University of Tennessee Athletics
TENNESSEE VS. VIRGINIA - POST GAME QUOTES
March 24, 2003 | Women's Basketball
March 24, 2003
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Postgame Quotes
Monday, March 24, 2003
Head Coach Pat Summitt
(opening remarks) "It is great to see our basketball team open up game number two of the NCAA Tournament with defensive intensity and a commit to the transition game. We got a lot of good looks in first half. We settled down at half time and got good shots for the most part. We were also much more patient in the second half and played better together. Defensively, I am proud for our team. We were able to influence our opponents and that is going to be key for us."
(on first half) "In the first half, we got the ball inside early and didn't convert. We had eight turnovers at halftime and a lot of those were travel calls. I know as a staff, we talked about if we were taking too many quick shots. The difference in the second half was that we went to our 1-4 game. We were focused on ball reversal. That made a big difference for us. It gave us much more poise and time to read. It was a big difference. We talked about that at halftime. We didn't box out. The rebounding to me is the one part of the game we can learn from and improve upon. Our opening game against Alabama State might have been caused by our weakness in the half court game. It doesn't hurt to have a Brittany Jackson and a Shanna Zolman hit some big shots."
(on the 1990 NCAA Tournament game versus Virginia) "Absolutely not. We didn't mention that. Wehad a conversation before we opened up today. What are three things in your life you have complete control over? First is attitude, we can definitely control that. Kara Lawson got the second one, which was work ethic. How hard are you willing to work every day? As for the third one, I will let you think about that."
(on Ashley Robinson's confidence) "She played terrific defense tonight. She had a couple of travel calls. I liked her aggressiveness. She hasn't let it affect her offense. Shyra Ely has just been playing so well. I did not go to the bench early and did not go deep until late."
(on Shyra Ely) "I think she is playing with a tremendous amount of confidence right now. Her teammates feel that and they are going to her right off. She is a big time player. She is the best six player in the country. We needed to get her in the lineup. It makes us quicker. Her defense has been strong as well. She stepped up big."
(on Kara Lawson's shooting) "I think Kara just really has looked to do whatever she needs to do to win. There are times, an example of the SEC Tournament, when we ran things to Kara. Tonight, she didn't get those looks because she went to the point when Loree Moore got in foul trouble. It is hard to get her quick hits when she plays the point. She got a lot of those in the SEC tournament. Most of those have come from the off guard."
(on future bracket) "To be honest, I had to stop and think today about who we will play next. I try to keep my focus on the next game. I have not sat down to watch one full game. I am more concerned about us right now."
(on Tennessee's defense) "I think what you have to assess when you talk about playing good defense. Did we force a faster tempo? How many uncontested shots did we give them? They got some open looks. I thought it was to our advantage to keep it up tempo. I thought our defense was forcing a faster tempo for them."
(on advantages of playing on home court) "I am very comfortable right here. They had to go to class today. I didn't go to work. I stayed at home and came in for shoot around then went back home. It is important that you do not come in and get bogged down with work. I just want to keep my head clear for coaching. We have been on the road a lot. Do we need that? I don't think so. They went to a Final Four last season and we have a lot of work ahead of us. We know how to travel. This team does well on the road."
(on offensive rhythm) "The first thing that we had to worry about is them trying to deny the point guard and making someone else bring the ball up the floor. We like to push it up. They are active defenders with their hands. They use their hands well. They get some deflections and get some steals."
(on playing at home) "We are familiar with the court and the basket. The majority of the people in the stands are cheering for us. Home court does not win basketball games. We still have to go to class while the other team doesn't."
(on keeping focused) "I think as the games get bigger, you have to have such a focus on each game. It is hard to separate class for two or three hours. Normally, we would be sleeping in and going through film. It is kind of like a regular season game in sleeping at home."
(on growing confidence) "It was definitely a confidence booster. I had the hot hand. They kept getting me the ball and I kept putting it down. I just try to convert for our team."
Head Coach Debbie Ryan
(opening remarks) "I thought that the start of the game was where our problems started. Tennessee came out with a great amount of energy. They hit a lot of shots early. We played very hard and had the game plan. We just could not put the ball in the basket. When we got to the 10-minute mark of the second half, that is when the floodgates opened. We couldn't stop them."
(on Tennessee defense) "I think part of it was Tennessee's defense. We just weren't putting it down. We were playing a little bit faster than normal and that was throwing us off. Although, we had a lot of layups."
(on memories taken from this season) "It's a team with a lot of character. The players and staff have to be credited for turning this whole thing around. They took it upon themselves. I just stayed away from talking about the NCAA Tournament. They did it on their own. You have to give them a lot of credit. It was an incredible ride from the end of January on."
(on lack of production from Brandi Teamer, LaTonya Blue and Cherisse Graham) "All three of them had their problems. Tennessee really bothered Brandi a lot. We couldn't even find her at times. They just really defended us well."
(on Tennessee's 48-point second half) "I thought we played pretty well until the 10-minute mark. We turned the ball over too much. Normally we play better than that, but we just didn't. We didn't play very well that last 10 minutes."
(on difference between Duke and Tennessee) "They are very different. Duke really runs that motion offense to perfection at the half court. Tennessee runs a motion, but it is not like Duke's. Duke really relies on two or three players more than Tennessee does. If they were to matchup today, it is hard to say who would win. I thought we did a nice job on the boards tonight. In the first Duke game we owned the boards, in the second game we didn't. Duke has a different style, it is just not as physical as Tennessee. Duke is more finesse."
(on looking to the future) "We made tremendous growth. For us to beat Tennessee on the boards at Tennessee. That's hustle and heart. We have a lot to build on. We shot 27-percent and they shot 47-percent. That's the story of the game. We have come a long way and have a ways to go, but we will get there."
Anna Crosswhite
(on memories from the season) "I think that it was definitely a growing season for us. We need to grow a little more. The fact that we turned around showed some character. We need to build more character and take it to the next season."
Anna Prillaman
(on playing Tennessee in Knoxville) "It was definitely hostile when you are playing in front of 10,000 fans. They got off to a good start."
(on differences between Duke and Tennessee) "They have a lot different type of play. Tennessee is pretty much any player that comes in can go off any night. They aren't necessarily any better, just different."
