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Oklahoma. Once we made it to Tennes- see, we knew we couldn't stop there. Plus, Coach McGraw was 0-20 against Pat Summitt at that point, so we wanted to win it for Coach. We just dedicated the game to her. On top of that, we knew that if we won that game, we were going back to Indianapolis for the Final Four.
DIME: The UConn game was so huge for you (28 points, six assists, four re- bounds, two steals), knocking off such a powerhouse team in a big game must have been an amazing experience. What did you do to prepare yourself for such a huge performance? SD: I didn't do anything differently than what I had been doing the whole tourna- ment. Usually when we play UConn, everyone wants to approach the game differently and make it harder than it has to be. This time around we were beyond that. We had an air or a confidence about us that we just had to win. Going into the game, we were somewhat embarrassed. We had lost to them three times in a row that year. Quite frankly, we were just sick of losing. Also, we were in Indiana, so we knew we had to make the best of the opportunity. Against a team like UConn you have to play a perfect game. Looking back at the film our game wasn't perfect, but you could see that we played with a huge chip on our shoulders. Personally for me, I think that the UConn game was by far the most poised and composed I'd ever played. I was the most mentally tough that I'd ever been that game. I was so focused, and I just refused to let my team, my coaches and Indiana down by not giving it my all. Everybody on our team stepped it up. Everyone came in and played the game like it could have potentially been their last.
DIME: You played such a flawless game that you even caught the attention of Lil Wayne and Chris Brown. What was your initial reaction after seeing their tweets? SD: All through the tournament I noticed I had been getting more followers. After the UConn game, I noticed that I had be- come a trending topic. After that, I got all these mentions and things like that. So the morning after the game, I was scroll- ing through my mentions and saw every- one talking about Lil Wayne. So before I saw the actual tweet, I saw other people talking about it. Then I checked his page to see what he said and to make sure it was actually him. When I saw the tweet I was just so surprised. First, I just couldn't believe that it was his verified account and that it was actually him. Then when I saw that he called me his "wife," I was so amazed and excited. The morning I saw it I was the only one in the room so I just said to myself, "Oh no, I can't
believe this." Everyone who knows me knows that I've been listening to him for years. It was so unreal to me – especially since I was already on cloud nine from making it to the chip. I saw Chris Brown's tweets afterward, and that was definitely a surprise as well. It was really humbling because I'm such a big fan of the both of them. It really was wonderful, because it shows that women's basketball can be appealing to all kinds of people – rappers, singers, NBA players, etc. Just to have them watching the game meant a lot.
DIME: After proclaiming his love for you on Twitter, Weezy took it upon himself to wear your jersey during a show at Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
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How crazy was that for you to see? SD: That was so special to me. In all my years of watching him, I had never seen Wayne wear an athletic jersey. Aside from maybe in his early days when jerseys were the thing to wear, I had never seen him perform in one. The way it happened was so crazy. I had known that he was coming to Indiana because he invited me to his show. Unfortunately I couldn't go because I had class and practice that day, so I guess when he found out I couldn't make it, he sent someone to our school for a jersey to perform in. I didn't find out about it until one of my friends sent me the picture. It was so amazing to see, because not only is it my own jersey, but it's a Notre Dame
PHOTO. MATT CASHORE