Postgame Quotes: Lady Vols 63, Alabama 72

Tennessee Head Coach Holly Warlick

Opening statement:

"I'm very disappointed in our effort. (We were) very casual, very uninspired. Why? I don't understand. Prior to this Alabama had beaten us three times in a row. How could you not get inspired? We didn't stick to the game. We had ball pressure when we wanted to, and when we did, we turned them over. We needed to be denying one pass away. We did that when we wanted to. Don't take anything away from Alabama, they played their butts off. They got down, and they kept fighting. I'm just really disappointed in our effort tonight."

On not taking a timeout at the start of the fourth quarter:

"Obviously, I felt I didn't need to call a timeout."

On Alabama preventing Tennessee from playing their offense:

"I thought we got good looks, we just didn't make them. We had 18 offensive rebounds, and we didn't do too much with them. I was more concerned about our defense then our offense. Fourth quarter, I thought we got great looks, we just didn't score."

On Tennessee not following the game plan:

"It was effort. We didn't have constant ball pressure. When we denied and made our run, we were talking. They penetrated; they went back door. We didn't have help. We didn't step out and guard three-point shooters. It was just a plethora of things that we didn't do. We were very casual on the defensive. I asked our team, 'Do you think our defense was like it was against Georgia?' It was not. I don't care who you are playing, you have to take the effort you had in Georgia and play it against Alabama. We scout the same way. We prepare the same way. We didn't have the same results, because we didn't apply our game plan."

On the difference in effort between the wins and losses:

"It's the difference between a good team and a great team. There's no one that you can take lightly. It's the SEC. I watched a ton of Alabama. They've lost, but they've been in games. They hung with Mississippi State. They hung with South Carolina. I don't care who you play, you go out and you play a 40-minute game as hard as you can play. Whether you're up by 20 or down by 20. That's just competing."

On stressing the losing streak against Alabama:

"We talked about. We had it on the board. (We are) 0-3, it's time to add something to the left side of the zero. We just talked a lot about it, talked a lot about playing at home. I guess that adds to my frustration."

On what happened after the run in the third quarter:

"I don't know. I have to watch the tape. I think we gave up an uncontested three. We didn't get back in transition and gave an open layup. I don't know if it's the sequence. Again, it all boils down to our defense. You can't let a team shoot 64 percent in the second quarter and 57 percent in the fourth quarter and expect to win. You have to affect them. When we got after it in the first quarter, they shot 20 percent, and the third quarter they shot 38 percent. We affected them."

On Jaime Nared and Rennia Davis's efforts:

"I think they were attacking the basket. Mercedes (Russell) was covered up, and I thought they stepped up. (They) got some good looks, but we missed a lot around the basket. I liked that Rennia (Davis) had 10 rebounds, and that Jaime (Nared) battled. We just weren't effective as a team on the defensive end."

On Tennessee's lack of defense in the second and fourth quarters:

"I also think we played tired. I don't know why. I thought the first quarter we got tired, and I subbed Kasi (Kasiyahna Kushkituah) and Cheridene (Green) went in. I just thought we were low energy. I don't know why. A lot of our shots were short, so it could be low energy and letting our offense affect our defense. We've got to back and watch the tape. We just didn't come up with a lot of loose balls. We were just flat. I don't know why."

Senior Forward/Guard Jaime Nared

On the surge in the third quarter and what broke down in the fourth:

"We were getting stops. In the fourth quarter, we were taking bad shots as a team, but getting stops on defense. I think that's a big part of the game. Our second and fourth quarter, we were we weren't playing defense the way we are capable of."

On going right back on the road and focusing on the next game:

"Every season that you are playing, you have to have short-term memory. I mean we play Thursdays and Sundays, so it is a quick turnaround. What you do is you learn from the game and make adjustments for the next game."

On the way Alabama came in with more confidence:

"Just looking at the records, of course we're eleventh in the country, so every team that comes to play us is going to give us their best game and work extremely hard. We watched film, and we knew that they were going to come in and be a tough team. We have lost the past three games against them, so we know that they were going to work hard and come ready for us."

On if Alabama was a better team than they looked on film:

"We knew they were going to be a good team. Like I said, they came ready to play. Especially if you are ranked in the top 25, any team is going to want to beat you. They are a good team. I do not think their record shows it, but they are a good team."

