>> A COUPLE OF HOME GAMES AGO, BIG WIN OVER WAKE FOREST.

FIRST HALF BACK AND FORTH, TIGHTLY CONTESTED.

SECOND HALF YOUR TEAM PULLED AWAY.

WHAT DID YOU MANAGE TO DO TO PULL AWAY ON THAT ONE?

>> WAKE FOREST IS A DIFFERENT TEAM FROM LAST YEAR.

THEY'RE VERY, VERY GOOD.

I LOVE THEIR COACH.

I LOVE WHAT SHE DOES.

WE TRY TO PLAY THEM PLAYER ON PLAYER AND THEY HAD SO MANY HITS AND BACKDOORS AND HAMMER PLAYS AND PINCH POSTINGS.

THAT I'M LIKE WHOA, WHOA, THIS IS REALLY CHALLENGING OUR DEFENSE.

AND WE WENT TO OUR MATCHUP AND IT KIND OF SLOWED THEM DOWN A LITTLE BIT.

BUT IT ALSO SLOWED US DOWN IN OUR THINKING PROCESS SO WE ONLY NEEDED TO CONCENTRATE ON THE OFFENSIVE SIDE OF THE BALL, MORE SO THAN DEFENSE AS WELL.

AND ON THE SECOND HALF WE WERE ABLE TO FLY AROUND THE FLOOR OFFENSIVELY.

>> YOUR TEAM HELD WAKE FOREST SCORELESS FOR NEARLY SIX MINUTES.

HOW MUCH OF YOUR OFFENSE IS PREDICATED ON WHAT YOU DO DEFENSIVELY?

>> I JUST THINK THAT WE ARE A DEFENSIVE TEAM, AND HOW WE FEEL DEFENSIVELY, IT MAKES US FEEL BETTER OFFENSIVELY.

WE DEFEND AGAINST EACH OTHER IN PRACTICE.

YOU HAVE TO STOP THREE TIMES IN A ROW.

THEN WE GO INTO THE NEXT GROUP, GET AN OPPORTUNITY.

AND OFFENSIVELY YOU CAN THROW THE BALL.

IT'S JUST A SHOT YOU TAKE IN PRACTICE.

WE ARE COMFORTABLE WITH THAT.

SO I THINK DEFENSE TO ME, IGNITES OUR OFFENSE.

>> LET'S TALK ABOUT THE FOUR-TIME ACC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK AND ALSO A NATIONAL FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK UCHE IZOJE.

SHE HAD 18 POINTS AND 12 REBOUNDS IN THAT POINT.

HOW HAS SHE BE ABLE TO ACCLIMATE TO THE COLLEGE GAME, THE AMERICAN GAME SO QUICKLY?

>> THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE PEOPLE SHE CONNECTS WITH ON A DAILY BASIS.

HER TEAMMATES.

THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT WE STAND FOR HERE AND NO MATTER HOW HIGH YOU ARE AS A PLAYER OR EVEN A STUDENT, YOU ARE JUST A SISTER TO THEM.

YOU ARE JUST AN ORANGE SISTER.

AND THEY CONNECT ON THAT LEVEL.

YOU HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND THIS IS A LADY WHO HAS NOT SEEN HER MOM IN EIGHT YEARS, OR HER FAMILY.

SO WE ARE HER FAMILY.

THEY GET ON HER HARD.

SHE GETS MAD AT THEM.

THEY FIGHT.

AND THEY GIVE HER THAT SENSE OF FAMILY ON A DAILY BASIS.

AND I THINK THAT'S WHY SHE IS ABLE TO GO OUT THERE AND SHINE BRIGHT BECAUSE SHE FEELS LIKE SHE IS HOME AND THAT'S WHAT WE BRING HERE AT SYRACUSE.

>> YOU ARE A FEW GAMES INTO CONFERENCE PLAY NOW AND NO ACC SLATE WILL GO WITHOUT CHALLENGES.

>> OH GOSH.

>> HOME GAME AGAINST VIRGINIA TECH.

NOT THE PERFORMANCE YOU WANTED TO SEE.

WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENED TO THAT GAME?

>> LIFE HAPPENED.

YOU KNOW, WE WENT THROUGH SOME THINGS AS A TEAM AND TO ME, THAT WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANYTHING ELSE AT THE MOMENT.

IT TOOK US AWAY FROM OUR ROUTINE.

IT TOOK US AWAY FROM OUR FOCUS.

IT TOOK US AWAY FROM THE ENERGY THAT I USUALLY BRING AT THE BEGINNING AND WE HAVE LEARNED LESSONS FROM THAT.

