April 2, 2007

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THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and get started with a opening statement from Coach Summitt.

COACH SUMMITT: Well, obviously to win at this level I think you have to have great defensive pressure and influence. And I thought our defense was the key. And the fact that we played them tough on the boards, I think, what, we outrebounded them by one. And going into the game and we just kept talking about the importance of stopping their transition, making them spend more time in the court to court offense and just rebounding, rebounding, rebounding.

And defensively I thought a big key for us was Sidney Spencer's defense on Erlana Larkins.

The fact that Erlana, which is their go to player, was 2 4, I think that's a very telling stat. And I give our inside people a lot of credit, as well as our perimeter people for pressuring the basketball. And at the 8 minute mark I basically said, We don't want to go home. They didn't want to go home. And I said, We're not leaving here without a national championship.

And I just saw a different I just saw a whole different attitude with this team, the defense, and it started with Alexis and obviously with Shannon in the back court. But it filtered throughout our team. Really, really excited that we have a chance to be in this national championship game and play for a championship.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student athletes.

Q. Candace and Alexis, both, if y'all would just address, was it frustrating for you in particular thinking the ball was never going to drop for you there for the longest time?

Alexis Hornbuckle: Well, it's frustrating as a player to get so many open looks and I had a lot of long layups that just rolled out. But at the same time I'm not the type of player that dwells on my offense. I just decided to pick it up on the defensive end and crash the boards and try to be a emotional leader for my team.

Candace Parker: And I feel like without my game against LSU, where I shot 2 15, and had like five rebounds, I feel like I hurt my team. And I knew that although the ball wasn't falling for me, there's other things that I'm capable of doing. And I feel like I'm thankful that I learned my lesson previous to the NCAA tournament.

Q. When the game goes the way this one did for 34 minutes, when it may have seemed like you were slugging your way uphill, what changed in those last six minutes? What did you guys say to each other, what did Coach say to you? What changed?

Candace Parker: To be honest with you we just did not want to go home. I mean, we were looking back and at each other and just saying all the stuff that we have been through to get to this point and not seize the moment would just be a total waste. And we just really wanted it. And everybody on the floor, on the bench, everybody in the stands wanted it. And when you have that, I mean it's hard not to fight for your team.

Q. To any of you, is that the kind of game you expected after having played them before? The turnovers and between two teams that are averaging like close to 160 points or more?

Alexis Hornbuckle: It was the type of game we expected. In December I know Tennessee was a different team. We were the type of team we relied on our offense and we let our offense affect our defense and we just learned from that throughout the season and realized this team is beatable. They have weakness. We just need to exploit them. And we relied strictly on our defense tonight and let everything else fall into place.

Q. Candace, talk about the crowd and how much that helped with the momentum when you guys started cutting into that lead in the last couple minutes there?

Candace Parker: Our crowd is huge for us. And they have been there for my whole career and for this whole season.

You always look up in the crowd and you can see a whole bunch of orange. And they were very big in our comeback.

Q. You guys are very familiar with Rutgers. Candace, could you talk about some of the special challenges that they present and especially defensively.

Candace Parker: Rutgers is playing some of the best basketball right now. They have peaked at the right time. I haven't seen them play a lot previously to the NCAA tournament but I know that they're a very defensive minded team. And they shot the ball great today. So obviously they have a lot of weapons in Matee Ajavon and Essence Carson and Kia Vaughn. So we have our work cut out for us.

Q. Candace, you said on TV that there's a drought, you mentioned a drought. Is that something you've talked about that it's been too long since Tennessee won the championship?

Candace Parker: I think everybody wearing orange will say it's been way too long. It's been way too long since Tennessee has won a national championship. And I'm tired of going into Thompson Boling Arena and playing on the Summit and not looking up and seeing a banner that has all our names written all over it.

THE MODERATOR: All right. We'll take questions for the coach.

COACH SUMMITT: Nick, you got off. You did a good job playing defense, so. (Laughter.)

