Postgame Quotes: Lady Vols 73, Zags 69 (OT)

March 28, 2015

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TENNESSEE

THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and get started with an opening statement from coach and then take questions for the student athletes.

COACH WARLICK: Gonzaga was just absolutely they were awesome today. Great credit to their coach, the coaching staff and the kids. They fought hard. It was a battle. We had to give everything we had.

The crowd was phenomenal. I know they weren't yelling for us, but to come out and support Gonzaga, it was huge. That's how about basketball, women's basketball, should be.

So, I understand how special this place is and the fans and the people here and it's been a it was just a they had a great run and my hat's off to them.

THE MODERATOR: Take questions for the student athletes, please.

Q. For all three of you. Have any of you ever been a part of a comeback like this before at any level?

Cierra Burdick: Well, I think in the SEC tournament last year A mass and I had our fair share of comebacks considering we were down 15 every game of that tournament and ended up winning the championship. But nothing tops this. We were down what, 17 at one point and we came back and win in overtime. I mean, I think that just goes to show that no matter how many punches you throw at us we're going to continue to get up and we're going to keep fighting and we never thought we were out of this game. That's just Tennessee basketball. That's our mindset.

Ariel Massengale: I'm with Cierra on that one.

Jaime Nared: I have not this is my first year, and just being a part of this game was just so exciting and I never experienced it and I was just proud of how everyone fought.

Q. Cierra, just describe how tough this game was down low. They had three bigs and you guys had to draw the fouls to pretty much win this game in overtime. Just how tough was it to get to the free throw line and actually cap this thing off tonight?

Cierra Burdick: I give a lot of credit to Gonzaga because their inside game is unbelievable. They're tough. They're physical. A lot more physical than what I anticipated. We knew they were more of a finesse team, but they came out and battled and they made everything hard for Bashaara and myself and Jamie when she was down low. So I give them the credit. We had to draw the fouls late to win this basketball game and our free throws are what saved us.

Q. Ariel, when you're down 17 with 6:30 to go, is it hard to believe that you guys can get up off the math?

Ariel Massengale: I don't think so. As Cierra said, this team has been in this position before. We just have this drill in practice called the persistence drill where you have to play 30 seconds of perfect defense and if you get a back door cut or give an offensive rebound the clock starts over.

I know for Cierra and myself, there's been times where we have been in that drill for 45 minutes in one practice. That's something that we just kept telling ourselves, persistence drill, persistence drill.

We do lot of running our 55s, suicides that we run. Just for the conditioning purposes and having to go into overtime.

And just extremely proud of my teammates for not giving up. We fought. Coaching staff believed in us and we came out with the W.

Q. Ariel, let me direct this question to you. Not looking at the second half, first half, you guys were still down but right before the half you hit that big three pointer. How crucial was that for your mindset going into halftime?

Ariel Massengale: It was very crucial not only for myself, but for my teammates as well. As a shooter it's always good to see the ball go through the basket. We had we were down early in the first half so to be able it fight back then and get the tie the game up.

We went into halftime thinking the score is 0 0 and we knew those first four minutes would be crucial for us. Unfortunately we dug ourselves into an even bigger hole in the second half. But we kept fighting, we never gave up.

Q. For any of the student athletes. I have to be honest, I looked over and the body language, you're down 17, there's not a lot of time left, but there was time left. Who is the player or who kind of pulled it together? At what point did you really feel we have got this, we can turn it around? Is there somebody in particular that really steps in and lifts you guys up?

Cierra Burdick: I think Ariel and myself being the senior leaders out there, we just try to keep everybody calm, cool and collected and positive.

Everybody's you got Jordan getting hype, Jamie's bringing great energy, Alexa is just hounding the basketball and that itself our actions are what build up the energy.

Then vocally, our coaches did a phenomenal job with just keeping us in sync. Telling us what we needed to do. At some times all four of them were talking to us, but that's just how passionate they are. So, I think it was a group effort. It was a collective just keeping us in it.

