Postgame Quotes: Lady Vols 91, Vanderbilt 63

Jan. 22, 2017

Head Coach Holly Warlick

(Opening thoughts on win over Vanderbilt)
"Great win, great effort. Our bench played well. I'm just happy for our kids and happy to get the win."

(On Alexa Middleton's performance)
"I thought she played a pretty smart game. Just getting out of her head, just shoot the ball well. I thought she took great looks. She forced the ball and we talked about that. I asked her to just run the basketball team and don't worry about anything else and so I thought she did a really great job of getting seven assists. We needed that from her. We needed her to come in and give Jordan (Reynolds) a little rest and take some time away from some of these kids who have been playing forty minutes."

(On the second half progression)
"I'm focusing on how good we played. I'm not worrying about the third quarter. We did some different things, they adjusted, then we adjusted. I just was happy about everybody contributing and how hard they played. I think down that stretch we were playing hard and that's all I ask them to do is to play as hard as you can. We're going to give some ground, I just thought they played well, their effort was just solid."

(On seeing injuries)
"It was a hustle-play effort, and injuries are just a part of our game. It is what it is and we're not going to dwell on it and I'm not going to tell them not to play hard and go after it because that's their nature. So, I saw how they fell and I think they both got the wind knocked out of them. But I was excited; Meme (Jackson) went up and got a rebound. So I loved it. And Diamond's was a hustle-play."

(On having quick turnaround from last game)
"It did. Since we played on Monday, I didn't feel that we could take off Tuesday or Wednesday to prepare for Auburn. It helped. It helped because I think we played them two weeks ago so they're a little fresh on our minds. Their concepts were pretty much the same and I'm sure it helped them to defend us as well. But it was very helpful that we still had Vanderbilt's [play fresh on our minds]."

(On having better passes and transitions)
"I think we were very conscious of not letting the ball get stuck in our hands, we really worked on it. Passing, cutting, just playing hard. I told them, when we cut hard, it draws so much attention to you that you're going to get someone else open. I thought we were loose because we looked, we ball-screened, and we attacked the basket. So when you do that, you're going to get an open look or you're going to throw down low, or kick it out and run it again. So I thought we didn't make stuff up. We kept it simple, we attacked the paint, and that's what we wanted to do. So I think that's why we got up to such a great start."

(On finding consistencies)
"We just talk about taking this on the road and, for us, it's just about staying a bit more focused and having a lot of confidence in your teammates. I thought at Auburn we played well but then we quit shooting the basketball, thinking we had to do everything all at once. We kept getting deeper and deeper in a hole. These kids understand. I think that they're going to compete and I just ask them, `are you going to take this show on the road?' and they said yes, so that's all we can ask. Play hard, don't quit shooting the basketball, and it all starts with our defense. I thought we started off solid on our defensive end and that created easy buckets for us. And that's what we have to do on the road. We got to get after it on the defensive end just like we do here [in Knoxville].

(On what she saw in the quick turnaround since the Lady Vols last played Vanderbilt)
"I thought we kept things simple since we just played them two week ago. I think, again, that was fresh on their mind. We kept it simple in what we wanted to do offensively. We didn't do a whole lot of different sets. We wanted them to play basketball and attack. Just kept it simple on the defensive end as well. We started off pressing and then we backed off, but we didn't change a whole lot of things. We moved our press up a little bit more, attacked the paint more. When you get shots in the paint and around the paint, your percentage is going to be really good and I thought at one point in the third quarter we started shooting more threes than we needed to. We didn't need to shoot threes. We just needed to continue to attack and I think the fourth quarter, you saw us getting steals and attacking the basket. There's a strong correlation to the percentage you get in the paint and it's going to be a high percentage when you have Mercedes Russell in there and you pull up and you're taking five-foot jumpers instead of three-point shots that are, I think tonight a lot, were contested. We've got to get in the paint."

(On hopes for the bench after Alexa Middleton's performance)
"They have to do what they did tonight. Tonight they got 29 points. It's the third-most this season. These kids playing 40 minutes need some relief. I thought tonight we had a pretty balanced time for playing, maybe would've liked to get Kortney (Dunbar) in a little bit more, but they have to come in and they're very capable of making a difference in this basketball team. We've talked a lot about that. We've talked a lot about needing them to contribute, and obviously, I think tonight they contributed in a big way. We have to have that. These kids are kids, the way that we're playing right now, they're not going to be able to sustain 40 minutes and us continue to go through the SEC. It's a physical game. It's fast. We're successful when we play up and down and fast and press and turn people over, and that's hard to do for 40 minutes."

