Love & Basketball postgame quotes

Nov. 8, 2008

Recap | Box Score

Commodore Postgame Quotes
Vanderbilt vs. Love & Basketball (Exhibition)
Friday, Nov. 7, 2008

Melanie Balcomb, Vanderbilt Head Coach

On team’s play:
“We played in spurts, good ones and bad ones. We just lost focus. In the first half, defense was where it needed to be and caused opportunities for offense to be great. In the second half, the defense was dictated by the miscues on offense. You just can’t click it on and off.

On team’s first half start:
“We started 9-0 and then just went real flat. This was a great game to learn from because Love and Basketball is a good team and it was a wake-up call for us.”

On Tia Gibbs:
“I love her. You know what you’re getting. I like to call her the “No Drama Mama.” There is just no drama with her. She handles herself well emotionally. She’s great at shooting, which is what we needed against the zone. She’s learning now what she needs to do with her defense and that is great from a freshman, especially so early.”

Vanderbilt Players

Tia Gibbs, guard

On the transition from High School to College Basketball:
“This (college basketball) is way tougher than high school. In high school, there was more pressure to score. Now I play a different role, there’s no pressure. Everyone scores, so it’s not all one person.”

On playing a reserve role:
“I like coming off the bench and giving the starters a break.”

On the game tonight:
“I think we played in spurts. We need to come together, pick each other up, and get back to a faster pace.”

On season outlook:
“I think we can come very far. There are only 2 of us (freshmen), so we are returning our starting 5 and we are looking great off the bench as well. I am learning a lot from the guards and we can all only get better and learn from each other.”

On Coach Balcomb:
“I think she really opened our eyes (in post-game meeting) on what we need to do as a team.”