Q. Cierra, there were points where I looked at you and it almost looked like you were like, this is not going to happen. We're not going out like this. Is that kind of what you were thinking?

Cierra Burdick: That was definitely my mindset. Being a senior, we went out early last year in this same round and I was I did not want that to happen again. I don't want to leave Spokane this early. I love Knoxville but I'm in the ready to go back yet. We got more business to take care of. Our goal was to get to Tampa. It's been that since day one. So, whatever it took, we were willing to do.

Q. Jaime, how tough was this game playing in it as a freshman and just you had a double digit performance and one of the most intense environments in your career.

Jaime Nared: It was really exciting, to be honest. It was just a great environment to be around. I was proud of everyone and it was game that I'll remember forever because of how hard everybody played. And how we all came together when we were down by such a large amount.

We never hung our heads. Our coaches were yelling or keeping a good vibe around the game and just making sure that we were just keeping our head level. So it was exciting.

THE MODERATOR: All right. We'll excuse you to the locker room and take questions for coach.

Q. Down by 17 with 6:34 to go, you didn't make a field goal in overtime. It was 10 free throws. The most interesting way to win a game you've had as a head coach so far?

COACH WARLICK: Oh, absolutely. We weren't they had such strong defense on us inside. We were struggling to score and so we chose to we thought we could take advantage of our height with their guards and we started posting our guards up.

I tell you, it was huge for us to only miss one free throw, obviously. It was a pressure situation in overtime and we didn't miss a free throw.

So, we had kids up there that were pretty solid, strong, head strong, and I think we got the right people on the free throw line to take the shots.

Q. Coach, one of the things I noticed was Alexa Middleton's defense, where it was when you brought her in, her intensity really kind of set the tone for the rest of the game. Would you agree with that?

COACH WARLICK: Totally agree with you. Totally agree with you. Our goal today was to put pressure on the ball. We felt like we could affect them with ball pressure. Before Lex came in we didn't Andraya Carter did it a little bit but got in foul trouble and then Lex came in and did exactly what we wanted her to do.

We had two freshmen step up. They have not played in this they haven't been down by that much, they haven't played really in an environment in the NCAA Tournament. I thought they came in and made big plays for us, did some big things.

I thought Jamie got big rebounds. Lex was huge on the defensive end. So I think they grew up and understand that we need them. Not too often freshmen have to step up, freshmen have to step up because something is going to happen. And freshmen almost don't know that they're supposed to be nervous or scared. They don't know what they're missing out on. So I thought our freshmen really stepped up and helped us out today.

Q. You said on the pregame that you don't like to take a lot of threes. And you took 19 tonight. So, can you explain that?

COACH WARLICK: We couldn't get the ball we had nothing inside. We had no answer for their inside game. We were getting shots blocked, they were sagging in and I thought I don't think we took too many quick threes, I thought we got good looks. I thought Ariel's three at the half was huge for us.

So, yeah, that's not normally our game plan and our style, but when you have the presence of Gonzaga and their big kids inside that are playing great defense, we had to find our points other ways.

Q. At what point did you decide to put on the press and did you consider going to it earlier in the game?

COACH WARLICK: Well we were getting our butts kicked so I thought we got to do something different.

We just had to change the momentum. We pressed the first we zone pressed the first half and I thought we did some good things and they adjusted to that.

So we decided to run a full court, run and jump, and it was huge for us. If not anything, it took time off the clock, made them rush, made them hurry. And we got turnovers and it got us back in the game. We really haven't used that press a lot this year, but obviously it came in real handy tonight.

Q. There's not a lot of time to think in between tournament wins, but once you get the chance to kind of just watch this game over again at some point in the future, do you think it's one of the most gratifying feelings you'll have as a head coach?