(On Middleton's ability to have more performances like she had tonight)
"I'll just say this again, I think her focal point wasn't on Alexa, not that it has been. Alexa is not a selfish kid, but I think she freed her mind up a little bit and focused on this team and where we needed to get people and what we needed to do. So, when you do that you aren't constantly thinking about, `I got to hit a shot, I got to hit a shot.' So, I just thought she played relaxed and played within our team, and when she does that, I think tonight was a great example of her just running a basketball team and great things happened for her."

Tennessee Forward Jaime Nared

(On Middleton adding another dimension to her offense)
"It's great when she comes in and hits shots for us. I think she's a great shooter. I think everybody knows that. She just opens up the floor for us. It's nice when she's in."

(On the difference on both sides of the ball versus the Auburn game)
"I think we just had a good day of preparation yesterday. I think we knew what Vanderbilt did, and we took advantage of spots where we knew that we could attack them in. We just focused on us. I think we did a great job of feeding Mercedes Russell, Diamond attacking in transition, and just doing the things we normally do in our games, that we haven't been doing consistently, lately."

Tennessee Guard Diamond DeShields

(On the importance of a fast start and rebounding from Thursday's loss at Auburn)
"We've been starting off pretty well in games, so I wouldn't say so much the start, but just down in the middle of the game, where we start to have defensive mistakes, and we start to get relaxed on defense. Our offense gets stagnant. I think regrouping from Auburn but also just regrouping after halftime. We had to make sure that everyone was going to bring that same energy and effort into the second half. We did have a lapse there in the third quarter, but we were able to pick ourselves up, and I think that turned things around."

(On the approach to the game versus Vanderbilt)
"Well, we honestly just went back to practice. We knew we were a better team. Obviously, some things were said in the locker room, amongst ourselves and coaches. Now, we've got 10 conference games to play, and we're playing for our lives. We want to be playing in March, so we can't dwell on that Auburn game. We've got to move forward, and now, we've got two tough road games coming up. Every game is important, so just having a short-term memory and letting it go was the big message from our coaches."

(On having low-scoring quarters in games)
"Well, the obvious things would be fatigue and the mental aspect of it all, but that's an area we need to improve. That's an area that we can improve. We're very aware that we tend to do that, sometimes, and it doesn't go unnoticed. We know we can't afford to keep having that happen in these games, so it will be addressed. It's just a mental thing. We've just got to push through that. We allowed ourselves to get tired, and they came down on the other end and capitalized. They were a very well-coached team. They've got players, and they wanted to generate some energy, and come back and win. Nobody is going to just roll over, and let us beat them. They tried to fight their way back into it, but we were able to turn it back on."

Vanderbilt Head Coach Stephanie White

(Opening Statement)
"Tennessee did exactly what you would expect a great team to do. They came back off of a disappointing loss, and set the tone for the first five minutes of the ball game. They did exactly that. They came out, and played at a high level. They executed very well on both ends of the floor. They knocked down shots. They dictated and dominated the game from the opening tip. That's what great teams do. They're a great team. We weren't able to answer. I felt like, mentally, we were a little defeated early. I was proud of the group that came in the second half, and really started to fight and compete. You can't dig yourselves a hole like that against a great team."

(On LeaLea Carter's performance against Tennessee)
"I think everybody who has ever watched LeaLea Carter play, knows how good LeaLea can be, except for LeaLea. We really need her. She's really our only playmaker that we have. It is the lack of aggressiveness at times. When you come in as a freshman, especially when you've been a great player in high school, sometimes you don't understand what it takes from a work standpoint. It's always been really easy for them. Not that All-Americans don't have to work very hard, because absolutely, they have, but everything has been really easy because they've always been better than everybody else. So, sometimes you don't learn how to be consistent. That's LeaLea's journey. We've seen her be spectacular. Sometimes we've seen her shy away. That is part of her journey. She's going to be a great player in this league for a long time. She's just trying to figure it out.

(On Vanderbilt picking up energy in the third quarter)
"I like that we competed. I felt like we were really flat in the first half. I didn't feel like we were fighting at all. One of the things, regardless of the outcome, we thought our team played really hard. I didn't feel like we played very hard in the first half. That group really came out and established a tone in the third quarter by getting on the floor after loose balls, by pushing the tempo, by being active and aggressive on the defensive end of the floor, by boxing out and getting out of area rebounds, and by just competing at a high level. We talk all the time as a team about controlling our `controllables'. Everything that is related to effort is a `controllable'. Those are the things that we expect every single day, regardless of if we are making shots or missing shots; whether you win or lose. We're laying the foundation for the future of what we want our program to be. It starts with all of those intangibles. Eventually, the wins and losses take care of themselves. It's about our identity. I felt like the second half, particularly the third quarter, but the second half was more of our identity."

