Lady Vols vs. Georgia Postgame Quotes

Tennessee Head Coach Kellie Harper

Opening Statement:
"I am excited about the win. I am proud of our team. I thought that was one of our better basketball games. I think that we saw some growth from our team both offensively and defensively. I think we can continue to build on games like this. I'm a coach, so I'm never going to be satisfied. I can pick it apart all day long. I am pleased with some strides that we are making right now."

On the team sharing the ball well lately:
"I think we do a really good job at sharing the ball. They just don't play selfishly. They are constantly looking for their teammates. I think one thing that has helped us with that statistic is our spacing. I think that our offensive execution has been better, so our spacing has allowed for more opportunities to penetrate, kick and dish. Being aggressive in our transition offense, we find some ways to get assists. I think we have seen a lot of progress there."

On the defensive turnaround from the first and second quarter:
"I thought they were open a lot in the first quarter and they knocked down shots. I thought they were open because we were running into screens. I thought our defense was a step behind on several possessions in the first quarter which allowed them to get open. I thought we cleaned that up in the second quarter by executing our defense."

On Georgia taking advantage of points off turnovers:
"There is a variety. Most of our turnovers are just careless mistakes. Those are the ones that we need to clean up, when we are trying to make something happen that is not there. We are going to continue to work on it. We show it on film and we talk about it in practice. That will be an area where we can make a big stride forward if we can get that cleaned up."

On Rae Burrell and her aggressive defense:
"We have been talking to Rae about playing more under control. There is a fine line there for her, because she is so aggressive and she plays downhill and it is so good for us. I don't want her to lose that, but I think there have been times in the past when we have got going and her decision making wasn't the best. I think she has really improved on that. I think it was in the second half and I told her she had to get us some offensive boards, and she did. I was so proud. I couldn't have been happier that she was being coachable and making plays for us."

On UT hitting 51.9 percent of its shots:
"When you make shots, you are really good. For us, especially when we make shots, we are a really good team. We took open shots. I thought we did a really nice job at finding the open person. I think if anyone took contested shots it was Rennia, but she is capable of that. We took open shots. We found people, and we knocked them down. The players have been getting in the gym and getting a lot of shots up, so hopefully it's paying off."

On the team gaining confidence from their offensive play:
"I think they are playing with confidence right now. From my perspective, I think they understand the big picture right now. They understand what needs to happen offensively. The calls that Jordan (Horston) and Jazmine (Massengill) have been making on the court make sense. What they are looking for makes sense. I think they have had a really good understanding of what we need to do to score. It has taken some time and some rough games and practices to get there, but I think we are finally clicking offensively. We can see that growth in practice, and in the games you can see it really come to life. Right now, I think they feel really good offensively."

Freshman Guard Jordan Horston

On how much progress the team has made offensively this season and how much confidence the offense can bring to the floor:
"We feed off each other. When one person hits a shot, it just motivates, hypes everybody up to do better. Also, just staying in the gym. Our coaches have stayed on us about getting up extra shots. Everybody's holding everybody accountable. What Sully (Jennifer Sullivan) always says is 'Attack, attack, attack.' She's always trying to keep my head in the game on the offensive side, as well as the defensive side. What they do that I feel like is healthy for us is how they keep our confidence and push us."

On if this game was a good introduction to the speed of the game for some of the younger players on the team:
"This is great for us, I think, because Kellie (Harper) has been preaching transition defense to us so much. Today, we were forced to play transition defense because they got out every single possession. I think overall, we did a pretty good job in transition, as far as finding our person, getting matched up quickly, and cutting off that three-point shot in transition. I think we did pretty good today."

On how much Tamari Key's blocks serve as a security blanket on the defensive end of the floor:
"It just makes me want to get up and defend even more, because I know I have her down there, and it's going to be going the other way. It's a confidence booster. It gets me going. I feel like it gets everybody going when somebody blocks a shot."

Freshman Center Tamari Key

On how nice it is to have teammates willing to share the ball and how much further her game can progress:
"I feel like my game can be as good as I want it to be. My confidence level – I've got to keep it up. I've got to keep looking to score, I feel like. The guards are giving me the ball, and I trust them. If I don't have a look inside, I can kick it back out. I feel like we both share the ball equally, and I appreciate that. They do look for me inside."

On what it means to have Zaay Green supporting them off the bench:
"It means a lot to us because it's easy to get down on yourself when you're out and not playing, with the injury that she has. We really appreciate her support, and we're there for her as much as she's there for us. We love that from her."

On if blocks have been an aspect of her game in which she has focused on this season:
"People ask me what my favorite part of playing is, and I say blocking shots. I feel like I've been saying that for a long time. I feel like the difference in high school, though, is obviously it's a lot slower. Being here, I feel that I just needed to get my timing right, and I feel like as the games have been progressing, I'm starting to figure that out."

Junior Guard Rennia Davis

On how important balanced scoring is for this team, especially against a defensive-minded Georgia team:
"I think that's going to be important for us as the season goes on, just in case any team tries to key in on one specific player or one specific aspect of this team. We have multiple options, so that's good for us to know."

On what the difference was between the first and second quarter, defensively:
"I think that the first quarter that they shot 69 percent, so I would hope that you would have 20 points up there. I think that a lot of the looks that they had in the first quarter were open. We ran into a lot of screens in the first quarter, so after that we were just able to adjust for the rest of the game."