AND TO SAY THAT VIRGINIA TECH WAS THE BETTER TEAM.

LET'S GET THAT OUT THERE.

BUT THE LESSONS WE LEARNED PRIOR TO THAT GAME AND AFTER THAT GAME WAS MORE VALUABLE TO THE LIFE LESSONS FOR THESE YOUNG PEOPLE THAN THE ACTUAL SCORE OF THAT GAME.

>> THE FOLLOWING GAME, UVA, IN A TOUGH PLACE TO PLAY AGAINST A VERY GOOD TEAM, HOW DO YOU CHANNEL THE LESSONS FROM THAT VIRGINIA TECH GAME AND APPLY THEM ON THE ROAD IN CHARLOTTESVILLE?

>> WE GOT TOUGHER.

WE GOT LOCKED INTO OUR FOCUS AND WE MADE IT ABOUT THE GROWTH THAT WE ARE TRYING TO GROW FROM AS A TEAM, NOT NECESSARILY FROM VIRGINIA OR OUR NEXT GAME OR THE NEXT GAME.

I THOUGHT WE BEAT VIRGINIA TWO DAYS PRIOR.

WE BEAT THEM THE NEXT DAY.

WENT TO THE SHOOT AROUND.

I THOUGHT AT 7:30 IN THE MORNING ON GAME DAY-- I THOUGHT WE WOULD BEAT THEM FOR THE THIRD TIME.

AND THE FOURTH TIME CAME, I THOUGHT WE SHOWED A LACK OF FAITH IN OUR WORK ETHIC.

AND AT HALFTIME WE WERE DOWN BY SIX AND WE REALLY GOT AFTER THEM IN A WAY THAT I HAVEN'T IN A LONG TIME.

AND THEY ANSWERED THE CALL.

THEY ANSWERED THE CALL AND, YOU KNOW, LAILA PHELIA WAS JUST SENSATIONAL.

>> FANTASTIC ADJECTIVE.

I LIKE TO CALL HER THE PHENOMENAL LAILA PHELIA.

38 POINTS, A CAREER HIGH.

WHAT WAS WORKING FOR HER THROUGHOUT THE GAME?

BECAUSE SHE WAS DOING IT FROM ALL THREE LEVELS.

SHE WAS PICKING HER SPOTS.

WHAT DID YOU SEE AS A COACH THAT ALLOWED HER TO HAVE SO MUCH SUCCESS?

>> PERMISSION.

SHE HAD PERMISSION.

YOU KNOW, HERE IS A KID THAT WENT TO A FINAL FOUR, SWEET 16, ELITE 8.

>> ALL CONFERENCE IN THE BIG 10.

SHE HAS DONE IT ALL.

AND SO WE SAID SHOW US YOUR SHOW US.

AND THEN WE TALKED TO HER PRIOR TO THE GAME TWO DAYS BEFORE THE GAME WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT MAYBE YOU ARE CONTENT.

MAYBE THIS IS ALL YOU NEED-- NO MATTER WHAT, YOU ARE ALWAYS GOING HAVE THAT.

AND HAVING YOU DO THAT WITH US, MAYBE THAT'S NOT WHAT YOUR INTEREST IS.

AND WE CHALLENGED HER AND SHE RESPONDED ACCORDINGLY.

THAT AGGRESSION, THE ENTHUSIASM OF PURPOSE, THE LOOK IN HER EYES, SAID SHE ACTUALLY WANTS MORE.

AND SHE IS GOING TO GET MORE WITH US.

>> I THINK IT'S A PERFECT SEGUE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU SAID IN THE POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE.

>> I'M NOT HERE TO BE FRIENDS WITH 17 AND 23 YEAR OLDS.

I'M HERE TO PUSH YOU TOWARDS YOUR DREAMS SO YOU CAN FIND SOME WINGS AND FLY.

>> WHAT COMPELLED YOU TO HAVE THAT MESSAGE POST GAME IN THAT MOMENT?

>> ALL THE PLAYERS AT BUFFALO AND PLACES I HAVE COACHED IN THE PAST WERE LIKE, ABOUT TIME.

IT'S ABOUT TIME YOU SAID THAT BECAUSE THEY UNDERSTOOD THAT IT'S MY RESPONSIBILITY TO POUR INTO THEM LIKE A WOMAN, NOT THEIR FRIEND.

BUT AN ADULT THAT SAYS YOU WILL BE ENOUGH.

YOU HAVE IT IN YOU, YOU NEED TO TRY.

YOU NEED TO FAIL.

YOU NEED TO TRY AGAIN.