COACH WARLICK: Oh, absolutely. I've only been doing this three years, so I don't think in the tournament, we haven't come back by this much and last year we got beat in this round. So, yeah, to date this was the most exciting NCAA game for me. So I hope it's not going to end, but it's, it was exciting.

Q. Can you talk about what Cierra Burdick did for your team today and how many different ways?

COACH WARLICK: Well, you know, Cierra's, she's our work horse. We have asked her to do a lot of things of the lead the team. I thought she was great on the boards, she hit big shots for us, she kept her head in the game. I thought the first half she got a little displaced and then we took her out. But she keeps the team pretty focused and in the huddles I thought she did a great job of getting our kids to focus in and listen to what we were trying to do.

So, she's been an unbelievable leader for us. She and Massengale have been absolutely incredible. They have had to shoulder a lot of burden since Izzy's gone out. So not only scoring and rebounding but getting everybody where they need to be, keeping them positive. So those two have been they have been phenomenal. I can't say enough about what they have done.

Q. You might have commented on this earlier, I just got in here. But Nared looked absolutely lost in the first part of that game when she came in at both ends of the floor. Then all of a sudden she seemed to regain her composure and started playing really well. Were you surprised at the turn around?

COACH WARLICK: Well, I didn't talk about her being bad in the first half, but, yes, she wasn't very good. But you know, I think that second half she settled down, she got big rebounds for us, and then we posted her up. She hit big free throws. She I think her defense was solid.

I think that once we got past the first half, we settled down, we settled in, and she did some great things for us, especially when we needed her to do those things. She turned the ball over the first half, just trying to get rid of the ball. But that's just her settling down and getting into the flow of the game.

Q. I know you'll take some time tonight to absorb this win, but what are you looking at as far as matchups come Monday night with Maryland for a trip to Tampa?

COACH WARLICK: Well, I'll be very honest with you, I have not watched either team and studied either team because I was focusing on Gonzaga and what they needed to do. I didn't want to look ahead and worry about what is to come. I wanted to take care of business at hand.

But I've seen Maryland. I know they have got great guards, really super guards that can score. They're physical. So I think we're going to have to, obviously, take care of the ball. We're going to have to score a little bit better on the inside and we're still going to do what we do.

Mincy is outstanding. Lexie Brown's outstanding. So, we're going to have bring our A game and you don't get seeded No. 1 if you're not a good basketball team. And we have a lot of respect for them and what they do and what they have done this season.

So, we're kind of excited to get a chance to, obviously, play them. They put us out last year. Hey, I'm just glad we get to play them. At about 6:30 it didn't look very good. So, I'm happy to get that chance.

Q. One last thought about your seniors. They have had a pretty big journey through this program to be here today. Did you have a lot of faith in those seniors in these last few minutes that have game that they were going to be the ones that pulled you back?

COACH WARLICK: You know, I did. They're the last really set of kids that Pat had the opportunity to recruit. They have been through a lot. When you lose a head coach that you want to play for to the stature of Pat, they have been through a lot. Then they have been very accepting of me and positive. So I think that, yeah, they have had a lot of burden on their shoulders and I just think they have done an incredible job. Ariel Massengale came in as a freshman before she even put on a uniform she was named the starting point guard by Coach Summit. So, that's tough. That's pressure. With Izzy and Cierra as well, they're trying to carry on a tradition and they have had a lot of pressure on them. But those three are competitors. When you got competitors and they don't want to lose, and they get in the gym, they're in the gym all the time and they have a love for the game.

So when you have a love for the game and you're competitive and you love this program as they do, you have a lot of trust in them. You have a lot of trust in them. I spend a lot of time with them. We talk basketball, we watch tape together.

So, they're highly intelligent basketball players and I think they understand that we need their leadership and how they play and how they lead this team in order for this team to keep moving forward.

Q. You were an assistant coach on these teams 1996 team, you came back from 17 point deficit against Virginia in a regional final. Then in 1998 your national champion undefeated team came back from 12 against North Carolina. Does this comeback rank right up there with those in your mind?

