Chattanooga Basketball Postgame Quotes
UAB at Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tenn. - McKenzie Arena
Saturday – Dec. 6, 2020

Katie Burrows, Head Coach
Opening statement following today's season-opening loss to UAB.
"That's a really good program and they had a lot of new faces this year. I won't sit and give excuses, but that's a tough team to start out with. I think we have to have the same fire from the tip, and we started off strong. Then some things didn't quite go our way, and then we got in some foul situations, and we let it affect us. We had some players play timid, ones that hadn't shown to be timid in practice. That might be the jitters and not knowing what to expect. My kids didn't quit, they just don't quite understand what it means to compete against that type of team. We'll get there."
 
On what broke down defensively.
"Just not understanding the personnel and paying attention to the scout. We got turned around and locked up in some screens a couple different times. It was some mental breakdowns at really bad times. They got hot because we weren't putting pressure on them and then offensively, we weren't putting any pressure on them because we weren't moving the ball and doing the things that make us successful. It was a double whammy in that sense."
 
On expectations coming into today.
"I think the expectation is always to be excellent and to be successful, and I think my girls have that expectation of themselves, they just don't quite know what that looks like yet. So, what I really wanted to see today was to go out there and play as hard as we can, we had some hiccups, but my girls played hard for the most part. We have certain goals for certain games, and we went 0-for-4 today on those goals. The emphasis will have to change knowing what we know now in practice."

On moving forward and getting in a flow.
"I wish I had a little more time in between games to prepare, but I'm excited. I was pumped when I woke up today. I'm excited to be in this phase right now and can't wait to see different opponents. Troy will be a lot different team than what we saw today. It's about how quickly we can come back and prepare for that. It's a challenge, not only for our kids, but for our staff in making that quick turnaround. I'm excited and thankful about it. We're getting opportunities and I'll never take it for granted that we're able to do this."

Bria Dial, Sr.-F
On a tough defensive day.
"Definitely didn't expect that at all. It's hard to play solid defense when they are shooting the lights out. It's just that you're so worried about one person and then the others end up open. They are always moving on both sides so it's tough to help on the other side when everyone is involved on another thing."

On what was the key to offensive efficieny today.
"I would say not settling, but looking at the stats, I did shoot nine threes. It was just realizing that when I'm not hitting those, I am still able to drive and find ways to score. That's a big key for me. It's more of my confidence too. Since the end of last year, my confidence has built so much. I know I can do certain things and know that I have the potential to be more than just a defensive player, I can be an all-around player."

On becoming a leader.
"I feel like I have been having to be vocal, and I usually don't talk that much, but I realize that this is sort of my team. I know that I have to be that one to bring everyone together, to be always positive, and let the younger kids, who haven't played on this level, know what we need to do."