Lady Vols vs. LSU Postgame Quotes

Tennessee Head Coach Kellie Harper

Opening Statement
"It's not how you draw up the last game of the regular season. It's not how you want your Senior Day to end. I thought to start the game we were a little bit on our heels. We gave up 22 points in that first quarter, and looking back, that's where the difference of the game was. You know, we couldn't.. during that first quarter, at the same time, we couldn't keep pace; we couldn't find the bottom of the basket at all. I'm proud of our team for continuing to fight. We played hard, gave ourselves a chance at the end, for sure. This is one of those games that you've got to be better for 40 minutes, and we just weren't able to do that to start the game."

On how hard it is to see Rae Burrell go out like this…
"Well, it's tough to see her and any of your seniors with that loss. They have high expectations and high hopes for this team and themselves and they're hurting. The good thing is we continue to play at this point. Hopefully, we can learn from this."

On if she is proud of team considering everything that was lost…
"Everyone knows we've been through a lot this season. One of the things that we've not done, we haven't made excuses, regardless of who's available or who's on the court. We went out to play hard; we went out to win. For us to go through the adversity that we had throughout the year, to end up third with that top-four seed in a very, very, very tough SEC this year. I am proud of that. Obviously, as a coach, you always want more, but I am proud of this team."

On lesson to take from loss for postseason…
"Well, I think two things. (It's) just a reminder of how we need to start, how we need to play. We probably can once again take some confidence even out of the second half. We still do some good things. I think just kind of a reset here as you go into the SEC tournament. You learn from everything you've done. All your experiences throughout the season should be education for you as you head into the tournament."

On getting the ball inside after halftime…
"I told them to get the ball inside. Yes, I thought that in the in the first half, we missed some shots. I mean, we had some good looks and just missed. I thought we got very stale, offensively. I thought we were standing a lot, and we didn't get a lot of movement. I thought our pace, our tempo was a little better in the second half. Part of that was we got stops. To be honest with you, we've got to stop so we can move quicker in transition. So, it all goes hand in hand, but we definitely wanted to get the ball inside and I'm proud of our team for executing it in the second half."

On toughness in seniors…
"Well, we talk about toughness a lot. It's definitely a quality that I think when you describe Lady Vols you better say that word. That's going to be a non-negotiable. That's going to be who we are. I think our seniors have shown that. They've had such three unique journeys as their career comes to an end at Tennessee, and they've all been impactful on this program. I'm really proud of who they are."

On Brooklynn Miles…
"I love the plus-minute stat. I think that's great. Hers was terrific for us, and she just gave us a big spark defensively when we needed it. (She) played really good minutes for us. I'm excited about all their growth, and when you look at that freshman class in particular, I think all of them will continue to get better. Just the experiences that they've had this year, it's only going to make them better. I'm not trying to rush their career because you blink and they will be seniors. Time flies when you're having fun."

On future adjustments that could be made…
"Yeah, you know, I think we just need to make sure we take care of ourselves. I thought we looked a little tired early. You know, we have to make sure that we're ready to go come game time. We'll look at that as a staff. I think the other thing is just sometimes you learn some from how you play. This is not a team that you want to be on your heels with. You can't sit back and let them be aggressive, and I thought we did that. So, that's an adjustment we would need to make. Offensively, we'll really break that down and find out where maybe we could get an easier shot. We got some pretty easy, pretty good looks that just didn't go in. I don't think we offensive-boarded well in the first quarter either, and I think that's an area we've got to get jump started quicker."

On the last play of the game…
"Yeah, we were going to have several options for the three. I felt like we might have had somebody open. I'll have to go back and watch it. It looked like we had someone open. We were just going to take the first open person and try to get a good look at the three."

On keeping players from getting emotional when officiating is not great…
"One of the things we talk about as you play through everything, regardless of what that is, and we try to stay pretty consistent, and we try to stay poised. You don't get too high or too low, and you play through. I think our team has had experienced with that all year, and that's where if you stay in the moment, next play mentality, I think it helps them keep that poise and that composure throughout the game."

On the player's mental toughness…
"I think this is a tough team. I think they're resilient. I think they bounce back. I think they compete. They don't back down. They are very tough. They've had some big hurdles, and they either found a way to get over them or they hit them, and they're going to keep trying, and I am proud of that."

On excitement going into the post-season…
"I think when you hit postseason, there's a renewal of energy. I think that's for every coach in the country. When they play their last game, the new record is 0-0, clean slate. It's not 100% accurate because everything you've learned has built you to this point. There's an excitement around tournament time, and if you don't enjoy that, and you don't love the tournament, this is not the sport for you, because it's that's what we do. It's a buildup. We're a tournament sport. Everything you're doing is part of the journey. You can't just fast forward through the tournament, this is part of it. This is a big piece. The tournament, whether it's the SEC Tournament or the NCAA Tournament, it's a big piece of what we're doing."

Rae Burrell Senior Guard/Forward

On looking forward to the SEC Tournament…
"We didn't play 40 minutes. So, moving on, we need to make sure we bring it all from the start."

On the Lady Vols fourth-quarter effort…
"We had to make stops, because we wanted to make a comeback, so we just gave it all, and we gave a lot of pressure."

On her last regular season game…
"I'm really proud of this team and I am really grateful I got to play here and be a Lady Vol for life."

Tamari Key Junior Center

On the takeaway from the game…
"I think our biggest takeaway, as a team, from this is that we can't keep losing in similar ways, because once we lose (now), we go home. So, I think for us, just moving forward, it's remembering this feeling. Like, it sucks. So, like we said in the locker room, whenever feel like we don't have enough energy or we can't go get the rebound and just little things like that, we just have to remember what it feels like to not finish the way we wanted to."

On officiating in the game…
"I think for us, we dug ourselves into the hole, and you know, we're not getting calls. It's easy to blame the refs, but that's not us. Everything that happened to us in the game is because it was in our control. You know, the refs aren't in control. So, I think in the first 20 minutes of the game we just should have been more in control of the things that we were supposed to be doing and less worried about losing."

On how important it is to not get behind in a game and then have to scramble to get back in it…
"I think that's the most frustrating part, because we understand and we see how hard that we played in the third quarter. They (LSU) had eight points, versus the first quarter when they had 22. It is just disappointing on our behalf, how we came out in the first 20 minutes. So, just knowing that we had the fight in us. We can't play on our heels, and we can't always come back and try to dig ourselves out of the hole last minute. We've got to come out ready off the tip."

Jordan Walker Gr. Guard

On having to adjust because of injuries…
"Honestly, with this team, there is no quit. And that is our mindset. We can't make excuses for ourselves. Like yes, we've been through a lot of adversity, and it's hurt us, but it's also helped us in ways that, you know, we'll be better in the next game. So, I know that today we came out, and we didn't play the first 20 (minutes), so you can't do that. But, like Rae (Burrell) said, I'm proud of this team and how we came back for the last one, and if we play like that in any game for a full game for 40 minutes we'll be good.

On her decision to return to UT next season…
"This group is really special. I've said it, we've said it, and coaches have said it many times, but it's just something special about this group. And you know, I had another year available, and just talking with Coach Kellie and all the coaches, if they wanted me to come back, then I wanted to come back, because I know that I wanted to be with this group, and I know that we can do really special things. It was just a no-brainer to come back."

On Alexus Dye fouling out in the fourth quarter …
"Yeah, it was hard to see her go out, because like you said, she had an amazing second half. I don't even know the time, but (she had) maybe 10 points in two minutes. It was hard for her to go out, because she goes out and gives us everything that she has. Those offensive boards that she had were really crucial in turning that game around for us, so it was hard to see her go out."