Nov. 9, 2009

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Head Coach Pat Summitt: (opening remarks): "Obviously, I wasn't real impressed with what we did in the first half. We played in spurts in the second half. The bright spots for us were Kelley Cain and Taber Spani. I was disappointed that Shekinna Stricklen wasn't prepared to be a leader. She and Angie (Bjorklund)--those two are go-to players for us offensively. They've got to get better and be more consistent. I think they know it. We've got to get better off the bench, too. Kamiko (Williams) got some quality minutes. She needed that. I thought she did well overall. Bree (Bass) was not as sharp until the second half. Overall, we didn't bring it across the board. I was disappointed."

(on Alicia Manning and Taber Spani starting in the second half): "Those two played hard and with great intensity. Glory Johnson went from being all-world (against Carson-Newman) to not being effective. We're looking for players who bring it every game, every possession. It's a mindset."

(on Lyssi Brewer): "Lyssi Brewer has got to play a different role. Tonight, she wasn't following the rebound. She was backpedaling. I told her that we handpicked her to come to Tennessee to help us win a championship. I was not impressed. That will have to change. We have to get more quality depth in the paint. She is capable."

(on Kelley Cain): "Kelley played with a lot of composure. She has a nice shooting touch and soft hands. She plays to her strengths. She gets the ball on the glass. She understands her role. She understands her strengths and plays to her strengths. She's playing with confidence. She understands as well as any post player that I've coached. She runs the `post highway'. She goes to the rim. She simplifies her game, and that makes her so effective."

(on Faith Dupree): "I wanted to give Faith some minutes but not extended minutes. I thought she got up and down the floor pretty well. She's been out of practice, so she was a little rusty."

(on playing Taber Spani and Glory Johnson together): "There is a time at which Taber can go inside. Glory has got to do a better job of finishing. She's so athletic. She's got to focus on her presence in the paint as an opportunity to post up. That way, we can play Glory and Taber together."

(on Taber Spani): "Taber is just a player. She just wants to play. It doesn't matter where. She has a great feel for the game."

(on Delta State): "I thought they did a great job in transition. They're well-coached. I think they're headed for a good season. This game will help."

(on pre-game chat with Delta State coach Sandra Rushing): "I was talking about Margaret Wade and the Wade Trophy. Joan Cronan may get mad at me for telling this, but we were playing for a championship (in 1991), and Daedra (Charles-Furlow) wasn't playing well. I told her that if she didn't hurry up, they may change their mind and give it (the Wade Trophy) to someone else."

(on whether it was good to have a stiffer challenge): "I think it is. I think we needed a better challenge. It was good for us. I liked having a better test."

Redshirt sophomore center Kelley Cain (on her 20 point, 20 rebound performance): "It's all because of my teammates. Everything I do is for them and because of them. I just like playing with them; it's very comforting."

(On how assistant coach Dean Lockwood's vocal nature helps her when she's on the floor):"It helps because sometimes you get caught up in the game and forget things. Dean's over there and helps to remind you right away."

(On how this game will affect her confidence going forward): "From practice and everything, you can tell that our whole team has a little more confidence in ourselves than last year."

(On Sunday's showdown with No. 4 Baylor): "Games like that are why you come to Tennessee. We want to show how hard we worked in the summer and get a head start on the competition. It's going to be fun."

(On the play of teammate and fellow Georgian Alicia Manning): "She worked her butt off this summer. Her energy helps our team step it up to a new level."

Junior guard Angie Bjorklund (on the impact of Kelley Cain): "When she's playing that way, you can't stop it. Having that inside presence really helps us, especially in the outside game. Coach Summitt says that you win with rebounding and defense and (Kelley's) a huge part of that."

(On her team's performance): "We just have to take what we didn't do in this game and work on it in practice. We have a few days for preparation and a huge game coming up. We have to work our hardest in practice and get ready for our next game."

(On what the team needs to work on): "I think we kind of came out flat, especially in the first half. We need to really be consistent on every possession; we can't take breaks here or there. That's what it's going to take to win--being consistent on offense and defense."

(On Sunday's game against Baylor): "It's going to be a battle. I know they're going to come in ready to play and it's going to be a fight until the end. We are really looking forward to it. We're going to have a few days of really good preparation and be ready."

(On playing such a tough opponent in the season opener): "I think it's a great test to see where we are as a team. Coach does it for that specific reason and we're really excited for it."

(On how Delta State's defense affected Tennessee): "Delta State did a great job. They really disrupted our offense--we had 18 turnovers--and they really got in our face and made us work hard."

Freshman post Faith Dupree (on making her Tennessee debut): "It was really exciting to be able to play in front of family and friends. It was a lot faster than I'm used to and I have to get used to that. My post game needs to step it up."

(On her potential to contribute this season in the post behind Kelley Cain): "I definitely think I can. I just have to work this whole week to get better but I think definitely can be a threat in the paint."

Delta State Head Coach Sandra Rushing (Opening comments): "What a great experience for us. It's great for our program and I do appreciate the opportunity to come and play Tennessee. I have a lot of respect for Coach Summitt and her team. We wanted to play the best in the country, and there is no question they're the best. I love this area. The hospitality has been wonderful. I want to thank everybody for that. I think we can leave here and take some things with us and build on it. We're also trying to win a national championship and that's important to us. It's great to have the opportunity to play Tennessee - they're going to pull out your weaknesses and pull them out early. I am proud of my players. They fought hard; they were just outsized. It was amazing. (Tennessee) is so strong, so big and they get down the floor. If you blink for a second, they're on the other end."

(On what the Lady Scotsmen struggled to do against the Lady Vols): "We wanted to come in and really try to work on our transition defense. If you saw I called a timeout a couple times. I have a problem with giving up easy transition (looks). Tennessee really pushed us around. Plus, we didn't block out. When somebody is bigger, you are going to have to do a better job of blocking out. I did like that when the ball was on the floor, we were making hustle plays."

(On the play of Tennessee sophomore Kelley Cain): "I don't think many teams are going to have an answer for her. She's a tremendous player and (Tennessee) does a great job of getting the ball to her. We thought about possibly doubling her, but then they could throw out and somebody could shoot it. They're just tremendous all the way around. Going into the game we wanted to make sure we stayed in front of her and not let her get the ball up too high. She kept getting front, though, and got some easy baskets. We just didn't do a good job."

Junior guard Bug Cooper

(On what she and her Delta State teammates will take from playing the Lady Vols): "That was a great experience. That was a dream come true, playing Tennessee. We are going home and we are going to work harder to improve on our mistakes - improve our blocking out, turnovers and executing our offense. We are going to try to win ourselves a national championship."

(On why Delta State played better in the second half): "When we got to the locker room (at halftime), we talked about what we needed to improve on in the second half. We listened to our coach and we tried to do the best we could out there."