University of Tennessee Athletics
Postgame Quotes: Lady Vols 79, MSU 67
February 01, 2015 | Women's Basketball
Recap |
Box Score |
Notes |
Photo Gallery 
Tennessee Head Coach Holly Warlick
(Opening Statement)
"Great game, I am sure it was fun to watch, two athletic teams. Really proud of our team for playing as hard as they good. Could we have done some things better? Absolutely. But we stayed the course, stayed positive and got a great win. So really happy for our players."
(On Bashaara Graves)
"Absolutely. I told her she plays like that, she wants the ball, she worked hard to get the ball, she has extended her game, she can shoot from the outside, along with being in. So when you do that, she is very difficult to defend. Five assists, she has a complete game today. I was really proud of her and what she did for the team."
(On Cierra Burdick)
"She was huge today. You are going against very athletic guards, they took out our point and two players so she had to bring the ball up. She was so focused today, I think at times she lets her game, she gets really inside of herself. I though today she took great shots, she had six assists, I just think she played solid. When she takes the shots and gets the looks that she got and worked to get the ball, she is going to shoot a high percentage. She was key for us. She was upset she missed one free throw. They went on a little run, I think they cut it to five, she got in the huddle and she was so positive to keep our team together, rally around each other. Everything was positive. That is what you need from a player. We weren't doing something really well and she stepped in and gathered her troops together and kept the positive. That was huge for us."
(On Jordan Reynolds)
"She was not feeling very well. She couldn't go. As much as we wanted Jordan [Reynolds] to go. We have a little bug going around the team and I think it bit her today or yesterday. I am glad she said she couldn't. I would rather she say she couldn't go 100 percent.
(On Bashaara Graves)
"I thought she worked to get looks. She obviously hits free throws. I thought she played the way we need her to play and the way she is capable of playing. I know sometimes we focus on what Izzy [Isabelle Harrison] is doing inside but Bashaara [Graves] is so much a big factor of this basketball team. I think she takes a lot of pressure off of Izzy. She has extend her game so much. At Kentucky she brought up the ball, she extended her range, she is shooting at the free throw line and out and then she is driving to the basket. I think she is understanding what she can do and I want her attacking, I want her to get the ball, I don't have any problems with her putting the ball down and attacking the basket and taking shots. I think she makes a great judgment of what is a good shot for her and what isn't."
(On making 11 of 12 shots at the beginning of the second half)
"I think we started playing defense and we got some transition looks and we got down the floor. We got the ball inside, we had 42 points in the paint. We talked a lot at halftime about getting the ball down and getting the rebound, getting stops, we weren't very good one-on-one. Getting stops, getting the rebound and running. We had a tendency to get beat on one-on-one and then our posts have to help over. I think that is where a lot of time they get their fouls and that is not fair to our posts. We have to understand the importance of keeping your man, player in front of your and locking your player up."
(On today a sign of a mature team)
"Absolutely, I thought at Kentucky we showed great maturity, I thought today we showed great maturity. We could have gotten folded and felt sorry for ourselves. We missed two free throws and we missed some layups, but you can always go back and get stops on the other end and so I thought we were pretty positive and we stayed pretty focused on what we needed to do."
(On what was it like to guard Mississippi State)
"I think Vic Schaefer is doing a great job with that program. He's kept players home and [Victoria] Vivians was a big get for him and she's from Mississippi and he gets kids that have big hearts and play as hard as they can. They are great defenders and we had a really really difficult time keeping them in front of us. When you have players that can shoot the three and can penetrate, its hard, its difficult and we have to be disciplined and at times we weren't. We would come in and they would kick out for three point shooters. So that is part of our game that we have to get better at, we got to get a little more discipline, but they're very deserving of their ranking because I think they do exactly what he wants them to do and they play as hard as they can play."
(On Andraya Carter being the poster for a hustler)
"Absolutely. You look at the stats sheet, you think for 33 minutes she only had an average game. There are so many things that she does, she gets her hands on balls which turn into steals for somebody else. She got her hand on two out of bounce possessions, two passes she got her hand on the ball. So then we put her on their best player and try and limit their touches as well so its that intangible that Andraya brings us that we need and really everyone, but Andraya really takes pride in being our defensive stopper our player that might get hustle plays and our players that make a difference that don't show up in the stats. Andraya doesn't get all caught up in points, she just plays as hard as she can."
(On is the bye week coming at a good time)
"We are a little banged up, we are banged up a little bit, we aren't feeling well due to I guess the flu or a bug and we got some knees that are sore and some shoulders that are sore. So we are going to take advantage of this. Give them off tomorrow and give them off Thursday and just try to keep them in shape, go short but intense. This is a really good time for us. Going into February it's hard, it's difficult, it's a grind right now and to see who we have come up. We have to be mindful of how we are physically and how we feel so we are going to take advantage of the week off."
