Lady Vols vs. Stetson Postgame Quotes

Head Coach Holly Warlick

Opening statement:
"It was a tale of two halves. Our defense the first two quarters was non-existent; our offense was stagnant, and we turned the ball over too many times. (We had) too many three-second calls, push off calls. We just have to get off to a better start. But our team's resilient, I keep telling you all that. We made some corrections at halftime, and they made defense a priority. So, when you go into the second half and you get 13 stops in a row, you understand the importance of defense and you understand the importance of rebounding and attacking the basket. We got enamored by our three-point shooting, which was not very good, and so (once) we started attacking the basket, we got and-ones and went to the free throw line, and what has been our Achilles heel was one of the best things we did today, and that's make free throws. I'm really proud of them for stepping up at the line and knocking shots down."

On the reasons for the slow start:
"Stetson is a good basketball team. I don't care if they are 1-7, they're a good basketball team, and they're also missing two of their best players. They are very well coached, and they obviously jumped on us early. We have had two very average practices leading up to this, and this year is the first time I have really said that, because we have had some great practices. So I don't know if it's finals, I don't know if it's that we didn't respect Stetson... I don't know the answer. But I promise you they respect Stetson right now, and we can't have any off times in practice, we just can't and that's got to be a priority. That's the only way we are going to get better, and we were really just average the last two days."

On what the biggest thing the team can learn:
"You have to come in and have focus and understand exactly what we want. And these guys are fighters, and there is no reason why we can't start off the game like how we played in the third and fourth quarters. So, they just have to continue to understand the importance of playing defense, taking good shots, rebounding the basketball. You all know I preach defense and rebounding, and we didn't do that the first two quarters; and in the third and fourth quarter, we did that, and in turn we got good looks. We pushed the ball a lot more in the third and fourth quarters, and every time we touched the ball I wanted us to push the ball and get easy buckets, and we did that as well. So, we have to get off to a good start. You have to come in focused and ready to go."

On the status of Kasiyahna Kushkituah and how Mimi Collins impacted the game:
"Kasi is still day to day. Just going by what our trainers are saying, she's rehabbing and that's really just a day-to-day decision. Mimi was solid, and I think sometimes she is her own worst enemy. She gets in her own way because she wants to play the game with perfection, and it's a learning process for her. I thought the third and fourth quarter for Mimi, she really set the tone with the defense. She's a big kid out front, and we pressed; we ran a three-quarters court press. She was at the top and she just caused a lot of havoc. Her presence on the boards, both offensively and defensively, were huge. I just think the more (playing time) she gets, (all) the freshman get, the better they are going to get, and Mimi got some valuable playing time."

On if the way in which they made their comeback made it a little more valuable:
"Absolutely. You're down 20 points with 7:40 to go in the third quarter, teams in the past would have just folded, panicked. This crew doesn't seem to do that. They just gathered themselves and started playing well on the defensive end. It's not about one person. Meme Jackson did a great job on (Sarah Sagerer); she was getting ready to have a career night, so we put Meme on her and she did an outstanding job. But it's about all five of us committing to the defensive end, and I think they understood that. At the beginning we got stops, but we didn't score so we have to take advantage of getting stops and coming down and getting buckets and scoring off their turnovers."

On if Rennia Davis and Evina Westbrook feed off of each other in the second half:

"Evina Westbrook, this is two games in a row where she has been outstanding, and it started with her attacking the basket. She set the whole tone, and again, I think she took good shots. She made her free throws. She was nine for nine. Then that got Rennia going a little bit. All fairness to Rennia, she is playing inside against a zone, and we have not really worked with her on that. We have to go back and get her some more reps and practice being at the forward working inside. I thought she did a great job to of scoring inside and getting on the boards, getting fouled and getting to the free throw line. Those two were really focused."

On how the half-court offense improves moving forward:

"You've got to move the zone. It was a zone that was sagging. They were packing it in and wanting us to hit outside shots. We were not hitting our outside shots at the beginning. If you are not doing that, you've got to move the defense, and you have to get inside. They were not allowing us to pass inside because it was so clogged up. You've got to move the defense by (making) quick passes, penetrating the gap and those type of things. We will go back and work on those things the next couple of days, and we will get better."

On the road test with Texas and what challenge it presents:

"Joyner Holmes or without Joyner Holmes, Texas is good. We always have a pretty tough game with them. I think we're two similar teams that run the ball, rely on defense and rely on rebounding. It will be a challenge, and I thought Oklahoma State helped prepare us. They are physical. They run, and they probably shoot the three-ball better than Texas does. Texas has been hit by some injuries, but they will be ready to play us. I expect it to be a great game."

On the tight games being a teaching tool for the bigger games:

"It is always a teaching tool. It is a 40-minute game, and I love how this team has a fight in them and they do not seem to quit. We will get down on ourselves, but I've just got to get it out of them that we are a great team and we are going to fight. Two to three years ago, being down by 20, I am not sure if we pulled out or send the game into overtime like we did against UAB. This team believes in each other, and that has been the difference for us. It is a tight-knit team. When you have that, you rely on each other to pull you through because some are going to have great games, and some are not going to have good games. They seem to pull each other through and really care about each other. You have seen the result of us getting down and coming back and fighting. I love it. I love the resilience. Personally, I would like that we never get behind, but they seem to want to stress me out. As long as we pull it through, I can handle the stress."

