Dec. 30, 2006

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TENNESSEE HEAD COACH Pat Summitt:

(opening remarks) "Obviously, I thought we played better in the second half than we did in the first. We had more energy, and our guards dictated tempo. We didn't bring the energy and intensity until the second half. In the first half, Notre Dame got the shots they wanted. They got good looks. When this team understands that they can generate points off their defense, that will be good. I challenged Shannon to step up in the second half. Overall, our team did step up."

(on playing as a unit) "At halftime, we talked about having energy. We have to have five people playing with energy. At times, we have three people playing hard and a couple not covering passing lanes. We have so many breakdowns because people aren't on the same page as far as intensity."

(on the performance of point guard Shannon Bobbitt) "Shannon really stepped up in the second half. I thought she was aggressive on offense in the first half. She just didn't guard anybody. In the second half, we limited their touches inside. The difference was our defense. She has to look to score more. She looks for her teammates. She has to look for opportunities for herself, too."

(on the performance of Candace Parker then Shannon Bobbitt) "Candace is playing harder now than she did in earlier games. She's more committed to playing hard. What a difference it makes for our team. She has such a presence and arm span. She's doing a better job on the boards. At halftime, we had goose eggs on the offensive boards for Parker, (Sidney) Spencer, and (Alexis) Hornbuckle. Candace has been working hard in practice. Playing hard has to become a habit. Shannon (Bobbitt) wasn't playing her typical game in the first half. This has to become a team that for 40 minutes plays hard. Shannon looks to pass first. Scoring is a second option for her. We have had some 30-second violations because she was looking for someone else. I told her, 'You are a playmaker. The ball is going to be in your hands a lot.'"

(on Notre Dame's defense) "They extended their defense. They went with a 1-3-1 a lot, trying to delay and disrupt and get us late in the clock and out of rhythm. They had a lot of success with that. At halftime, I told Shannon (Bobbitt) that we had to have the mindset of 'get it and go.' After halftime, we came out with a different mindset. Our wings were up, and Candace (Parker) was in the middle more. We picked it up in the second half."

(on the performance of Alexis Hornbuckle) "Alexis played great defense. She is a difference maker. She didn't shoot well, but she didn't let her offense affect other aspects of her game. The way she played was big for us."

Shannon Bobbitt:

(on her shooting) "Basically, I think the scouting report on me is that I'm not consistent on the jump shot. I'm just taking what they give me."

"As long as we win, I feel like I did my job. I've got to work on getting confidence in my jump shot. When it went in (today), it felt good."

Candace Parker:

(on the difference of play in the second half) "Honestly, at halftime, we realized that we have to push the ball and rebound. In the second half, we looked for scoring opportunities. We were feeding off of each other. I'm sorry it took 20 minutes, but we got there."

(on the blocks) "Coach Pat Summitt stresses that we should have an air about us, an attitude. This year, we have bringing our defense every night. We have been stepping up on defense. It gives excitement to know that our teammates have got our back."

(on the performance of teammate Alexis Hornbuckle) "Alexis brought defensive pressure. She does every night. She got some good looks. When you look up and see the athleticism and quickness that we have in the backcourt, they're pushing out front and getting steals, and that gives us some easy makes. She did a great job of pushing tempo."

Sidney Spencer:

"Our guards were shooting a lot. Notre Dame played a lot of zone and packed it inside. When Shannon (Bobbitt) started knocking down jumpers, there were a lot more opportunities."

"We responded well at halftime about getting on the boards and playing transition defense and pressing. We weren't focused in the first half. They went with a 1-3-1. We were too caught up in running plays instead of just playing."

HEAD COACH MUFFET MCGRAW

"Their press in the second half really hurt us. We don't normally turn the ball over quite that often. We had a struggle to get points. I thought we did a much better job in the first half against the press. We only got to the line nine times. We really got to work on getting fouled and trying to get some more opportunities when the clock is stopped."

On the difference in the press from the first to the second half:
"I think it was us. They came up a little bit more. We got open a little easier in the first half. In the second half, we didn't cut as hard to the ball. I don't think we looked like we wanted the ball. I don't think we wanted to try to get it up the floor. We really just looked like we were real tentative."

On Candace Parker's defense:
"Well, she had five blocks. She had an incredible game with no fouls and five blocks. Her timing is good. She got all ball. She really is an exceptional player all around."

On UT's Shannon Bobbitt:
"She really hurt our zone. We really didn't feel like we could play man-to-man. She's coming in averaging six points a game. You have to decide who's going to beat you. Honestly, we were trying to guard her. We really left her open a few times unintentionally. But especially late in the game, we actually went to the triangle-and-two on her."

On guarding Sidney Spencer:
"I thought we did a decent job on Spencer. She got a couple of open looks when we made some mistakes in the zone."

On bringing her young team into Thompson-Boling Arena:
"I thought it was a great experience for the freshmen to play in this environment. It was a great crowd. It was very good for our young freshmen just to be at a game like this. It's going to help us down the road."

"We have to look forward and look at our season as just beginning, with the BIG EAST season coming up. There are things we can take from this, and there are things we can learn from it."

Junior guard Charel Allen

"We just wanted to come out and be aggressive and not back down. We just wanted to give it our all. We had nothing to lose. We played our hearts out in the first half. In the second half, we seemed to be back on our heels a little bit."