Q. Both games today, you at the outset talked about defense, but I think the word suffocating defense might be the right word for both of these games. In fact, you may not know this, but your shooting percentage was the lowest ever for a team that won a Final Four. All four teams out there today just

COACH SUMMITT: So we're in the record book again? I like that.

Q. Well, I probably should have brought that up.

COACH SUMMITT: It ain't pretty, but we're there.

Q. But what about I don't think there's a coach on the face of this earth, male or female, that doesn't always talk defense first. But is it a cliche or does it always come down to defense at this time of the year?

COACH SUMMITT: I think it is really two fold. I think that it comes down to defense and rebounding. Obviously I really feel like in some of the championships that we have won we have not shot the basketball particularly well. But we have influenced how our opponents played and how they shot the ball as well.

Defense is obviously given us a lot of offensive opportunities and it did in this game. It gave us a chance to make the kind of run that we made. Again, I just I felt like we had a influence on North Carolina in this game. We didn't have any influence on them when we played them at North Carolina. They pretty much had their way with us.

I would say this, I just thought our team about midway of the season decided that they were going to allow their defense to be a number one priority. More than their rebounding.

Fortunately, that's what's happened for us. And without that, we couldn't have beaten this North Carolina team. They're a great basketball team and we did some good things, if you look at the number of shots that some of the players got and also some of the percentage, they struggled like we did to make shots.

Q. We can talk about withering defense all we want. But it was kind of ugly out there. Both games. And this being the showcase for women's sports, the nation watching, what have you, is there any concern that this is except for those last few minutes which were very exciting but even then still a little messy, any concern that you have as a one of the legend of women's sports that this would be what would be displayed for the nation today?

COACH SUMMITT: I am not the least bit concerned about that style of play. I think people that understand basketball would have a great deal of respect for the intensity and the defense that these two teams brought to the court. And also understand that we influenced each other because of our defense.

And it seems like I watched the men's game last night that wasn't quite as fluid early on. But I think that if you understand the game, then you understand what happened tonight. Yeah, people like to see a lot of points put up on the board. But they may not be people that really understand the game.

Q. Obviously you faced one of your best friends now for the national championship. It's early, but any thoughts about what it would be like to go up against Coach Stringer with these stakes on the line?

COACH SUMMITT: Well, Sylvia Hatchell was on my staff at Tennessee as a grad student. We're both in grad school together and she coached my junior varsity team. Sylvia and I have been great friends. Vivian and I are great friends. I have tremendous respect for both of them and really have just enjoyed the friendship that we have shared, but certainly I know Vivian is going to have her team ready and prepared. I know how much that she wants to win. And she wants her team to win a national championship. And I feel the same way.

Regardless of what happens in that game, we'll be friends. I'm proud for what Vivian has done. She's been great for this game, she's won and brought teams to the Final Fours from three different programs. And I've stayed at the same place for 33 years. So she's done a lot more things than I have, but at the same time it will be great to see Rutgers in that game and see Vivian Stringer on the stage because she's certainly deserves it with the job she's done with a young basketball team that she has just really brought along and she has them believing they can win a national championship. And obviously their defense is really, really tough. So it should be a great game.

Q. With, what, little over eight minutes it's 48 36, at that point the way the scoring's going there's not going to be much scoring, you're down 12, are you thinking it's still doable? And to get back you practically had to shut them out and that's what you did. And kind of a follow up to that, where does this rank in the comebacks you've seen your team have and in high stake situations like this?

COACH SUMMITT: Well, I really felt like that at that time there was a lot of time and a lot of possessions left. And I knew that we had some players that were a little frustrated, but we just we brought a lot of energy from the bench. Our staff, my staff was tremendous. We kept talking about we can do this. We will do this.