Sophomore Guard/Forward Rennia Davis

On what changed to make them so successful at the free-throw line:

"That's definitely the first time we can say that this season, so far. Just getting up extra reps, this whole team has been shooting extra free throws every week, so I think that those reps have paid off for us so far."

On what the team was thinking at halftime:

"Just how are we going to play better in the second half. We tried to forget how not as good the first half was. And give credit to Stetson, because they did played a good first half. For us, we knew that we could play better, so just getting out there in the second half and competing and playing defense and playing Tennessee basketball, that was all we were focused on."

On if the first half struggles were due to Stetson's skill or Tennessee not playing up to their potential:

"A little bit of both, but I would more so say just us on the defensive end. This team, we get going off of defense. When we're not able to get stops and not able to be aggressive, it's hard for us to score. So, when we started being able to do that in the third quarter and fourth quarter, the game got a lot easier for us."

Sophomore Guard Evina Westbrook

On if the first half struggles were due to Stetson's success or Tennessee not playing up to their potential:

"To be honest, they came out with a lot more energy than we had. Give credit to them, they came out pretty much hitting every shot, and like Rennia said, we get going off of our defense, and we weren't there defensively, so offensively, we weren't there either. But in the second half, we really focused and dialed it back in; we were doing what we know how to do and playing how we know how to play."

On what was being said in the huddle and the locker room when the team was down big:

"Dean (Lockwood) really emphasized just taking it play by play. So, we didn't need to make a big play every possession, just make sure we make the right play and get stops. I think at one point we had 13 stops in a row, and 22 consecutive points, so we were just taking it one play at a time and our defense really got us going."

On how she got into a rhythm from the free-throw line:

"I've really, really been working on my free throws. Last year I wasn't happy with my free-throw shooting, and so I shoot all the time after practice. We're getting up a lot of free throws, so it's just been me working on it. So, I'm glad I made them tonight."

Freshman Forward Mimi Collins

On how she turned it around from struggling in the first half to being a big part of the comeback in the second half:

"I would say that me, as a freshman, it was just trying to figure out my role and everything coming into the game. So, when I came in, I don't know what was going through my head… when we were down, my biggest thing as a freshman is coming in to help. When I missed my shot - I air-balled it really badly - I knew I was coming out because I knew my mistakes. But then, Nicki (Anosike) called me to the side and was just like, 'Slow down and just breathe. You don't have to try to be a hero or try to save the day as a freshman.' It was just slow down and breathe and just play your role, and that's what I did. I just came down and I tried to do what she said; she said defense comes first, so I just got on the press and said I'm just going to do what I love to do, and that's be near the front of the press, that's going after steals, and that's just what I did."

On what specifically she was trying to help with defensively in the third quarter:

"I have one job that B.G. (Bridgette Gordon) always puts on my head, she says, "Just go after the ball." So, I just chased it; I just run like a chicken with my head cut off. I'm just going to chase the ball, that's my main thing. And plus, I don't know the back of the press, that's my biggest thing, but I'll learn it sooner or later, but in the front of the press, I just try to go after steals and try to get it because that's what we needed most as a team. We just needed energy. So, Zaay (Green) came in with her defense on the ball with her pressure and everything else. Then, Evina after that, and then when I came in I was like, okay, I have to do it too. I have to keep the energy up. So, that was my job, and that's just what I wanted to do, and that's what we did to win."

Stetson Head Coach Lynn Bria

Opening statement: "It would be nice if we went into halftime and that been it, but it really is not like that. I am proud of my team; we executed the scout, and I am proud of that. I felt like we got really defeated. Tennessee sort of popped off; they came out (of half) and were more the aggressors. They got a lot of points off the free-throw line, so they were just more aggressive. I thought they hurt us on the glass, which was a major concern of mine before the game. Overall, I think we executed the game plan and played really, really hard."

On her team playing well against Tennessee: "We did not want to give up any transition baskets, that was really what we wanted. We did not want to give them anything easy. It is not excuses, but we've had some injuries right to the core. This group has not played together very long. Sarah (Sagerer) miss our first two games, and she missed all of last year. So, we are still trying to figure each other out, too. We have got some young kids we are relying on. They will come back tomorrow ready to go, not discouraged. It's all about winning our league and competing in our league. We have a perspective. Our schedule, by design, is the hardest. We just cannot let them take our confidence, and we are not. We will be ready for our league and that is the main thing."

On how the matchup against Tennessee was made: "We came here two years ago, and we played an NCAA Tournament here. I used to come and watch Tennessee basketball when I was in ninth grade, so I love coming here. It does not get any better than this in women's basketball. I do not like always getting beat here, but there is a certain feeling when you step on that court you get. I have been coming here for a long time to watch games."