN'T HAVING INDIVIDUAL SUCCESS.

WE TALKED ABOUT IT.

SHE ASKED THE PERSONAL TRAINER TO HELP HER.

SHE DID ALL THE WORK, RIGHT?

AND COACH A AND I HAD A GOOD CONVERSATION WITH HER NIGHT BEFORE, AND SHE WAS RESOLVED.

AND SHE WENT OUT THERE AND DID WHAT SHE DOES BEST.

>> WHEN THE LIGHTS GOT BRIGHT, SHE WAS READY CHT IT WAS BACK-TO-BACK WINS OVER THE WEST COAST ACC TEAMS.

YOU GUYS BEAT STANFORD, FIRST TIME IN PROGRAM HISTORY SYRACUSE HAS TAKEN DOWN STANFORD.

STANFORD IS AN HISTORIC PROGRAM AND YOU BELIEVE THAT SYRACUSE BELONGS ON THAT LIFL.

YOU GOT THE WIN.

WHAT DID THAT MEAN?

>> IN THE MIDDLE OF SEASON, IT DOESN'T MEAN MUCH BECAUSE WE ARE STILL GOING AND WHOEVER PUTS ON A DIFFERENT UNIFORM AND TRY TO MAKE WHAT SYRACUSE BELONGS TO US.

WE WANT TO SHOW HOW WE ARE GOING TO IMPOSE OURSELVES.

WE FELT LIKE WE DID A TREMENDOUS JOB ON THEIR MAIN PLAYERS.

WE TOOK THEM OUT BUT DIDN'T DO THE BEST JOB ON THEIR ROLE PLAYERS AND SO WE GOO.

NO ONE CONSERVES THE RESPECT OF THEY'RE BETTER THAN YOU.

AND WE HAVE BEEN STARTING OFF ON GAMES LIKE DUKE AND MICHIGAN AND , THE TEAMS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THAT MUCH BETTER THAN US.

WITH SO MUCH RESPECT THAT WE FORGET OUR OWN IDENTITY.

WE KEEP PLAYING AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, WAIT A MINUTE, WE ARE OKAY.

AND THEN THE TIME RUNS OUT ON US.

SO WE ARE WORKING HARD TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WE RESPECT ALL AND FEAR NONE.

>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S IMPRESSED ME THE MOST ABOUT YOUR TEAM, YOUR ABILITY TO BOUNCE BACK.

THAT NORTH CAROLINA GAME, A HEART BREAKER.

YOU COME BACK NEXT GAME AGAINST GEORGIA TECH, AND YOU HANDLE BUSINESS FROM START TO FINISH.

HOW HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO KEEP THIS TEAM FIGHTING GAME IN AND GAME OUT AND NOT LETTING WHAT HAPPENED IN THE LAST GAME CARRY OVER?

>> WE JUST STOP LISTENING TO THE OUTSIDE VOICES, YOU KNOW.

WE ARE JUST TRYING TO HEAR OUR OWN HEARTBEAT IF YOU WILL AND OUR OWN ONENESS AND OUR OWN TEAM.

GEORGIA TECH IS A REALLY GOOD TEAM.

IF WE WERE TO FOCUS ON GEORGIA TECH, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN SCARED, TOO.

BUT WE MADE IT ABOUT US AND CONTINUE TO GET THEM TO UNDERSTAND.

IT'S JUST ABOUT US AND OUR JOURNEY.

WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE.

I DON'T CARE WHO WE WOULD HAVE PLAYED, WE WOULD HAVE HAD SUCCESS BECAUSE THE EYES LOCKED ON ME AND I LOCKED BACK ON THEM.

IT WAS AN AMAZING MOMENT.

>> SPEAKING OF EYES LOCKING ON YOU, LAILA PHELIA, A CAREER HIGH SEVEN STEALS IN THE GAME.

OF COURSE YOU EXPECT HER TO PUT THE BALL IN THE BASKET.

WE'VE KNOWN HER TO DO THAT.

BUT WHEN YOU SEE HER SET THE TONE FOR YOUR TEAM DEFENSIVELY AS WELL, HOW MUCH OF AN IMPACT DOES THAT HAVE?

>> SHE IS AN INCREDIBLE DEFENDER AND I'M GOING TO ALLOW HER TO PLAY DEFENSE THE WAY SHE DOES.

IT DOESN'T FIT ALL THE THINGS THAT WE DO, BUT IT'S SO SENSATIONAL WHEN WE GIVE HER PERMISSION TO JUST RELAX AND BE AND WE'LL PLAY OFF OF YOU.

>> AFTER GEORGIA TECH, YOU HAD A BUSINESS TRIP DOWN TO MIAMI.

LEFT THE COLD, GOT A LITTLE SUNSHINE.

STARTED OUT WITH A 9-0 LEAD.

WHAT WAS THE MENTALITY GOING INTO THAT ONE?

>> MIAMI IS ALWAYS TOUGH AT THEIR PLACE.

SINCE LAST COACH, IT HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE TO HAVE SUCCESS OUT THERE.

THE WEATHER IS SUNNY.

THE SUN IS OUT.

WE ARE COMING FROM BLIZZARD HERE AT SYRACUSE.

AND I SHARED WITH THEM GUYS, THIS IS A BUSINESS TRANSACTION.

AND THEY UNDERSTOOD THE ASSIGNMENT.

WE WENT OUT THERE AND WE SET THE TONE AIRLINE-- WE SET THE TONE EARLY.

WE LIMPED IN THE FINISH LINE.

THE LAST FOUR MINUTES WAS AN INTERESTING TIME FOR US.

BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY WE DID ENOUGH IN THE BEGINNING TO HAVE THE SUCCESS TO END IT.

IT'S GREAT THAT YOU ARE MAKING SHOTS BUT TIME SCORES ARE IMPERATIVE.

WE HAVE TO DO A BETTER JOB.

OUR THREE CAPTAINS HAVE TO REALLY SHOW US HOW THAT LOOKS.

WE HAVEN'T DONE THAT FOR A WHOLE GAME YET.

WE WANT MORE.

>> YOU GOT MORE.

I THINK YOU GOT CLOSE TO THE 40-MINUTE PERFORMANCE AT BOSTON COLLEGE.

TEAM YOU HAVE RECENT HISTORY WITH, OF COURSE LAST YEAR ALL PLAYERS GOT INTO THE GAME.

AND I FEEL LIKE, FROM MY VANTAGE POINT, YOU WILL ALWAYS USE YOUR DEPTH.

IS THERE SOMETHING ABOUT GETTING THOSE PLAYERS, THOSE LIVE GAME REPS AND OPPORTUNITIES WHERE THE SCORE MAY BE A LITTLE FURTHER APART THAT ALLOWS YOU TO PREPARE THEM FOR MOMENTS WHEN THE STAGE MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIGGER?

>> PRACTICE.

SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT IN PRACTICE.

I'M STILL THAT OLD SCHOOL COACH, YOUR PRACTICE DETERMINES WHETHER YOU PLAY.

AND SOMETIMES YOU GOT TO PRACTICE WAY HARDER THAN THE PEOPLE STARTING BECAUSE YOU GOT TO SHOW MORE BECAUSE THEY ALREADY GOT THE OPPORTUNITY.

WHATEVER IT TAKES, IT TAKES.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

NEXT TIME AFTER B.C., YOU PLAY LOUISVILLE.

BIG TIME PROGRAM, LOTS OF HISTORY.

RANKED IN THE TOP SIX IN THE COUNTRY.

A SLOW START, OF COURSE, DOWN 22 AFTER THE END OF THE FIRST QUARTER.

YOUR TEAM FOUGHT BACK, CUT IT TO FIVE AT ONE POINT.

WHAT DO YOU TAKE AWAY FROM THAT GAME?

WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO THE TEAM AFTER A GAME THAT STARTED SO SLOW BUT THEN DID PICK UP?

>> WE RESPECT PEOPLE SO MUCH THAT WE SURRENDERED IN THE FIRST QUARTER AND NO MATTER WHAT, TAKE A TIME OUT IF YOU ARE DOWN BY EIGHT EARLY.

I WAITED UNTIL 10 TO SEE IF THERE WOULD BE A PUSH BACK.

THE PUSH BACK DIDN'T COME AND WE MADE THE TIMEOUT AND COMMUNICATED ABOUT BREATHING AND RELAX.

WE GOT THIS.

THE FIRST TIME I THINK I'VE EVER COACHED A TEAM IN THE FIRST 10 MINUTES WE DIDN'T SCORE A BUCKET.

A FEW FREE THROWS BUT NO BUCKET.

I SAW THE NERVES WERE LEAVING A LITTLE BIT IN THE SECOND QUARTER WHEN WE WERE ABLE TO DOMINATE THE WAY THEY DOMINATED US AND WE GOT IT EVEN.

THE THINGS THAT CONTINUED TO ALLUDE US WHEN WE PLAY TEAMS THAT WE FEEL ARE BETTER THAN US, WE GIVE SO MUCH RESPECT THAT WE POSITION OURSELVES ON OUR HEELS AND, OF COURSE, IT IS EASY TO KNOCK SOMEBODY OUT WHEN YOU ARE BACK ON YOUR HEELS.

WE ARE GOING TO WORK ON THAT AND CONTINUE TO GET BETTER.

>> THIS TEAM'S CHEMISTRY HAS BEEN ON DISPLAY SINCE THE PRESEASON WHEN YOU TOOK THE GROUP TRIP TO NEW YORK CITY.

HOW MUCH OF AN IMPACT DID THAT HAVE IN THE EARLY GOING TO GET THE TEAM OUT OF SYRACUSE TO A DIFFERENT LOCATION ABGET TO KNOW EACH OTHER AND EXPERIENCE LIFE OUTSIDE OF THE GYM?

>> ONE THING IS YOUR WORD IS YOUR BOBBED, YOU KNOW.

WORDS MEAN A LOT.

AND I PROMISED THAT I WOULD GET HER TO NEW YORK CITY.

IT PRESENTEDth FOR US TO GET TO NEW YORK.

WE HAD DONE IT TWO YEARS BEFORE, AND GO SEE AN WNBA GAME, MAKE IT A BUS TRIP.

I COME FROM A BUS LEAGUE.

UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO AND I REALIZED HOW MUCH WE BONDED THROUGH THE BUS TRIPS BUT IT WOULDN'T BE FAIR TO DO BUS TRIPS NOW IF EVERYBODY ELSE IS GETTING TO FLY SO WE DID THE FLIGHTS DURING THE SUMMER-- DURING THE SEASON BUT DURING THE SUMMER WE CAN GET IN THE BUS AND CONNECT AND SIT TWO TO A SEAT AND HAVE SOME FUN.

WE GOT BACK ON THE BUS TO COME BACK HOME.

WE FELT LIKE WE KNEW EACH OTHER FOR YEARS.

IT IS A FUN SITUATION.

WE HAVEN'T RELINQUISHED THAT.

THEY'RE HAVING A LOT OF FUN.

SO JOB WELL DONE.