After South Carolina women's basketball's 78-59 win over NC State in the Final Four, coach Dawn Staley praised former star player Aliyah Boston before commenting on the Gamecocks' performance.

The Indiana Fever forward joined ESPN's broadcasting team for Friday's games and interviewed Staley following the victory at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.

"Proud of your professionalism, proud that you know the game so much that you are representing at the highest level," Staley told Boston.

The WNBA 2023 Rookie of the Year threw the praise right back to Staley but before Boston could focus too much on the current team, Staley said Sunday's championship game will be played with Boston's South Carolina squad in mind.

Just a year ago, the Gamecocks came up short against Iowa in the Final Four, ending Boston's senior season without a chance to play for the national championship.

Things turned out differently for the top-seeded Gamecocks this season, and Boston had a front-row seat.

She asked Staley how many TikTok videos she has been in leading up to Friday's game but Staley claimed not many since Boston graduated. The duo danced briefly before embracing in a hug to wrap up the interview.

"Proud of you, Coach," Boston said.

"Love you," Staley replied.

SAKIMA WALKER: Sakima Walker already has a national title. She wants one with South Carolina women's basketball.

South Carolina will play No. 1 seed Iowa on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN).

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: What South Carolina basketball coach Dawn Staley told Aliyah Boston