On how important the back-to-back 3-pointers by herself and Lou Brown were in the fourth quarter:
"That was huge for us. I feel like, for us, that kind of sealed the game, especially Lou's three. That was just great momentum, the confidence for her to catch and shoot. That was good for us."

On what the team is focusing on, in terms of always improving:
"I think in my opinion, we've just got to become that consistent team on both ends of the floor. I keep saying it. I've been saying it since day one: consistency for 40 minutes. I think tonight was one of our more consistent games. I think for almost the duration of the game, we were pretty consistent, especially on the defensive end. We were executing on offense, so that was big for us. I just think that, throughout the season, we've just got to stay consistent."

On how the team is meshing together:
"I think our players are very bought in and want to win. Everything we do is intentional. Everything. We are always striving for great team chemistry. We are always trying to put our players in positions to be successful. Again, every decision that we make, there's a purpose behind it. And I think we have to continue to do that, we have to do continue to push these players, both their skill level and effort, and also with how to be good teammates. We constantly need to work on that."

On Tamari Key's performance:
"I think she's played really well. She affects people with her contest. Her being on the court, even when she's a step behind, she makes a difference when she's out there. I've been really proud of her, and she feels pretty good about what she's doing. We've been playing her longer stretches because we've needed her in the game, and she's been able to produce. That's been exciting to see.

On seeing Zaay Green get everyone fired up from the bench despite being injured:
"I've been there; I've done that. I understand what she's going through. I understand how hard it is, so because of that, I think I appreciate it even more. Her teammates need her, and she sees that. Players want to play, but if she can find a role that helps this team, she's willing to do it."

Georgia Head Coach Joni Taylor

On her thoughts about the game and how close Georgia was in rebounding compared to Tennessee:
"Overall, I thought we did some really good things. I thought we had about a three or four minute stretch where we just relaxed on the offensive and defensive end. You can't do that when you are playing as good of a team as Tennessee, and they took advantage of that. They had some fast break points and offensive rebounds. Tennessee played well. They made open shots today. It's like pick your poison. They are really good putting the ball on the floor, and if you stay close to their guards, they are going to drive you all night long. They can shoot over us because they have a height advantage. We were trying to play both in-between, and they hit timely shots. We couldn't. That was the difference in the game. They win the rebounding board, but not by the margin they are used to. I thought we battled and worked hard. We rebounded and kept them off their offensive glass, which in my opinion, are their best shots. Their second and third shots are so well. The difference in the game is that they made shots and we didn't."

On Tennessee's biggest development from the season so far:
"I think they have great shot selection. As they continue to play together, I think everybody from the floor knows where their shots come from. There were times when you used to watch Tennessee play, and you could possibly stay in the game with them because they were going to take some ill-advised shots. I think they all have a really good understanding of where they are getting their shot from, and they share the ball really well. It makes it more difficult, because they are making the extra pass. Whereas before, when they were young – I mean, they are a young team still – but it was whoever got it would make a play, and you would just rely on trying to get a stop there and box them out. So, they have grown in that area. They continue to get really good defensively. It has gotten really good, and when you bring in that type of length and they are just waiting for you to cross half court, it presents problems. They just continue to get better in all areas. They are shooting the ball well, too."

On if she could still see some things Georgia could've done defensively and how the high-low zone was successful:
"Yes, you are correct (on the high-low zone). In case we play them again, I am not going to tell you everything I thought. But that's our job, right? To try and put our kids in the best position. We tell them all the time if the offense does what it is supposed to do and the defense does what it is supposed to do, the offense is going to win. Just because defense is already at a disadvantage. So, there are some things we could expose, and I thought when we executed well, that was on the table for us. But I am not going to get into the specifics of it."

On how much this Tennessee series means and about the young players on both teams:
"I go back to my playing days in Alabama, and I remember watching the Georgia and Tennessee game. The tradition of both teams. When they are playing, it is a game that you want to turn on and watch. I think we know each other well. Obviously, Kellie (Harper) has brought a lot of really good things to the table. She is Tennessee, too. There are still some things that are staples of Tennessee. They are going to rebound. They are going to run the floor. They are going to be big. They will put pressure on you defensively. I am excited about it. I think there is really good talent on both sides of the floor."

Junior Guard Gabby Connally

On what shifted the game after Tennessee took the lead away from them:
"They came out in the third quarter and went on a quick run, and we had to get a timeout called around the six-minute mark. Then from there, we kind of picked it up. But in this league, it is really hard to come back from that when they are scoring and we have empty possessions. From that point on, when we picked it up, we kind of traded baskets with them, so we never really got the lead or tied it back up."

On their points off turnovers:
"That is why our coach is really big on defense. Even if we are not playing well offensively, she says your feet can travel, so you control what you do on the defensive end by getting into players, pressuring them and doing what you are supposed to do. That is how we want to play when it comes to the opposing team. You get points in transition. That is the easiest way to score, especially when we are on a run and even get uncontested lay-ups. That is just how we want to play, and that is what we are going to continue."

On the challenge of slowing down Tennessee on offense:
"Tennessee is a great team. They do a lot of things really well, so we knew it was going to be a challenge coming in. But we take pride in our defense and like I said, coming into the third quarter we just didn't have the same intensity energy. We can't do that in this league."

Junior Guard Maya Caldwell

On how challenging it is to have such a young team:
"We are definitely a young team. We don't have a lot of experienced players like other teams in the SEC. There are pros and cons to that, but the upperclassmen have to take on that responsibility and bring them up to our level and teach them what they need to know. We have high expectations, so if you step on the floor you have to be ready to play, and they know that."