COACH WARLICK: I'll tell you, it's a lot easier as an assistant. I absolutely. I've not been in this situation before. Trying to figure out what we want to run offensively and defensively and you know, when I watch games on TV, I can really come up with some great ideas when somebody's down and that, but when you're standing up there and having to do it, it is tough.

So, you just got to have faith in your kids and how hard they play and hopefully you've instilled in them not to give up.

So, yeah, to date this is the biggest victory for me and absolutely in the tournament. It just is a sign of kids that are resilient and great staff. Staff was so into it today that they, we talked as Ariel said, we talked about our persistence drill. And it's very seldom do you win a persistence drill. So it's extremely, extremely difficult. We do it and they don't like it, because it's hard. But that's all we talked about in timeouts and what we needed to get done. So, give those guys credit, they figured out how to get it done.

Q. What does that drill look like, that persistence drill? COACH WARLICK: It is a, you have three teams, one team stays on defense. We really play it with we put 45 seconds on the shot clock. You can't get off until the shot, the shot clock goes to zero. If you foul, it resets. If you give up an offensive rebound, it resets. If you get a stop, if you get a stop the clock, the clock stays where it is, so if you get a stop at 35 seconds, it stays at 35 seconds and a new team comes in. So you're having to guard two teams really. If you get a charge, you get the time minus five.

So, it's very difficult. It's just hard. You get the fresh team in and you're having to come in and if they barely touch it we call it a foul. They don't like it. They complain about the officiating and I'm I'm just calling what I see. We're just calling what we see.

So it's extremely, extremely difficult. So, Ariel, we didn't, we don't go 30, I don't remember the last time we went 30 seconds, we got at 45. We have probably done it throughout the year probably five or six times. But it's very taxing. We do it, we have done it for 40 minutes on one team on defense the whole time. So, we love doing it. It's something that you just put their backs against the wall and see if they fold or see if they're going to step up and get it done.

GONZAGA

THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and get started with an opening statement from coach and then take questions for the student athletes.

COACH FORTIER: It's a tough way to end the season. I realize that all but one coach has to come up here as the team that didn't win, but it's tough with this group, especially my first year. I love these players and the way that they fought for each other and fought for us as a coaching staff this entire year, but especially the last couple weeks.

Tennessee did a great job tonight and obviously they deserve to win the game. But it's a tough way to end your season with people like this that I love so much.

THE MODERATOR: Take questions for the student athletes, please.

Q. You guys were up 17 with 6:34 to go. Obviously Tennessee dialed up that pressure on the defense. Just tell us a little bit about from both of you, what was it like that last 6:34 before overtime and overtime when they dial up that defense and it just seemed like you guys couldn't get the shot to go.

KEANI ALBANEZ: I think we weren't ready for that at that time. We tried to rally and get back together. There was kind of a lot going on in your mind as a player and they played us tough. So when someone's coming at us full throttle like that, it's hard to maintain our momentum.

SUNNY GREINACHER: Yeah, I think they were they had to change something because we were really successful against them before. The way they changed was really turning up the physicality and the defensive pressure. And I don't think we were surprised by it, but I don't think we had the right answers at that time.

Q. Sunny, on the offensive end did you feel like there were good shots and there were good opportunities and things didn't fall, or was it completely reflection of what they were doing defensively?

SUNNY GREINACHER: I think offensively we had a lot of good opportunities and a lot of good shots that we, not only had but took and realized what we had. I think there were a lot of good opportunities inside for us that we took advantage of. Our guards were ready to shoot. So, yeah, I think offensively there were a lot of good looks for us.

Q. At halftime obviously the score is tied, but I imagine the two of you were feeling pretty good about the way things were going at that point?

SUNNY GREINACHER: In overtime?

Q. At halftime.

SUNNY GREINACHER: Halftime. Yeah, we told ourselves in the locker room that it is 0 0. Because it literally basically was. We took the confidence from the first half that we played well and that we were able to lead in that half and then stay even with them.

