Lady Vols vs. LSU Postgame Quotes

Tennessee Head Coach Kellie Harper

Opening Statement:
"What a great environment and an exciting atmosphere to play in. I just thank our crowd for coming out. It really meant a lot. There's no doubt that the crowd can lift your energy at times. Obviously, I'm disappointed on how the game ended. For us to cut it to one (point) in the fourth and then lose by 15. I'm disappointed that's how the game finished, but hopefully we can really dissect that and come up with a better game plan if we had to do that one again."

On how the guards can perform differently on the stretch going forward...
"I thought we lost some execution offensively in the fourth (quarter). The personnel on the court were really sagging off some people and making it very difficult to get the ball where we wanted it to be. We got to be able to stay true to who we are, regardless of what defense we see. I thought we got a little out of sorts. That's something we talked about, and we'll have to handle and continue to get better at."

On the three-point performance today and shots not falling in...
"I think it was a little bit of both. I think we had some ill-advised shots (threes) and then we had some good ones that didn't go in. I think a little bit of both. We'll evaluate each shot, and listen, our players get in the gym a lot, so we'll make sure we keep getting them in the gym to stay comfortable taking those shots.

On the impact Tamari Key had on the game...
"I think her size can affect the inside play. They (LSU) didn't shoot a great percentage with their post players. I think she affects that a little bit. She was able to post up a few times and get a few touches. We'll just keep looking at it and how we can continue to help her and continue to put her in good positions."

On comparing LSU and South Carolina's play...
"They're both very good and both very different. I think they both have inside play. My initial thought is LSU's momentum swings can be really high and they can jump out on you. They can score a lot of points in a hurry. I think that's where they're really good. I think South Carolina is more steady throughout. You may not have the highs or the lows. I think their approach is different, but both of them are equally talented in terms of their personnel on the court."

On the impact of Sara Puckett having to sit in the first quarter...
"She gave us some good hustle plays, in addition to knocking down a shot. I think she is doing a good job on using her physicality and her strength on the court. There's no doubt when she has to come over there, we have one less person in rotation that is being effective, and it changes things. I'm proud of her for being able to step back in the second half and find production there."

On LSU shutting out Rickea Jackson...
"The personnel we had in at the time, they (LSU) were collapsing on our players. They were forcing us to move the ball elsewhere. We did miss Rickea (Jackson) on a few possessions and I thought we could've gotten her the ball, but we missed her. She's also got to put herself in position a little bit quicker. I think out of transition we could've gotten her in some positions to be able to get the ball. Obviously, we know we need to look for her. We understand that. They were denying and really collapsing in onto her."

On how important it was for guards to rebound...
"We talked about it. That was huge that our guards had to get in there and get boards. (We) probably needed a few more to be honest with you. We knew their defensive board output could be really high this game. Our post players were going to be locked up and challenge their bigs. We needed guards to get down there. We knew it was going to require everybody."

On three pointers are falling what has to be changed on offense to avoid…
"I think we've got to move the ball better. We got a little stagnant in the second quarter and again in the fourth. We were trying to get the ball to the basket, but those lanes started closing up pretty quick. You've got to get some transition buckets and that time too, so you've got to find other ways to score, get to the basket, get to the free throw line, get something in transition. On the offensive boards, we didn't get enough production off of our misses. It looks like we did when you look at the numbers, but we didn't shoot well enough today, so we were under 32 percent for the game, so there's a few more out there we got to get."

On LSU having 21 points in transition…
"We had some breakdowns in transition there and we worked really hard on transition in the last few days to make sure we had that correct. Part of it in those moments is you've just got to guard one-on-one. I think that's where your offensive production will help you. You make a few more shots, you may take a few more transition buckets off the board. It all goes hand-in-hand. You've got to do a little bit better job of scoring to be able to get our defense set."

On what she would have liked to see in the fourth quarter on defense…
"I thought we got gapped out in the fourth. I thought they were doing a really good job attacking and helping at dishing. They also made shots; they made some jumpers in the fourth, but I thought we were a little bit gapped. We needed to be a little more emphasis on the ball in that fourth quarter."

On having Jordan Horston back and was she involved with the team this week…
"No, I haven't been able to see her yet. Anytime you have an alum come back, it's a big deal. I think it's sometimes harder for the younger players who are off living their lives and it's not always easy to get back, so I appreciate when they make that effort. It's important.

On Pat Summitt's sister being there and what happened in the fourth quarter…
"I got to see Linda (Head Atteberry) before the game. She came to the locker room. I got to see her before. We have to stay true to who we are regardless of the quarter. regardless of how hard it is, regardless of what's open. We got to stay true to who we are, and sometimes we do get excited. We want to make the play and we want to help our team. I don't think we have players being selfish, I think we have players who want to do their part. I think there are times that we need to do a little bit better job of reading the situation and knowing where that ball needs to go. It would be a great teaching moment for us, honestly you could do the whole game, but specifically dial that fourth quarter. We can learn from that, and we can walk away a better basketball team that will be a big deal."

On the off day for Jasmine Powell…
"Yeah, obviously you want your point guard playing well, looking confident and comfortable out there. There were a lot of opportunities, but they were really sagging off of her. She (Jasmine Powell) had some good looks and wasn't able to knock them down, I think she had some really good drives, so (I) love that. Obviously, she had a bunch of assists so she's still being productive. She had the ball in her hand a lot, but I think it would be a great game for her to learn from. We have confidence in her. She's had a heavy load all year and she's played well, so hopefully we can get her to bounce back from this game."

