GREENVILLE, S.C. — The Lady Vols' stay in the SEC Tournament has come to a close.
Tennessee fell 84-76 to Vanderbilt in the second round on Thursday.
Here's everything Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell said in the postgame press conference.
TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM
Opening statement
A very disappointing loss for us. I think we were inconsistent again. Same old story. We play good when the ball is going in the hole. Didn't do a very good job on the defensive end. We just weren't able to finish it.
On finding consistency
It's been a really disappointing last week, week-and-a-half. I don't think we played well. Even some of the games we won, we didn't play well. We need to rest, get healthy and get back to it.
On why they can make a run in March Madness
Yeah, again, I think we need rest. I think we haven't really handled our load the way we should have in hindsight. I think we're tired and need a rest, get healthy, just get a reset.
On playing harder after missing shots
It's human nature with young people. That's hard. That's growth, that's leadership. That's just continuing to show them on film, of you can put 15 points together in three minutes. Don't look at the scoreboard, get down on yourself. I think that comes with kind of experience. You have a lot of new players. You have to step up and lead. You have people that will command a huddle whether their shot is going in on not.
On Zee Spearman's play, injury
Yeah, she was playing really, really well. She was ripping down rebounds. We were able to go to her on mismatches. I don't know what the injury stands like. But I do appreciate her coming back in the game.
On Alyssa Latham starting both games, playing well late
She plays hard. She's a player that doesn't take selfish shots. She just plays hard. She knows her scout. She's good on defense. She starts the intensity the way we need to.
On the SEC compared to former conferences she's coached in
I think the SEC is an absolute grind. I think again, like I said, in hindsight, we could have managed our load a little bit better. That absolutely takes a toll on you night in, night out. I think our last two weeks have shown we're a little fatigued, we're a little banged up and we need some rest.
On what she's learned about Kaniya Boyd
She's the brightest part of our program right now. I've said it before, she's the future. She's out here having fun. She pushes. She plays hard. She's a dog. That's what we want in our program, we want dogs. I think she is the leader of that.
On if the ball is in her team's court in terms of maturity
I think absolutely the ball's in their court.
On what load management will look like going forward
Yeah, the nice thing about women's basketball is you have some time. We have a hefty break between now and when we start again. We'll be able to manage that load a little bit better. We have some players that are playing through minor injuries. Just letting them kind of heal and getting back to it.
On what she wants to change the most heading into the NCAA Tournament
I think our offense has been inconsistent. I think, again, like we said, when our offense is inconsistent, everything else goes down. I think we're best when we're sharing the ball and our offense is flowing and we play with a little juice.
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