University of Tennessee Athletics
Lady Vols vs. South Carolina Postgame Quotes
February 24, 2019 | General
Tennessee Head Coach Holly WarlickÂ
Opening statement:
"We dug ourselves into a hole in the first quarter, and they were more physical than us, and we just didn't handle them. We just have to start the game off better."
On what hasn't been going right the last two games:
"We're not making shots. We had 54 shots in and around the paint. We're just not making shots. This is a physical game, and we didn't finish shots. In the first half, we turned it over too much, we gave up too many layups, and we just mentally were not focused. And then once we got through that first quarter, we were fine, but we just can't get ourselves in a hole."
On the team only attempting three 3-pointers:
"Why would we shoot threes? We're getting in the lane. There's no reason why we would shoot threes. We got good looks in the lane, we just didn't finish. They (South Carolina) had eight blocks. It is what it is."
On if seeing the difference in play between the first and third quarters was frustrating:
"It is (frustrating). Again, we let our offense control our defense, and we weren't in tune the first quarter defensively, because we were pressing and then we weren't talking. Nobody was back on the press, so we had so many mental mistakes. You can't blame it on youth; we're playing five kids that have been mainly starting the whole year. We just cannot let us not making buckets dictate how we were playing on defense. I mean, we let Bianca (Cuevas-Moore) get too many threes, and you know, she had a great game. She hit shots when they needed it, hit free throws when they needed it. So, we've just got to get out of the gate quicker."
On the four-point swing in the third quarter:
"It was huge. We have to make that play. It was kind of a momentum deal. I think they hit a three. I'm not sure. But, when Rennia Davis got that offensive foul, that affected us as well because we were on a roll. We just couldn't get over the hump. But I loved our fight. From the second through the fourth quarter, I loved our fight. But we've got to step up and understand… you know we wanted to front Jennings, and we never did that. And we wanted to double down and get the ball out of her hands, and we didn't do that. So, we've got to take what we want to do and put it on the court. I thought it hurt us that Cheridene (Green) got in foul trouble, but she did some good things as well. So, we just battled all day because of the first quarter, and it was hard. South Carolina was not relinquishing how they were playing."
"We're missing shots. It's been our M.O. for a while, and we just missed some easy shots. You can't do that against South Carolina; they're a great basketball team. You can't spot them 27-11. That's an uphill climb, and we've got to get better at that. It's ok. We're not going to make every shot, but you can control what you do defensively, and you can control what you do on the boards. You know who's a three-point shooter, you know who's a penetrator. We had 16 fouls, we have to get better on the defensive end."
On if they talk about needing to win the next two games:
"We've talked about how getting down the stretch that you need the games. They know it. They know, and they understand it. It's all over social media; they read it, so they know. They know, we all know. We got ourselves in this hole, so you have to climb out of it and you have to get these next two games, absolutely."
On C. Vivian Stringer taking a leave of absence
"I absolutely hate it for her. She's an icon in our profession, and she's been doing this for a long time. She got her program turned around. She must be really exhausted if she's going to pull herself, because that woman's a fighter. She's a great example for her young ladies, and I wish her the best. It's just hard, and I know she's putting everything she has into it, and I hate it for her. I really do hope she comes back because those kids play for her."
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Sophomore Guard Evina Westbrook
On how difficult it was to get out of the first quarter hole:
"We definitely did get ourselves in a hole, especially defensively. They just came out and took it to us. And unfortunately, we knew they were going to come out and get the ball in quick, and we just weren't able to stop trying to press and not really picking up the ball. Yeah, the first quarter was the difference-maker I think."
On the difference between the last five minutes and the first half:
"I think we were getting stops and our offense and some of the plays we were running they were unable to stop so we just continued to run them. Knocking down shots and our defense really came through for us in the third quarter."
Redshirt-Senior Forward Cheridene Green
On their outlook going into the final two games:
"I think we just need to focus in practice and take it a day at a time. That's what we need to do."
On if she is putting more urgency or thought into her final two games:
"I'm not so much thinking about it, I think a sense of urgency should be there regardless if it is my last home game or not."