(On attacking Tennessee in Vanderbilt's game plan)
"I wish that when we were playing Tennessee, we could figure out how to attack them. They might not have a deep bench, but they've got good players at every position. There is not a lot of liability on the floor. Tennessee's liability is their own mentality. When you look talent-for-talent across the country, Tennessee lines up with everybody. There's no doubt about it. So, for us, we like for them to get into an up-tempo game. We try to get them into foul trouble. We'd like to get deep into their bench, but that's easier said than done. They had great balance today. Alexa Middleton, who struggled in conference play, really came in, and had a great game. She really managed the game, not with just her production. She managed the flow of the game really well for them."

(On if Tennessee needs to be mentally tougher)
"No, I just think that sometimes they hold themselves back. I think that there's always this thing when you have a really good, talented team. Sometimes you think that you can flip the switch on and off. As coaches, we fight this battle a lot when you have great teams and great players. I think that when they play hard all the time, when they share the ball, especially like they played in the first half tonight, and in the fourth quarter, you can line them up against Connecticut. They could beat one of the best teams in the country. I think sometimes you see the inconsistency. It's not mental toughness necessarily, but just mentality to dominate. I think that's what you see in a lot of special players, and a lot of special players that you guys have seen around here for a long time."

(On the impact Pat Summitt made on her)
"It means a lot on a number of levels. As a coach, everybody strives to make the impact that Pat made. It's not just about the banners hanging in the building. It's about making an impact in the lives of young people, it's about making a difference in the community. Pat did more for women in general, not just women in sport because she demanded excellence and she demanded equality. She didn't sacrifice her core values for anything that's tangible. As a coach, that's what you strive to do, you strive to make an impact in the lives of young people, you strive to make an impact in the community, you strive to prepare young women to be future leaders. She made a difference in the lives of people she didn't even know, she never met, she never came across. To be able to be here during `We Back Pat' week and to be able to honor her legacy is really special. Every time I have ever stepped into this building, whether it be as a player, a commentator and now as a coach. You can't help but think, almost like players probably do, `gosh, I hope I make Pat proud.' I think anybody who has a lot of pride in our game, and anyone who wants to make a difference in our game probably feels the same way."

(On seeing Tamika Catchings' jersey in the rafters after coaching her)
"In fact I brought my five-year-old son with me and he looked up there and said `that's Mika's number'. Tamika is just special. Not just a special player, but a special person. To be able to have had an opportunity to be Tamika's teammate. When she was a rookie, I was her roommate, we were teammates. To be able to coach her, to be able to watch her grow to see the woman she has developed into and to be able to come back and see her jersey, it makes me proud, so proud of her. It makes me proud to have been a small part of her life. It makes me proud that every day I was able to learn something from her as well. She was the epitome of Pat's legacy. There are a lot of players walking around here that played for Pat that have an opportunity to impact the lives of others and Tamika is one of them."

Vanderbilt forward Kayla Overbeck

(On regrouping at halftime)
"I think we came together more as a team. We knew what we needed to do. We knew the way we could do it too. Even though it got away from us, I think that we came together instead of drifting apart. That was a major turn for our team. We were trying to be a team, and be a unit even when things are tough. We just kept pushing through."

(On starting fresh after each loss)
"It's a mentality. Even when times get rough, it's a mentality of `we can still do this'. Even though we might not be winning in the scorebooks, we're winning by getting better as a team. We were getting better personally, and pushing to be the best we can be. Even though on the surface, it might not look like it's going as well as we hoped it was going, we're still getting better. We're still growing. We're setting the foundation for years to come on our team. We're going back to our keys of putting our team first. I think that even with all of the losses, we've kept our identity as a team."

Vanderbilt forward Erin Whalen

(On regrouping at halftime)
"We came together as team. We were just talking about what we want our identity to be, and what we want to be known for. We just regrouped and said that we need to not make as many turnovers, calm down, just play for each, and remember why we are playing in the first place. We just wanted to make sure that we were all playing for each other and doing the best that we could."

(On striving to make significant strides in the league with the remainder of the season)
"We're definitely making sure that every time we are on the court, we're making best of every situation. Like Kayla was saying, we're trying to move forward as a team, taking everything, and learning from it. This is definitely not the start that we were hoping for, but we're just going to keep moving forward. The next team we play, we're coming for them. We're going to make sure that we give that opponent the best game that we can."

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