Tennessee Forward Bashaara Graves
(On 1,000 point mark)
"I was told I could reach it but I didn't know exactly how many I needed. I just wanted to come in the game and play like Bashaara really."
(On Shooting Success)
"I think we just shared the ball and played very good team offense. We just moved the ball and got it inside."
(On Bashaara's family being here)
"It was great, especially because I got my 1000 points. None of them knew I was even close, I don't think. It was just great for them to be here and to share this moment with them."
(On Izzy's choice to give her the last ball)
"I don't know because I didn't really know. I mean I missed the lay up."
(On which part of family attended game)
"My mom, my great grandmother, my grandmother, both aunts, my great aunt, my uncle, and my little sister."
(On being comfortable shooting)
"I definitely think I need to continue to just be aggressive and make that consistent with each game coming in."
Tennessee Forward Isabelle Harrison
(On decision to give Bashaara last point)
"Yes. I wanted Bashaara to join the 1000 point club. So, that girl was playing upper high and I just threw up that pass and she did a good job making contact."​
Tennessee Guard Cierra Burdick
(On playing one of the best games of her career)
"I feel like I'm capable of doing multiple things on the offensive end, and I think what got me rolling was I was able to get assists early to my teammates and when they're hitting that helps me out and I've just been playing with a lot of passion and energy. There's no formula to what I've been doing. I've just been trying to keep things simple. I think when I play with my heart, I play at my best and that's just what I've been doing."
(On avoiding a letdown after an emotional win versus Kentucky)
"We knew [Mississippi State] was a great team. We want to be a great team. You've got to come out and play and compete every single night, no matter who you're playing against. We're trying to be a better Tennessee basketball team. No matter who our opponent is, we've got goals that we want to achieve. It doesn't matter who we're going against, who is wearing the opposite jersey. We're just trying to play Tennessee basketball and continue to grow and get better so we can get to Tampa."
(On when she sees Isabelle Harrison being guarded one-on-one)
"It's a bucket. It's an automatic bucket. Nobody can check Izzy B one-on-one. Nobody. Nobody can check her with two people on her. Anytime she's got one-on-one, we're taught to just throw it in there, no matter who's guarding her."
(On starting off the second half strong)
"We always talk about how we want to win the first four minutes. Great teams win the first four minutes of the game, the first four minutes of the second half, and the last four minutes of the second half, and I think we definitely did that today. We had extremely great ball movement and player movement and that's when we are successful. We had 18 assists, that's good basketball right there. You're playing as a team and that's when we are playing at out greatest level."
(On whether her passes are a product of getting more comfortable playing together)
"I think we're beginning to play as one. I've been playing with Draya (Carter) for so long now, I know exactly when she's going to cut and I think I definitely have that connection with her. Now that the freshmen have been playing with us for a while, they're starting to get it as well. They know where the looks are coming from, who's going to be the open player, and that's when the offense really begins to flow."
MISSISSIPPI STATE HEAD COACH VIC SCHAEFFER
(Opening Statement)
"I'm proud of my kids. Tennessee's awfully good. They're hard to deal with and we just couldn't guard them. We made quite a few mistakes today and that's not taking anything away from Tennessee. (Burdick, Graves, Harrison) are a hard trio to guard and I'm matching that with freshmen and a sophomore with two of them with a senior in the other spot. It was a good basketball game and I think we played similar to where we're ranked and where we are in the league."
(On starting a three-game stretch--at No. 6 UT, vs. No. 12 Texas A&M and at No. 10 Kentucky)
"It certainly will be an opportunity, but I walk out of here thinking 'Hey, we're pretty good!' We probably are a top-20 basketball team and I don't think many people would disagree with that. We're the only team in the league that hasn't had a bye yet and we need it. My kids need a break. It's been a long grind and we've played 25 games, winning 22 of them. I'm awfully proud of my team.
(On the quick, shootout-like pace of the game)
"Fore some reason today, we gave up a lot of uncontested shots, which is really unusual for us. We didn't quite the ball pressure that we typically have. I've told my kids a million times that you're going to lose the HORSE game every single time in this league. Everybody makes open jump shots and Tennessee made every one of them they got. Give them credit for great execution."
MISSISSIPPI STATE FORWARD BREANNA RICHARDSON
(On the sizable fan support from MSU in Thompson-Boling Arena)
"We've gained a lot of support back home in Starkville. Anywhere we go, there's a lot of fans following us. It just shows that the fans really support us and we love our fans."
MISSISSIPPI STATE FORWARD VICTORIA VIVIANS
(On her thoughts going into the game)
"I knew we had to play hard (and) that Tennessee was a very good team and we had to come in and play our game."
(On the confidence gained after today's game)
"It gives us confidence, but even before the game, we all had confidence knowing that if we played with each other, then we'll be better. Playing Texas A&M, we've got a chance of coming in."
