University of Tennessee Athletics
Postgame Quotes: Lady Vols 67, Georgia 50
January 29, 2012 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 29, 2012
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HEAD COACH Pat Summitt
(Thoughts on UT's win)
"I thought they played a really good ballgame. Obviously, Ariel did a great job of knocking down shots. Glory Johnson was steady all the way. I just think it was a good outing for our team, no doubt."
(On Shekinna Stricklen's performance)
"I thought this was one of her better games. She knocked down shots all over the court and attacked the basket as well. I was really pleased with her game."
(On the second half)
"I thought we really did a good job of getting our people on the floor and keeping them out there. I thought they responded very well. I was so excited about our defense in the second half. Overall, just a great win for us on the road against Georgia."
(On Taber Spani getting more comfortable)
"There's no doubt. I think every day she is getting her confidence back. She's getting in the gym and getting up shots. She can make a difference with that three-ball because she shoots it very well."
(On Tennessee's next game against South Carolina)
"If you had to vote at this point of the season, the most improved team (in the SEC) would have to be South Carolina. They're athletic and they score the ball well. We're going to have our hands full."
ASSISTANT COACH Mickie DeMoss
(On keeping Cierra Burdick in the lineup)
"We thought that Cierra had done a pretty good job for us the last couple of games. She kind of settles us down a little bit offensively. If she's open, she's been really good at knocking down shots. We moved (Shekinna) Stricklen to the four, so she was able to get some good inside looks early to get her settled down. It was a good combination for us. It worked well for us tonight, and we may look at it a little bit in the future."
(On Georgia's Jasmine James not playing)
"It didn't change a whole lot. We thought she may or may not play, but we prepared for the fact that she would probably play. We change our defenses up so much. I think that's what our philosophy has been all year is to keep teams off-balance, throw different zone looks at them and switch on off-screens. I thought it was pretty effective against Georgia tonight."
(On Ariel Massengale's performance)
"She is a very smart young lady. She knows at all times what's going on at every position on the floor. She's always thinking the game. She knows when to speed it up and when to slow it down. She knows who to get the ball to at crunch time. That's just something this Tennessee team hasn't had in a couple of years. As a coach, it's great to know you have a point guard out there that has complete control over what's going on out there on the floor."
FORWARD Shekinna Stricklen
(On playing so well after some struggles)
"I feel like I have let my teammates down. The last two games, I haven't been playing to my abilities. I just really felt comfortable in this game. All weekend, I tried to stay focused. This game really showed it. We played great defense and played great on both ends."
(On what gives her confidence)
"Mostly it is a mindset, it's in me mentally. My outside shooting, 3-pointers haven't been good for the last couple of games. Also, just getting to the basket and getting to the free throw line. This is the most I have been to the free throw line in a game and that's really something I have trying to improve on."
(On post up game)
" (I was) posting up a lot more. I feel I got to use my ability. I started playing out of the post. They moved me out to the wing. They were moving me all around tonight. It just allowed me to help out my team more."
(On Taber Spani's return
"It feels good when you have everyone healthy and no one sitting out a game injured. She came back and we are trying to get her back in the rhythm and get her shot back. It feels great to have everyone (active)."
(On last win over Georgia)
"You don't think about that, it's in the past. We have moved on and started over as a team. We all made a lot of commitments and tried to hold each other accountable.