You could see that in the first five minutes, especially in the second half. I think we came out ready, we came out ready to not end this game as even but take the lead then.

Q. How much energy were you guys getting from the crowd?

SUNNY GREINACHER: A ton. Our fans are the best in the world to me. So, they helped us tremendously. You can definitely feel it and it's a great environment to play in.

Q. Obviously you guys both led the team, two seniors, in scoring. Just reflect, if you will, a little bit about this year and I know it just came to a crushing end, but just talk a little bit about what it was like for both of you.

KEANI ALBANEZ: Looking back on this year it started out rough. If you would have told me that I would be here in the Sweet 16 and in overtime, I wouldn't have believed you. I'm so proud of our coaching staff and the work we put in this summer. Our program has jumped tremendously. We're at a whole other level, I feel and this is just the beginning.

I was telling the girls in the locker room that this sucks, this feeling sucks, but use this for motivation. We can get back here. Even though I won't be joining them, I'll be joining them in the stands. But it's been a great ride.

SUNNY GREINACHER: Yeah, when the game was over and we were kind of like jogging back to the locker room it obviously all kind of flashed in front of your eyes. Just what this means now and that this last year or these four years are over now as a senior.

But, yeah, we're so proud of our team and our coaches. I don't think anyone at the beginning of this year expected us to go this far and everyone was like, oh how is it going to go with a new coaching staff and these seniors graduating. We definitely made the best out it have.

We struggled at the beginning of the year, but we got ourselves together and especially once conference started, we were undefeated for most of conference. And then same thing after the big Vegas tournament, we really turned it up and stuck together as a group and got this far.

THE MODERATOR: All right. We'll excuse you to the locker room and take questions for coach.

Q. I thought those were some pretty honest answers by your players about what was happening when Tennessee was kind of coming at them full bore. What were you telling them? What were you thinking?

COACH FORTIER: I was telling them we needed to get stops and not send them to the free throw line. The free throws were a pretty big disparity. Obviously they made theirs, which was in their favor as well.

But at that point there was and one and one and one. They were really diving in there and trying to draw contact and it was working.

So, we switched to a zone and we tried to do change up our defenses a little bit. But if you can't get stops, then it doesn't really matter. We shot the ball great, we'll take 45 percent. We were 50 percent in one half and 46 almost in the second half. That's good enough to win a game.

We tied them on the glass. That's good enough to win a game.

I think that the two things were the free throws and then the taking care of the ball and handling their pressure. They were right, they picked it up late and we had a good plan in place and we didn't really execute it. I think that as the pressure increases, we sort of got on our heels a little bit. We forgot about some of the options that we were supposed to be looking for.

It wasn't again, I don't think it was the shot selection or anything in that half court. We did get a little bit rushed but once we got to half court we were able to get, for the most part, decent shots. But it was the back court pressure that really affected us.

Q. Free throws. They went I think they went 22 23 or 21 22 for the game. Even though they started coming back, you guys kind of got to overtime, they didn't make a field goal in overtime

COACH FORTIER: Nope, they didn't.

Q. But as a coach, do you just feel like the first two games Sunny came up with that big shot. Tonight, she missed that jumper.

COACH FORTIER: Oh, she had some big shots. She made a Big shot to tie it a couple times tonight. I don't think that was that the issue.

We shot the ball well. Sunny shot the ball 19 times, 12 19 is something that we'll take from her. And a lot of minutes while she's getting the heck beat out of her from the behind, just that's how post play is.

Then having to do that on the other end to be really physical too. So I don't necessarily think it was that.

The free throws, we didn't shoot them as well as we have most of the year. But we didn't shoot enough of them, I don't think. And that's partially the way we must not have been driving to the basket hard enough to draw the contact.