As I said, we just talked about what we had to do on the floor and they responded. And in trying to keep everyone really positive, because Alexis was really struggling. She struggled in the last couple games with her shooting. But I said, We have to win this with defense. We're going to have to win this with our defense. And our rebounding. In order to get easy scoring opportunities. And at that time I definitely thought, I mean, I thought it was doable and then I started to feel with our defensive pressure that it was beginning to be effective and we were starting to see the momentum change.

Q. Where does this rank maybe in some of the comebacks?

COACH SUMMITT: Well, you ask me today, it's probably one of best wins of my career, since you asked me today. But it's all part of getting to the national championship game. And obviously this was huge today. The main thing is I'm just proud for this team. Because they have played the toughest schedule in the country, they have been tough, they have been together, they're committed to defense and rebounding. And they're committed to each other. And I just I want it for them.

More than anything, I want it for them. And they know we're working hard as a staff and I've got a tremendous staff to help not only teach and coach, but inspire these young women and we just got to be ready to play and hopefully we're a little more efficient.

THE MODERATOR: Coach, thank you for joining us. We'll see you tomorrow.

COACH SUMMITT: Thank you.

TENNESSEE PLAYER QUOTES

Junior guard Shannon Bobbitt

On how they came back down 12 points with eight minutes to go:
"We just guard everybody honest and take no chances on the defensive end. They are all great players and can all shoot the ball. When we are down, we just turn up the intensity and turn up the press. Defense wins games and we are definitely going to enjoy this win and worry about Rutgers tomorrow when Coach (Summit) goes over the game plan tomorrow with us in practice."

On how her game went tonight:
"I don't think that I had one of my best games offensively, but my defense really carried me tonight. My emotion carried me and defense wins game and that is what I focused on down the stretch."

Senior forward Dominique Redding

On whether she was worried when North Carolina went on their 17-2 run in the second half: "A good team like that is going to make runs and we have to answer them. We were prepared for this game and we just went out there and executed."

On whether she expected a low-scoring game:
"Yes, I did, because both teams are good on defense. I know how they like to play - they like to speed the game up a little, helter-skelter, and that's how it was. No team put the ball in the basket for awhile. But hey, a win's a win - even if had been by one point. We're moving on."

On what she expects from Rutgers:
"They are the same team we played in the past. We know what they like to do. They like to get after it on defense. They're really good defensive team so we've just got to take it one possession at a time and do the little things."

Junior guard/forward Alberta Auguste

On what the team said to motivate each other:
"We were saying to each other how we worked so hard during the preseason and we're not going to give up and go home without a championship trophy. We used anything to keep us from getting discouraged and to get our confidence back up. Even with the lead that they had, we were confident we were going to come back."

On the team's offensive struggles:
"I think we were just too intense and too anxious to shoot. We knew in the second half we would calm down and could make our runs. We had to bring the ball down low because no one could stop our big men, especially Candace (Parker)."

On facing Rutgers in the championship game:
"After watching them against LSU we know they have strong guards that we have to defend. We really have to be able to stop their attack from the perimeter.

Senior forward Sidney Spencer

On the gritty play during tonight's game:
"We knew tonight we were going to face adversity and that they were going to make runs at us. We knew we were going to have to get on the boards. So, when we got down with 10 minutes to go, we knew we were going to have to step up our defense and get on the boards. Our defense stepping up in the last five to 10 minutes was the key."

On what this win means to here as a senior:
"Just to be a senior and have one more game, that's such a blessing. I just want to thank our team because it wasn't just one person that won the game for us tonight. It was every body. We did it together and that's how our whole season has been. We've done it together for each other. Tonight was an incredible team victory."

On whether she felt it slipping away when the team fell behind late:
"I started thinking that this was getting away from us with about eight minutes to go, but I knew we had a lot of fight. We came back against Duke and that was a 20-point lead. I started thinking about last year and I was like, I don't want to feel this way. I can not sit here and watch them celebrate, this being my senior year. So, we just grinded it out and got to the free throw line where we knocked down the crucial ones at the end to win it."

