Chattanooga vs. Louisville
Postgame Quotes
Friday, November 9, 2018
Chattanooga, Tenn. | McKenzie Arena
 
Head Coach Katie Burrows
Opening statement
"Great start to the game. We did everything we were supposed to do defensively. Our rotations from the weak side were excellent; especially compared to Tuesday. It was one of the things we really hammered and focused on in practice. They say defense wins championships but if you can't put the ball in the hole then you're in trouble.
 
"We took one more shot than they did and hit eleven fewer. We exposed them in the way we wanted to. We were attacking the basket and being aggressive. We got to the foul line and again missed too many free throws. We've got to out the ball in the hole or we're not going to win any ball games.
 
"The flip side of it we have to take better care of the ball. I said this Tuesday, we can't have this many turnovers and win games either. We did cause 20 but had 18. If we could get a few more possessions maybe we can get a few more points.
 
"That third quarter really hurt us. Giving up 30 in one quarter, you can't do that.  We can't get too tight coming out of half time especially with a team like that. They're going to come out and be ready to go and you can't relax. We relaxed, so it burned us."
 
On coaching shooting
"There are things that you can coach and there are things you can't coach. I can get them in position for a shot but they have to make it. The unfortunate thing tonight is that it wasn't going in. They put themselves in good positions especially in the first quarter. We got really good looks in that first quarter and they just couldn't go. That's big. If you can start hitting shots right out of the gate it makes people tighten up.  If they would have played faster and we would have been able to capitalize a little bit more and even get easier looks."
 
Did their athleticism affect what you were trying to do?
"Of course they did. We made some good adjustments early on. They were hedging ball screens. We were trying to slip it. We got a few good looks. They hedged those screens and we were trying to slip, either make a little pocket pass or catch them on a seal. Once our post got to the block, they made adjustments. We tried to make those adjustments. I think we dribbled the ball too much. I think our back door option was there all night and we did not take advantage of that. So I will be working on that in practice as well. We do stuff every day for that but when you get in live game situations it's hard to simulate a team like that."
 
 
Molly Melton, Sr., G
On the pressure
"They're really long and athletic. That's not something you could simulate in practice if you don't have that. Their athleticism is tough."
 
What do you take from the first half?
"I think it showed our fight and what we stand for as a team. I'm proud of the way we fought collectively as a team. You hear Louisville number 5 in the country, we didn't back down and I'm proud of that."
 
Lakelyn Bouldin, Jr., G
How can going up against this sort of pressure help you going forward?
"I definitely think it's going to help us out in the long run when we face bigger teams like NC State in December. Also, making a run and helping us finish in the SoCon Tournament and the NCAA Tournament. It's going to help us out with that."
 
How crucial was the third quarter?
"We know that they usually have a big third quarter. We discussed that in the locker room. We failed to contain them on our part. The first five minutes were the deciding factor in the game I feel like. Moving forward we have to come out strong to start the third and get the momentum going our way."