Q. You guys obviously outsized Tennessee for a lot of the game down low with some of your bigs and Greinacher was coming up with some rebounds. But Cierra Burdick still had 22 and 15. What does that say about her as a player for this Tennessee team?

COACH FORTIER: She's a great player and I think that she's definitely a kid who doesn't want to see her season end. She we knew that she was going to try and do it for her team and in whatever way she could. When she started the year as a wing and now she's playing the four and at some points tonight was the biggest player out there on her team. At halftime she already had seven rebounds I think or nine. One of the two. She's a heck of a player. She's tough to guard, because she has a mismatch usually because she can shoot it so well from the outside.

So she's a nice person to be able to trot out there against a team like us, who does always almost always have two bigs in there. Two true bigs. So she's like guarding you're literally guarding a guard with a post player which we have done a lot this year. And that I don't think hurt us off the dribble so much, but more as they're just not as used to having to get close enough to contest her shot which is where I think she made most of her baskets besides there and at the free throw line.

Q. Obviously you guys did what did you think you did well that first 13 minutes of the second half to build that lead and then what part of your plan for handling their pressure did you guys not execute kind of that final six minutes?

COACH FORTIER: Well, I think they didn't press us that much. So I think we were getting stops. They picked up the pressure. It was kind of something that we had prepared for but they had it in their back pocket.

They were trying to run some of their three quarter court stuff. They didn't extend it as far. So, we got pretty comfortable with our press attack being worse in practice than it had been in the game.

We really tried to ramp it up in practice. We had guys out there saying it's going to be a lot, it's going to be a lot. And then they come out and they weren't really getting after us that much in the first half.

But once they picked it up we just you go through part of the game a certain way and you get used to how things are going to go and then once they picked it up I think that we kind of got on our heels.

And we weren't looking up the court. We were trying to rely on dribble everywhere and then there's always two people coming. And so it's not like you can dribble through it like some zones and then they just settle back into their half court pressure, they continue on. They continue with the traps and that kind of thing.

So, I think that that's the biggest difference, was they picked up their pressure and then we didn't realize quickly enough, probably didn't tell them as quickly as I should have that they were still coming. And they were going to trap and then they were going to deny the next play. Their press, when it mattered was very, very good.

Q. Up 17, with the crowd the way it was tonight, were you maybe expecting Tennessee to fade away quietly?

COACH FORTIER: No. Programs like Tennessee don't fade away. They never have and they never will. They expected to win the game. And I know they haven't been to maybe some of these levels or some of these stages in the season or to the Final Four yet with this group and that kind of thing, but they know who they play for and they know the team on front of their jersey and good programs you don't fade away. You don't give up. That's certainly not the makeup of this team that they have.

Q. How significant was the shot clock violation in the overtime with a couple minutes left?

COACH FORTIER: Yeah, it was a one that we would have rather not had. We like the way we offensive rebound, for the most part. So giving ourselves a shot to go and get any rebounds would be obviously better than that.

It's hard to hear. They were doing a good job with their switching defense and maybe we should have spread it out and just let Sunny drive to the basket at that point. But by the time they realized it, it was a little late.

Q. Two part question. Talk about the crowd and also if you would about your seniors and how they performed tonight.

COACH FORTIER: I love our crowd. I love our city. The way Spokane supports us, specifically our university. But our team, is unparalleled. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to be the coach of the women's basketball team at a place like this.

Then our seniors just they came up as big as they could. They had the same mentality as Burdick did. They didn't want to let our team lose and they wanted to keep playing and I don't think that they wanted the season to end.

I'm very proud of the way that they battled and Sunny is a thin player, some of you guys know. The way she flexed her muscles in there in the glass and stuff.

And then Keani, just hassling the other team's point guard and the way she flies around defensively. I mean that takes a lot of effort and you can't just do it Willie nillie or just turn it on and turn it on here. That's something they have worked really hard for and it's been a pleasure coaching both those two and Lindsay and Laura as well. I love our senior class.

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