University of Tennessee Athletics
Postgame Quotes: Lady Vols 64, Mississippi State 74
January 08, 2017 | Women's Basketball
Tennessee Head Coach Holly Warlick
Opening statement)
Obviously disappointed in the outcome but I'm really proud of our kids. I thought we played hard, great effort, great energy. We just couldn't finish the deal. So we go back to practice and continue to get better.
(On MSU replacing its starters after the 2nd quarter)
The came in and gave their starters some relief. When they came in we threw the ball away twice for no reason. I'm not going to say anything about the depth, it is what it is but you can't have seventeen turnovers and expect to win the basketball game and they scored eighteen points off of it. My biggest concern is we give a wide-open three at the end of that second quarter, we give a wide open three in the third and then we are up by one and we give a wide open three to a person who only shoots threes. So that is the part the concerns me. It is just knowledge of personal and knowledge of who you are guarding. We went to the line, we did some rebounding but you have to finish the deal. As much as we love offense, you have to be able to stop somebody. The threes just broke our backs.
(On Vivians' 20 points)
Vivians is a volume shooter so she is going to shoot 25. I thought we did a really solid job on her. The shots she made were just untimely for us. So we give up a 3 then we go down and we get them to take a shot and they miss it then we give up a rebound and they score so now we're down by four. The timing of her and what she can do. It looks like they played a whole army and we pretty much got everything out of our starters. Again, there is nothing we can do about it. If we take care of our turnovers then we are not in this situation. That's just discipline, sticking to the game plan and taking care of the ball. As long as we have great effort and out effort was outstanding. We just have to continue to learn from this game tonight.
(On letting Mississippi State hit threes)
It's not very good awareness of who shoots three-point shots. I thought tonight we didn't contest a lot of shots, we had our hands down by our side and that's the discipline aspect. You can't allow someone to have a wide-open three. The game didn't just boil down to that but those things add up. We gave them twelve points on open threes in the first half. That's just the awareness that we have to get better at.
(On how tough the SEC will be since there are only two undefeated teams remaining)
"I think so, I mean this game could have gone either way. Absolutely, it's a grind, we've got so many more games left. The thing about basketball, win or lose, you watch it and tomorrow you have to refocus. Now we have to look to Ole Miss. As much as you want to celebrate a win or worry about a defeat, you can't. You got to figure out what you are going to do with the next opponent. It's a tough league, it's just a tough league. I don't know if anyone can go through here undefeated."
(On bring Reynolds back in the first half with two fouls)
"I did think about it, but you've got to look ahead, you have 20 minutes in the second half. It's a shot, it's a gamble. I just chose to sit her and take that chance. Lex has been playing really, really well. I have a lot of confidence in Alexa Middleton so I went with her. She just had a tough night tonight. She's won us some basketball games too. We just got to be smarter as a team."
(On not making subs in the second half until the end)
"The five on the floor, they're in great shape. They can play 40 minutes. We're in the trenches and right now I want to take those five to war. I am not going to take them out, they know how to get rest in certain areas. Those five were producing, right or wrong I went with that and I thought it was right."
(On if she thinks Mississippi State is deserving of its rankings)
"Yeah, I think they are. What I look at is how are they in every position. They are solid and strong inside. They have a point guard that directs their team. They can shoot the three or drive inside. It's difficult to guard when people can do that. They get after it on the defensive end. We turned the ball over at crucial times on the top of the floor and that is a lay-up for them. I think they are in the makings of a very good team when they are clicking on all cylinders."
(On using this as an example of importance of creating fouls and getting to the free throw line)
"When you're 0-of-6 from the 3-point line, you need to quit shooting threes. That's the good thing of the foul situations with quarters. Once you get in the bonus, you have to go to the basket. You're not only getting them in foul trouble, but you're also getting the opportunity to go to the line and shoot two free throws. We have worked a lot on those. If you look at it, you get to the line 35 times, out-rebound them and get eight blocks, but you don't win the game. It boils down to giving up 17 turnovers and six wide-open threes. That is the game for me. I don't think they get out rebounded very often. We just couldn't finish."
