Lady Vols vs. Missouri Postgame Quotes

Head Coach Kellie Harper

Opening Statement:
"I'm really excited that we started SEC play with a win. I felt like that was going to be a really tough game. I felt like some of the things Missouri does well were going to give us some problems. You throw the records out the door when it's game time. They shot the ball well; that's what they do. But I'm proud of our team. I'm really proud that we were able to get enough stops and put the ball in the hole enough to get a win and start the conference season off on a positive note."

On adjusting to the tempo of the game:
"You know, in that first quarter I thought we had some really good defensive possessions. Then we had some possessions where they just knocked down some threes. We over-helped. We weren't quite as active on the ball as we needed to be. It was really up and down, but they made quite a few shots there, and when you do that, you go into the quarter break behind. It took us a bit to adjust, but I think our players stuck with the game plan, understood where the adjustments needed to be made and did a good job coming out of that first quarter."

On Jazmine Massengill turning up her game of late:
"I think she has played really consistently. She's played steady. She's looked to distribute the ball, and she's looked to really run the offense. She communicates really well with the bench, in terms of what we're trying to do and what we're trying to look for. She's playing with a lot of confidence right now, and I still want her to be even more aggressive offensively, maybe in some transition opportunities, but I'm very proud of her play and how she is running the team."

Junior Guard/Forward Rennia Davis

On if she tried to prepare her teammates for the level of competition in their first SEC game:
"I hope so. Some night it's something like this. I try to help those who haven't played in an SEC game. Every night is going to be physical. At any point in the game, you can come back. At any point in the game, you could be losing, so just playing the full 40 minutes is something we've been emphasizing."

On her popping back up after a fall in the fourth quarter:
"I thought I was going to have a heart attack, too, so that's why I jumped back up. I'm good, though."

Redshirt-Senior Forward Lou Brown

On Tamari Key's impact in tonight's game:
"TK is a huge difference maker for us. There's been a lot of days giving her confidence but also finding her and getting the ball to her. A lot of times our turnovers come from missing the posts and stuff like that, so we just want to make sure we're hitting her at the right times, and we keep making sure that her mindset knows she's a huge difference maker for us."

On being on the floor for a SEC game:
"It's a big jump going from preseason to SEC. For a lot of us, it's fun. It's exciting, and that's where we're not intimidated by anyone. We're not scared. We just have our mindsets in the right spots to make sure that this is the kind of basketball we want to play every night."

Missouri Head Coach Robin Pingeton

Opening statement
"We appreciate you guys coming out and covering women's basketball. We are on a tough stretch right now. I definitely give credit to Kellie (Harper) and her staff and the Tennessee program. I love this fan base. I have so much respect for this program. I always have. But I am proud of our kids. I thought we competed. We had some good possessions and good runs. There was just a stretch there in the third that I think really hurt us. We just couldn't quite get over the hump. In the first half, we left some points out there. I think we had six or seven opportunities in the paint in the second quarter that we didn't convert on in the paint that we felt like were pretty good looks. And obviously rebounding. Tennessee is so strong and so big, and they do such a good job powering the glass. We obviously gave up a lot of second-shot opportunities that came back to hurt us. I think when we got into a little bit of foul trouble, those rotations hurt us a little bit. I am proud of our kids. I know it is not showing up on the scoreboard right now. That is the hard thing. We are all in this to compete and to win and to win at a high level. Losing is hard, but I am proud of our kids. I feel like the resiliency that I am seeing and how they came back from Christmas break, we had a good week of practice, and I am proud of what I am seeing in that locker room. There has been growth, and we will get there. It is not showing up on the scoreboard yet, but I believe we will get there. I believe in these girls."

On if Tamari Key was surprising to her:
"No. We knew she had a huge height advantage on us. I know that is above our average, but we watch quite a bit of film on her. She has good hands. She finishes well and certainly has an advantage from a size standpoint. In offensive rebounding, that is a big body. She moves really well for her size. It was probably one of her better games that we have seen, but at the same time we were not really surprised. We watched her play in high school. She is a special player."

On what she thought the offense lacked to compete with Tennessee:
"We just didn't finish shots. We had some good looks. I will have to go back and look, but I am pretty sure we left at least seven shots that we had in the paint, and we didn't finish on them. Those are the ones for sure that you have to finish. We had some open looks, but wasn't able to knock them down. So that hurts you against a great team like Tennessee. You have to match basket-for-basket. When there is no time for deflation, if they make a run you have to go right back at it. Those points came back to hurt us a little bit."

Senior Amber Smith

On what she saw down the stretch and how they weren't able to finish the comeback:
"I don't remember vividly, but probably a couple second chance opportunities and some transition looks by Tennessee and just knowing what shots to take. I think we stayed true to who we were, we just didn't capitalize."

On what she walks out of here with going forward into more SEC play:
"That we can play with the best. This was a road test, and I think we stayed true to who we were, and we learned from this game, but we still have to push forward. We play with some of the best, so it is just about how badly you want it and how hard you are willing to work for it."