University of Tennessee Athletics
Lady Vol Hoops Report (1/17/18)
January 17, 2018 | Women's Basketball
Tennessee will face Notre Dame at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday in Purcell Pavilion. The game will be televised by ESPN.
Tennessee Head Coach Holly Warlick
On how the win over South Carolina will help the team's confidence going into Notre Dame match-up:
"Any big win for us on the road is major confidence (boost). I thought we played well. We responded to a lot of good things. It gives us a little bit of momentum going into this game."
On what makes Notre Dame's offense difficult to guard:
"They've got five players on the court that are quality offensive players. They all can score. They move well. They pass the ball well, so we've got to make sure we defend everybody. They're all a threat, and they spread the floor, so we're gonna have to be on our A-game at the defensive end."
On Notre Dame's backdoor cuts:
"They're good. They're good at coming together, and one goes low, one goes high. They read the defense very well. Again, they're very good passers, so when you're good passers and you make hard cuts, it's really difficult to guard. They can shoot outside, they can penetrate. Again, that's another thing that's hard to guard."
On how Notre Dame is different with forward Jessica Shepard versus past years with forward Brianna Turner:
"(Jessica) Shepard and (Brianna) Turner are two different players. Turner is probably more athletic, taller. Shepard's shorter but physical. Shepard is like Turner - a great passer, can finish at the basket, penetrate, can shoot (from) the high post. Those types are similar, but they're different kinds of body types and athletic ability, but Shepard has great results."
On freshman guard Evina Westbrook's second half effort in South Carolina game after struggling against Texas A&M:
"We talked a lot about refocusing, and she does that very well. She's hard on herself, but going back to practice, watching tape and seeing what kind of mistakes she made, she's constantly learning the game. That's what I love about her. She's got confidence, but it's not overconfidence. She's willing to learn and willing to go back and work on her game. I think that's what she did."
On how she feels about the four-game stretch versus ranked opponents:
"Any win on the road is very good. The South Carolina win is very good. We know it's going to be an extremely tough battle at Notre Dame, so we're going to have to play well. You can't play average and win up there, so we're going to have to be on our A-game, then we get to come back here and play Mississippi State. It is a tough stretch for us, but again, I keep saying it's what we were dealt, and we're going to deal with it and take it one game at a time."
On if it was beneficial for freshmen to get road game experience in South Carolina before traveling to Notre Dame:
"I think when we were in Columbia, we finished the deal. They cut it to four, and we stayed the course. The freshmen had a lot to do with that. They were in the game. They don't know what Notre Dame's environment is, which is a good thing, but they do have a feel of what it can be like from what we got from Columbia. We'll see. I like their focus, and I guess they're sticking to our game plan and just playing the game, and again being resilient."
On what she has taken away from the last two games:
"Our turnovers at Texas A&M hurt us. Our rebounding hurt us at key times. I thought in South Carolina, we got them to take a couple shots, and we secured the ball, we secured the rebound. That was a big difference for us. When we got ahead versus Texas A&M, and when we separated from South Carolina, we pushed the ball and attacked. We can't just pull back, go, 'Okay, we're ahead, let's just settle in.' We've got to keep doing what we do, and that's attack the basket."
On the importance of 'We Back Pat' week:
"It's huge for us. Obviously, you all know the impact Pat had on this program. Her legacy continues to live through her foundation, so for us to bring awareness to that, that just supports the cause and supports her foundation. Obviously, we're trying to find a cure for Alzheimer's. That's why this week is so important. It's important to make sure we don't forget, and we try to find a cure."
On what Pat Summitt would think of this Lady Vols team:
"She'd love this team. She'd love how hard they play, just the effort they give. They would drive her crazy with the turnovers, but other than that, she would really love this team."
On whether getting off to good starts each game has become an expectation:
"We expect to get out of the gate early. We try to narrow down our thought of what we want to look at early so we don't give them a lot of confusion. But they get it. They understand how we need to start and how we need to finish. So, yeah, it is expected. Mercedes (Russell), to me, should get every jump ball. We should be the first to score, and that's what we'd like to do."
On if she has made changes to pregame preparation that have led to good starts:
"Not really. These kids seem to focus and dial in and tune in and understand what we want. I'm probably keeping it a little bit more simple. We narrow down our offenses into concepts so they understand it a little bit better. But other than that, we're just trying to prepare and use these two days to prepare for that one game, and try to just focus in and narrow-in on what we need to do."