Tennessee Forward Jaime Nared
(On frustrations in the second half)
"It was frustrating because Jordan and I got into foul trouble. I think we came back in the third quarter but we just didn't get key stops in the end. We were playing one-on-one defense and they were just penetrating and taking and getting easy layups. I think that was it. We fought back. We definitely did but we just have to get stops and play defense one-on-one."
(On the parts of the game that Tennessee struggled)
"It factored in because when we weren't getting easy baskets, we weren't getting stops on defense. They had 18 transition points. We were turning the ball over. We weren't taking care of the ball. We weren't making shots and we weren't getting stops on defense. In a big game like this, it's tough to win when you're not doing those three things, especially because Mississippi State is a good transition team. We should have limited them but we didn't and they got easy baskets off of that."
Tennessee Center Mercedes Russell
(On Mississippi State)
"They're definitely a good team. They're 17-0 on the season and 3-0 in SEC and they just all-around have a great team between their guards and their posts."
(On Mississippi State's changing defense)
"They started switching up their defense. In the second quarter, they started running a little zone on us and I think our offense got a little stagnant and we just started taking quick shots. On other offensive possessions, we just weren't getting good looks at the basket."
Mississippi State Head Coach Vic Schaefer
(Opening Statement)
"Well first of all, heck of a basketball game. I was hoping it was going to be a dog fight that's just kind of our mentality; you've got to be tough, you've got to be physical in this league. They're so talented, there are so many great players at each position. You've got three kids averaging 15 or more, I think I put it on the board, they average 48 points from three spots on the floor and 26 rebounds between them. We had to come out ready to play, I didn't think we were quite ready to open but Lord we answered. When your sophomore post player can go 7 for 9 against what I think is the best in the country in Mercedes Russell. Get nine rebounds, 14 points and had two blocks and play thirty minutes. I'll be preaching to her from now until her days are done in her career that she can do it against anybody. We have the utmost respect for Mercedes and her game. Couldn't be prouder of my point guard, she goes to the press room when you win and she goes and wears the responsibility when you lose. She had four assists no turnovers, 21 points, 6 for-12, 2 for 3 from three. She missed one free throw, she's good for one miss every game, but what a competitor. In this game it's hard to judge when you're recruiting sometimes, unless you're real thorough and do your homework, what's inside a kid's breastplate. I think our staff does a great job, I think you saw today, if you don't see us play a lot, what our kids have inside their breastplate, their chest. Tremendous heart, competitive fire, I mean they're just competitors."
"We knew it was going to be like this, I was just really proud of our kids being able to answer the bell today. I thought they really answered the bell and they found a way, they really found a way."
(On team's depth)
"We're probably one of the few teams in the country that has a lot of depth, we're playing ten kids double-figure minutes. Roshunda Johnson can't play right now with that bum ankle but she came in and gave me a few minutes there in that end of the first half when that group kind of went a little run. They hit two big threes, Jazzmun Holmes was phenomenal coming off the bench running the show. Teaira McCowan was big in that stretch. We just did a really good job; Ketara Johnson I think got to the free throw line. Our biggest fear coming in was transition defense and rebounding. You just got to try to take some of that away and they're just so good at it. Coach Summitt would be awfully proud of how that group rebounds the ball. They go, they are fearless and that was really a focal point. It has not been fun if you did not block out. We still didn't do a great job; we gave up 16, but got 14 of our own but again the turnover battle, we caused 17 and only had seven of our own, three in the first and four in the second. I think those four were early in the third quarter."
Mississippi State Center Teaira McCowan
(Going up against Mercedes Russell)
"All week in practice coach Harris has been telling me, you're going to go against someone that's your own size. That just made me think, ok she's your size so you have to make smarter moves. Everyone else I play against is smaller than me so it's kind of easy to just turn around and score but with Mercedes I couldn't.
(On Mississippi State's mentality and substitutions)
"Coach always says, `When your number is called, be ready to go in and play.' When our numbers were called, we weren't scared to step up and make plays. That was our biggest thing beginning to end. Fix what's broken and keep going."
Mississippi State Guard Morgan William
(On where this win ranks)
"I mean it's big time. It's another SEC win. It's great. It's great to be a part of history with my teammates but right now, it's on to the next game."