On the team's determination tonight:
"This team has incredible fight and hunger. We just want a National Championship so bad for the coaches, for this staff and for us."

Sophomore forward/Center Alex Fuller

On what was going through her head when they were down 48-36:
"I definitely had confidence in the five on the court. I knew if we stayed together we could win."

On Candace Parker trying to fire up the team in the second half:
"It doesn't really matter who it is (trying to fire us up) - we pull for each other and feed off each other when someone does that."

On playing Rutgers in the championship game:
"Well, we haven't played them this year like we have in previous years. In previous years, we've played them or put them out (of the tournament) so we expect them to come back with a vengeance to play us."

THE MODERATOR: We'll start with an opening statement by Coach and then go to questions for the student athletes.

COACH HATCHELL: I'm extremely proud of my team. I felt like we should have won the game. We have never lost to a team when they shot 27 percent. I feel like defensively we did the job when you hold a team to 27 percent.

I'm really disappointed. And just really proud of my team. So that's really about it.

THE MODERATOR: Again, we'll take questions for our student athletes first.

Q. Ivory, what was it like to sit on the bench there in the first half for so long and just not be a able to be out on the court affecting the game there?

IVORY LATTA: It was very I was just hurting because I couldn't be out there with my team and help them get through it. But Alex did a great job of leading the way and it just hurts so bad right now.

Q. Ivory, can you talk about the defense that Tennessee put on you guys in the last eight minutes?

IVORY LATTA: I could just say they played aggressive defense. We was trying to get the ball to Erlana in the post. They was definitely fronting her and doubleteaming and they just played aggressive defense.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much for joining us. You guys can head back to the locker room. Take questions for Coach.

Q. Was there anything that you saw that in the end of the game that reminded you at all of the final regular season game against Duke where you had the lead going into the last couple minutes and then couldn't score down the stretch?

COACH HATCHELL: Were we at the same game? No. They put extreme pressure on us and we it's hard for us whenever Camille and LaToya are sitting on the bench with five fouls.

We got all of our subs in there because we don't have our regular players out there because they have all fouled out. So it's hard to execute. So we were trying to get the ball into Erlana and then we just started driving and I wish if I had it to do over we had just every time just drove straight to the basket and at least tried to get on the foul line a little bit. Because they shot 26, we shot eight.

At least I would have at least tried to get us on the foul line a little bit and maybe that would have worked some.

But they, again, we were trying to get ball inside but it's hard for us to function whenever LaToya and Camille are sitting over there on the bench.

Q. Can you talk a little bit LaToya and Camille, the job they did on Parker for most of the game.

COACH HATCHELL: Yeah, I thought they did a great job. The best offense she had was the foul line offense. So I thought we did a great job on her defensively. So I was real proud of the job they did.

Q. You scored some to take that lead in the second half you scored some fastbreak points that seemed to help you get such a big lead. Can you explain maybe did Tennessee maybe do something to take that away near the end of the game?

COACH HATCHELL: We got some steals and we got some fastbreaks off the steals. And we got the ball out. We were running the floor pretty good, especially Rashanda McCants. And then when Camille and I think that we were we might have we should have been more aggressive.

Like I said, if I had to do over we would have just taken the ball to the basket and not tried to get the ball inside. We just brought it down the floor and then would have taken it until they if they picked us up defensively and tried to draw some fouls and then get some just some kickouts. Because it was hard for us to run anything because they were denying everything, especially the passes into the post. And we were dribbling the ball too much. We weren't passing it, moving it around. We were dribbling the ball too much. But again, they had us a little bit out of synch and that's usually what we do to people. But again, they shot 27 percent. So I was really proud of our defense and the difference in the game was on the foul line. Let's be honest.

Q. I was just wondering if you were surprised when you looked at the stats being how physical the game was, that you only shot 8 free throws?

COACH HATCHELL: Yes. I was very disappointed more than anything else. But, you know, it's just the way it is.

THE MODERATOR: Coach, thank you very much.