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Sophomore Guard/Forward Rennia Davis
On if they are thinking about getting to 8-8 in conference play:
"We definitely look ahead as a team, and we understand that we need to win these games. But right now we are taking it game by game and trying to get better."
On how South Carolina was able to hold off their runs:
"In the second half we just sent them to the free-throw line way too many times. We would get a stop and a score, but then send them to the free-throw line. We did that a number of times, especially in the third quarter. I don't know how many free-throws they shot in the third quarter, but I know they shot a lot. That's where they were scoring most of their points in the second half, and I think that we just have to play defense without fouling, stay in front of our person, and play defense collectively."
South Carolina Head Coach Dawn Staley:
ÂOn playing a short lineup against Tennessee:
 "We went to a more experienced lineup, because coming in here we knew we would see a lot of different options. I thought we would go with someone who was more experienced who could handle the press. We knew Tennessee would press us a little bit more, especially considering the way we played against Kentucky."
On her team's first quarter:
 "I think we needed it. We needed to come out to a fast start, because we have not come out to fast starts in the past couple of games. It was good to put 27 points up in the quarter; it gives you a great feel for what the game would be like for the rest of the time. We were not at a 27-point quarter pace, but it was enough to see where we could find our advantages."
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On facing the Tennessee defense:
 "We wanted to go inside-out if they took angles away from us. Not being able to get the ball inside to Alexis (Jennings), you just try to get ahead of the possession. Fortunately for us, I thought Ty (Harris) did a great job of facilitating and finding the people that needed to shoot the ball. A lot of the time Bianca Cuevas-Moore was the recipient of that. (Harris) had 14 assists which is a career-high; she did what point guards are supposed to do in a game like this."
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On Alexis Jennings' play in the paint:
 "She picked up a quick foul in the first quarter, so she sat a little bit more than we wanted her to. I thought Tennessee mixed up their play with a little more zone, so we could not really get the angles to get her the ball. The moment they went man, we got the opportunity to isolate her down in the paint, and she delivered to us."
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On if her team was tired in the second quarter:
 "It looked that way, mentally. We played minimum players a lot of minutes. We have lulls. The third quarter has been a hard quarter for us. I think we did a good job of when we did not have good scoring output, we did not allow them to. I think the fourth quarter was a great quarter for us. We established ourselves in the paint, and we did a good job of not allowing the open looks."
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On her veterans picking up the slack:
 "I didn't talk to anyone in particular, because you do not want anyone having the pressure of taking improvised shots. Throughout the course of the game I wanted Ty (Harris) to shoot a little bit more, and she did that. I want her to be her best; I told her at halftime that she was going to have to take up the shots. When she misses shots she pretty much goes into a shell and looks to facilitate. She had a big bucket for us in the fourth quarter where she drove the baseline and got two feet under and we opened the lead."
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Senior Guard Doniyah Cliney
On how she was feeling for this game and what practice has been like after Kentucky:
"I think we just needed to bounce back. We prepared very well for this game, so that was a good thing for us. We wanted to show Coach Staley we still are good as we are, so I think that was pretty much it."
On how much pushing the pace was part of their game plan:
"It's always been emphasized since the season started. Coach Staley is always wanting us to play fast; we just made sure we stayed true to our system and do what we do and run in transition."
On how the balance on offense helped them overcome Te'a Cooper's absence:
"We just had to make up for everything that Te'a (Cooper) contributes when she is on the court. I mean, players like Bianca (Cuevas-Moore), Shay (Tyasha Harris), and myself and Te'a included, we all just try to put our head to the basket and score when we have the opportunity."
Redshirt-Senior Guard Bianca Cuevas-Moore
On the team's aggressiveness:
"We've just got to pick up the all the things that work best for us - compete, be competitive, and, you know, try to out-work other teams."
On how her experience helped when the Lady Vols cut the lead to seven:
 "I think we live for moments like this. Me and Doniyah (Cliney) have been around a long time, so I think we have what it takes at the end of a game like that to come back and, you know, execute our game plan and get the W."