Senior Center Mercedes Russell

On Alabama's defense compared to what she has seen:

"I do not think it was anything I haven't seen before. I mean (it was) the usual double or triple team, but they did a really good job of just pushing me out of the paint and making it hard for me to finish."

On if Alabama did a better job of not letting her do what she wants to do offensively:

"Honestly, I just think a lot of it was on me. I was missing little chip shots that I usually make. I don't think it was anything I have not seen before."

On Rennia and how she is evolving as a player:

"She is stepping up. Rennia (Davis) is a really good player, and she is going to have an awesome career here at Tennessee. She is going to be a really good player, not that she isn't already. She has been huge for us, not just in the past few games but all year. Just stepping up and getting double-doubles for us is huge, and anytime she does that, it is just awesome."

On the schedule being tougher for the rest of year and how they'll bounce back:

"It is a tough one, but the turnaround is so quick in the SEC, that you just have to forget about it right after it happens. We've got Missouri on Sunday, so that is all we are really looking forward too."

On reaching 1,500 points:

"It is awesome. I am definitely honored. I obviously wish it would come with the win, but it is cool just be added to another category with such great players. I am definitely honored."

Alabama Head Coach Kristy Curry

Opening statement:

"We showed a tremendous amount of toughness and grit. When they would make a run, we would keep sustaining punches. I told our kids that if we could just stay close, then we would give ourselves a chance. It comes down to having four girls in double figures. When we have great balance, we are hard to beat. I thought that Ashley Williams did what a senior should do on the road. I thought Jordan's (Lewis) point guard play was unbelievable down the stretch. We made our free throws when it mattered. We were able to just stay close on the boards. We only turned the ball over 14 times. We needed this tonight for our resume. It was not about what Alabama has done against Tennessee as of late; it's about coming out tonight and needing a win. We needed to play desperate, and I think at times we really did. This is a great win for us. We will enjoy it until about 12:01, then I can promise you that there will be a text go out from me saying that this is over. We have to take care of business this weekend. We have to be more consistent. To do this tonight, it will have no meaning if we can't back it up in the upcoming games."

On this being Alabama's first win in Knoxville:

"We were well aware of it. That's something that we always tell our kids. This senior class has been a part of a lot of firsts. They were a part of our first time ever winning at Vanderbilt, which is hard to comprehend. They really accept the challenges of being the first well. It was historic. I am really happy that that is not something we have to talk about anymore. It was talked about because this class has done a lot of firsts."

On their confidence now vs. when she first arrived:

"I think we are a lot more confident in our culture and the things that we are asking them to do on a daily basis, whether it is in the classroom or in the community. I always say those things affect 94 feet. This group was thrown into the fire as freshmen and had to respond in all areas. Association brings on assimilation, and they have done a great job at setting the tone daily on and off the court. They deserve a lot of credit. It is my job to help them finish this and help them do something else that hasn't been done in 20 years, and that is to get into the NCAA Tournament."

Alabama Guard Hannah Cook

On their recent success against the Lady Vols providing confidence going into tonight's game:

"Basketball is a game of runs. We couldn't let that affect us. I liked how we stepped up and calmed ourselves. We didn't play to their tempo; we played to our tempo. I think that helped us a lot."

On their confidence now against Tennessee vs. a couple years ago:

"I think it's a better team. We have six seniors, and we have beat them three times in a row. It helped, but it's just the next game. That's the mentality you need to have through every game that you play. I am really proud of this group. It's a great group to be with. I am really proud of our senior class and the things we have done against them in the last two years. I am really happy."

Alabama Guard Jordan Lewis

On their recent success against the Lady Vols providing confidence going into tonight's game:

"I don't think we try to base games on the past, because anything can happen in this league on any night. You have to come play every night. We got down, and we had something extra on our scout; it's usually 'play together,' but tonight we had 'stay together,' because we knew that if we got down we had to stay together and get it back one-by-one, not all at one time."

On their mentality in the fourth quarter:

"As a point guard, when things don't go our way, it is the point guard's job to maintain and keep everybody together. It was just the time. I try to pick my spots. If I feel like I need to get the ball to my teammates, then I'll get the ball to my teammates. I felt like I was open, and they went under the screen, and I have been working on my shot, so I just stepped back and knocked it down."