COACH HATCHELL: Thank you.

Junior Guard Alex Miller

On struggle to make shots:
"We had to go out there and play our game. We played hard. Tennessee is a good team. We just didn't hit anything. Shots were not falling for us."

Junior Forward LaToya Pringle

On the slow start to the game:
"We had the late game and we were just ready to get on the court all day. I think that the game started and we were just rushing our shots. We told each other to just calm down."

On foul trouble:
"We didn't get all the calls that we should have got. We were getting beat up. We know to expect that but we also thought it wouldn't get as far as it did. We also weren't hitting any shots - I think we scored two points in ten minutes or something like that. It was very frustrating when Camille [Little] fouled out. It got even more frustrating when I fouled out. We felt like we were being penalized for being aggressive."

On the end of the game:
"We just didn't execute at the end. That's been our focus the whole season - to execute down the stretch and we didn't do that and it came back to get us."

On the frustration during the game:
"Some people were really frustrated. I think we were looking for things we couldn't get - calls, passes, teammates. It was a lot of things that just built up. We kind of got frustrated but we held our heads high and fought back. We eventually got a lead but just couldn't score points at the end."

On losing Ivory Latta and Camille Little:
"Not really. We are thinking about the two people we are losing this year. We are real disappointed that we couldn't win a championship for Camille [Little] and Ivory [Latta]. I know it's very hard on them too because they have been so passionate all year in leading us. To be in foul trouble in their last game - it had to be terrible."

Sophomore Forward Iman McFarland

On the game:
"Tennessee had a really good force coming in and they were able to take advantage of us. We played hard and used our talents as much as we could."

Senior Guard Camille Little

On Game:
"Unfortunately, we lost. Things just didn't go our way."

Biggest contributing factor on how things got out of control in the second half: "The fouls were big. They changed the game. I know down the stretch they were more equal but we were already down.

In a semifinal game, you shouldn't have two starters foul out. That's just uncalled for. They let certain people get certain fouls and that's not fair. Sometimes they would call one foul one way but not the other. It's disappointing, very disappointing."

On Turnovers:
"Turnovers contributed but the fouls were the big contributing factors. At times when we turned it over there could have been some fouls called but there weren't. We just tried to stay physical and play hard. It just didn't work out for us."

How shocking is it to not have a chance to play again:
"I think LaToya (Pringle) and I coming out early was a big key, just having two starters out was important to us. They were trying to make a run and go at players who hadn't been in the game and it turned out in their favor."

Shocker on slow start:
"Two great defensive teams and some had to get the jitters out. We missed some shots we should have hit. But it was good efforts for both. Turnovers were going back-and-fourth but we weren't pushing it on the other end. The second half was more of a running game for us but it just didn't work out for us."

Reflect on your career at UNC:
"It's bitter sweet. Coming to back-to-back Final Fours is a great accomplishment for any team but our main goal was to take it to the next step. It's going to be hard to forget that because the seniors wanted it."

What did Coach (Sylvia Hatchell) say after the game:
"She really didn't have much to say. She said she was really proud of us and we did a great job and we're just disappointed right now."

Being on the bench:
"I shouldn't have been sitting over there. I can't believe the way it came out. To look up to see the fouls and calls we were getting. It's just so disappointing. It's a semifinal game, let some things go. The game was physical from the beginning, and at some point they decided to make some calls on some things that had been happening all night. It was hard to deal with just to be over there on the bench. I just tried to cheer and be positive for my team."

Junior Forward Erlana Larkins
On the season/game: "I thought we had a pretty good season. We didn't shoot well for the game but those referees were horrible. Man, they were terrible. They (Tennessee) took three times as many free throws as we did. The officials were horrible."

"Tennessee played a good game and we did some great things on defense because they shot like 30 percent for the game. But, they went to the free throw line a lot more and we weren't getting calls. Anytime you go to the free throw line twice as much or more your chances are pretty good."