On viewing the postseason and the team's status in the tournament...
"To me if you watch the games, we pass the eye test. We played really well at times, and I think that has to be a part of what the folks are looking at, so I feel really good about our team and going into postseason. There's no doubt about it, we've lost a couple games. I wish we could get back but I think we have gotten a lot better throughout the year and I think we can compete. For our team, we just have to keep it one game at a time, one day at a time and just keep getting better from this and be great in practice the next day out.

Redshirt Senior Center Tamari Key

On how she thought the game got away from the team in the final quarter…
"Yeah, we went a period where we didn't score and then we pushed into a transition. I think that they are an easier team to guard when we can get them in a half-court set to get stops and we didn't match that momentum in the fourth quarter."

On if she could contrast and compare LSU and South Carolina's post players…
"Post play in the SEC is physical, so they are both very physical teams. Angel (Reese) is more of a four player just because she is a little bit more mobile. I think (Kamilla) Cardoso moves really well too, but she is more of a banger. Angel (Reese) knows how to get to the free throw line, and for Cardoso, it's easier for her to finish over everybody given her height and her strength. I think both teams' post players are very physical."

On what was working so well for her and the defense in the third quarter…
"I think we were really locked in; in the third quarter we were gelling really well on defense with our rotations, helping the helper and just getting up on ball screens, making sure we go straight up when the ball is inside on the post. I just think we could have carried that better over into the fourth quarter. I know that we should have carried that over into the fourth quarter."

Junior Guard/Forward Sara Puckett

On if she felt like the game came down to guard play…
"I feel like we just weren't as efficient. We just missed some key shots that we needed specifically layups there toward that stretch where they went on their momentum run and we just couldn't really hit anything. Those were just some key buckets that we really needed, so we just need to get back to that in practice and it will translate over."

On how she felt after having to sit in the first quarter due to getting two fouls…
"It is very hard just because of the specific calls that were made, and I was not able to be out there with my team making a direct impact, but I tried to just be on the bench and be engaged. Which is why I was able to just go back in and like you said, continue where I left off. As long as I keep myself engaged, I am good, but it is a struggle to not be able to help in that way."

On how important it was to have Tamari Key out there and her impact in the game…
"She (Tamari Key) is always there under the rim whenever we need her on defense because I know I got beat on defense one time and I looked behind me and she was right there in my help. That gives us so much confidence on the perimeter and she is there getting tips on rebounds and even if she may not get it, it is still where we could possibly have a chance to get it. Boxouts were huge and I know there were some that they might have gotten but still hanging in there to begin with is what matters and I feel like she did that every time with a lot of effort."

Senior Guard/Forward Tess Darby

On how the team can bounce back but also balance an emotional day next Saturday against Texas A&M…
"I think we just come in just like every day and focus on our next opponent. Luckily, we need to get better to grow for ourselves but also how can we get better and go out and win games. Yes, it will be an emotional game just because playing here means so much to every single one of us and this fan base. It showed today how much they helped us in so many critical situations, feeding the floor and just being there to encourage us."

On how the team might have struggled to get Rickea Jackson the ball in critical moments…
"I think we just weren't getting enough ball movement on the offensive end. Obviously, in crunch time in the fourth quarter, there were times where the defense would tighten up a little bit so I think we have done a better job of moving the ball a little bit more and still making an emphasis to get the ball inside."

On entering the game and drilling a three-pointer…
"Yeah, it definitely heightened my confidence seeing the first one go in, but playing at a high level and being who I am, I am fortunate enough to play with a group of girls who get the ball to me once I see one go in, I just want to keep firing. Just knowing how that opens up the floor inside, they have to come out and of course, they were denying me. So just seeing that and just seeing what I can do to play a role for this team."

LSU Head Coach Kim Mulkey

On the importance of Hailey Van Lith's performance today…
"Hailey (Van Lith) has taken a lot of criticism, and it needs to stop. It needs to stop. She's learned a new position, she's on a top team in the country, the defending national champions, she's having to play the point guard and today she moved to the off-guard. She had zero turnovers in almost 37 minutes of play. That's the most important stat in my eyes. I know she scored 26 (points), she had three assists, she hit big shots in the game when we needed a shot the most. Then she made sure she handled the ball in the last couple of minutes to where we used up some of the clock."

On her team's great conditioning in light of a smaller rotation…
"I play to win. If I've got nine-deep, I'll play nine-deep, but you have to remember I lost my starting five player earlier in the year Sa'Myah Smith, so we are one down there. Kateri Poole, who was a starter for us in the championship run we made, is no longer on the team, so that takes away two. So really, I go about seven-deep, maybe eight sometimes. I'm not a coach that believes you play the happy game. Do you know what that is? You have to give all of them minutes. The happy game gets your butt beat by teams you shouldn't lose to. You play to win. I learned that from Pat Summitt, I learned that from Leon Barmore, I learned that from a lot of great coaches. We play to win, and if I have that many people on the team that get double figures, the chances are they are not all going to be happy anyway."

On LSU's game plan when Tennessee cut the deficit to one in the fourth quarter…
"Make defensive stops, give them one shot, keep rebounding the ball, and we need to get better production on the offensive end. We need to execute. In the third, we lost our composure a little bit, but Tennessee made us lose our composure. I don't want to take anything away from what they did. When you're down, you play just a little bit harder and a little bit more aggressive and you try to disrupt things, and I thought they did that in the third quarter. They went to some zone, and we didn't get the ball in the right hands of people who needed to touch it. We got on a run there in the fourth quarter where we got some transition buckets, some free throws, Hailey hit some shots. It wasn't anything magical that I told them, it's just 'keep grinding.' Good things are going to happen for you if you play defense and rebound the ball."