Lady Vols basketball is back in the win column just ahead of beginning its SEC slate. Tennessee started slow, but used a monster second half to defeat Southern Indiana 89-44 in Knoxville.
After the game, Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell met with the media. She was asked about scoring off turnovers, SEC play beginning, shot selection and more.
Here’s what she said.
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Opening statement
“I thought we played harder tonight. I thought we shared the ball better. I’m happy with 19 assists. We were not very efficient around the rim, but our three looked a little bit better in the second half. I thought we responded well after a difficult first half.”
On if this win puts her in a better mood ahead of Christmas
“Yeah, I mean, it’s slightly better. I mean, it’s better. It is. It is better. It’s better for our team morale to come off of that and then, you know, we were hard on them. We didn’t share the ball against Louisville. I think we had 32 times where we took a shot off of zero or one passes, which is not acceptable and it’s something we talked about. We had 19 assists tonight and we still didn’t shoot it great. So it’s a step in the right direction. Makes it a little bit better.”
On if she’s concerned they only out-rebounded USI by four
“I think that that’s kind of what Alyssa (Latham) was getting at. We have talked a lot about, we bat the ball with one hand. We go with one, we bat it out of bounds, we try to tip it to our teammate. And that was one thing that was really apparent. And we’ve been talking about it for weeks, but it was really apparent in our last game. We gotta go with two. And it’s just going to be a point of emphasis for us because if we continue to go with one, we’re going to get out-rebounded every single night.”
On if she wanted the team to get into the paint more or if she was okay with the threes
“I think it’s a little bit of both. I think we had layups. I think we had an opportunity for three or four and-ones in the first five minutes of the game. We missed them. And then anytime you see a zone, they were very much letting us live and die by the three, and so we didn’t share the ball. We ended up shooting pretty well from three. But they had three or four people in the paint in that zone and we had looks. We were just missing them.”
On what stood out about Nya Robertson
“I think the biggest thing was she had three offensive rebounds early. She went and she got us extra possessions. She played really hard. She always plays hard. She’s one player that I can count on. Whether her shot is falling or not, she’s gonna play hard.”
On the team’s schedule ahead of the SEC opener on Jan. 1
“I think the biggest thing is we’re coming back on the 27th, and the biggest thing is share the ball, don’t be selfish, play as a team. Multiple people have to touch it. We can’t live and die by two people. We can’t play one on five. We can’t play two on five. We have to play five on five. Rebounds are gonna continue to be important. Playing hard for four quarters are gonna continue to be important. If you look at our season, we’ve had just epic meltdowns in three or four minutes that have cost us all three games. And if we take those meltdowns away, we are mentally tough enough to come together and play through things, our season looks a little bit different right now.”
On if the team is scoring enough off turnovers
“We’re not doing very well scoring up in transition or off of turnovers. And it’s a matter of not running to the right spot, not playing as a team, not trusting people, not making the right play.”
On how much of the team’s growth needs to be from willpower late in games
“I would say the majority of it.”
On why the team isn’t scoring enough off turnovers
“I think we’re trying to get ours. Putting our head down and we’re going to the rim. We’re trying to drive through five people instead of playing together and trusting that we’re gonna get it back. And people don’t think they’re gonna get it back.”
On the play of freshman Mia Pauldom, preparing her for SEC play
“You can talk about it, and I don’t know that she’s gonna know it until she sees it. And, you know, these freshmen, they stuck with this pretty well, but they’re about to see what Alyssa (Latham) was talking about. Every single night is a Louisville night. Every single night. It’s a grind. It’s a grind mentally. You gotta be locked in, and she’s gonna grow up real quick on how hard that is. Yeah, I know I did last year, so I can only imagine what an 18-year-old is.”
On Lauren Hurst, Mya Pauldo playing earlier in the game than usual
“It was by design. They had good practices. They had a really good practice the night before on a one-day prep. They play hard. So, again, trying to get more out of more people.”
On if she’s worried Talaysia Cooper’s off-night could carry into SEC play
“I think we have time to fix it if her headspace is in the right. She comes determined to fix it, she’ll fix it.”
On her first Christmas with her son
“We’re excited about it. I can’t wait to kind of see what he does. And I already know he’s gonna play with everything that’s not a toy. So I’ve wrapped my head around you’re just gonna play with the box and the bows, but I’m excited for him.”
Merry Christmas.”
