Jan. 25, 2007
Post-game Quotes
Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee
Memorial Gym
Vanderbilt Head Coach Melanie Balcomb
On the loss…
“We came back and fought hard and got the lead with four minutes to go. We didn’t finish the game. We turned the ball over. When you have 27 turnovers you’re not going to beat the No. 4 team in the country.”
“They pressed so we couldn’t run half court offense. We didn’t attack their pressure and did a poor job breaking the press.”
“We did a really poor job on guarding Sidney Spencer. They didn’t let our best three point get it off and we let theirs.”
On the team getting ready for the game…
“They were prepared for this game and they worked hard. They are as frustrated as I am. They’ve been in good position to win.”
On Shannon Bobbitt’s 3-pointer late in the second half…
“Every time we play Tennessee that’s what hurts us – someone steps up and makes a great shot. That’s what needs to happen for us. Someone needs to make a big play that people aren’t expecting.”
On moving forward…
“It was a measuring stick for us. We weren’t this close at Duke when they were the No. 4 team in the country. Now, a month later, we’re better. This is a journey, this is a season.”
VU Senior Guard Dee Davis
On her turnovers…
“It’s very frustrating being a point guard and turning the ball over nine times in a game like that. It was very devastating. I’m taking full accountability for my actions. I don’t make turnovers like that. I don’t know what happened tonight.”
On moving on…
“We have tonight to dwell on this, then we have tomorrow to get ready for Arkansas. We know what we have to do.”
On tying the all-time Vanderbilt assist record…
“It would have felt a lot better with a victory. It’s good to have the
opportunity to break the record but right now it’s bittersweet.”
Tennessee Head Coach Pat Summitt:
“The key for us tonight was being able to close out a game that was very physical. We played very physically defensively and were really able to limit them offensively. We did a great job.”
“We stepped up and did a better job on the glass in the second half and that was something that was very important to our being able to get the kind of result that we were looking for tonight.”
“We had a lot of people step up and make plays tonight. After they took the lead in the second half, we were able to respond by getting into our attack mode.”
On the performance of Candace Parker…
“She stepped up and got some really key rebounds for us and started the action for us on the defensive end. Candace was excellent.”
“One of the differences between this year’s team and last year’s team is that the ball doesn’t get stuck in one player’s hand. That is really indicative of how well we are able to play as a team.”
On the performance of Sidney Spencer…
“I told her that she needed to do a better job of getting her shots and being aggressive in terms of moving and cutting. Tonight was one of her better games in terms of being able to move without the ball.”
On Hornbuckle’s defense against Caroline Williams…
“She was like her shadow. Wherever you saw one you saw the other. She did a great job limiting touches.”
On the significance of the game…
“This game was huge for us and not just because of its significance in terms of the SEC. It was significant for us from a national standpoint as well in terms of keeping us in contention for a number one seed.”
Tennessee Sophomore Forward Candace Parker:
“We came out and knew that we had to bounce back from our loss to Duke. We knew that it was going to be a tough environment. But I think we handled ourselves well. We didn’t crack under pressure. They took the lead and we responded well.”
“We did a good job of running our offense well at the end of the game and I think that was a big key for us.”
Tennessee Senior Forward Sidney Spencer:
Comparing last year’s loss to Kentucky after losing to Duke to this year’s game against Vanderbilt, also after a loss to Duke:
“We learned last year just how much that loss [to Kentucky] affected us in the rankings. Our character was going to be determined by how well we bounced back tonight. I thought we did a great job of staying focused.”
