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SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 3, 2007

DULUTH, GEORGIA

THE MODERATOR: Now joined by LSU head coach Pokey Chatman and student-athletes Sylvia Fowles and Erica White.
Coach Chatman, if you could make an opening comment and then we'll take questions.
COACH CHATMAN: I think I have to start this press conference with the effort that we gave defensively and our ability to really carry out a scouting report defense that, you know, starts with trying to limit some of the touches by Candace and also get to their shooters. So I have to start there.
More importantly, when we got off to the slow start offensively. I thought we did a good job of executing our offensive game, spread the floor a little bit. Knew they would be pretty aggressive. Sort of screen the passers so we could get some good looks to the baskets.
Kids never got rattled. It's tough to come out, get off to a slow start on this stage. But they held their composure. I credit Erica a lot with that out on the perimeter and Sylvia held it down in the paint. We were fortunate enough to have the defensive effort throughout and not lose offensive momentum when Tennessee changed their defense. They went to a little zone. We still executed. They thought of switching screens, we still executed. All-out good effort both intelligently and effort-wise.

Q. You both know each other well. Your team knew the scouting report. What was different from the game in Baton Rouge? What made the game plans on offense and defense more successful?
COACH CHATMAN: I think defensively we took the second 20 minutes from Baton Rouge and we did a better job of running someone at Candace, not letting her have comfortable touches. And that's not it. They're not a one-person team. The help is not enough you have to recover.
I thought we were help in our help and our recover and we were a lot more disciplined when you look at the shots that we made them miss. We didn't give up second-chance opportunities.
We were lucky to be in the ballgame last time giving up 20. We merit defensive effort with securing some rebounds.

Q. First timeout after being down in a big hole, what did you say to the ladies to get the momentum turned around?
COACH CHATMAN: Basically just said the same thing we said coming out of the locker room: Just slow down, spread the floor. They're going to be aggressive. Someone pass the ball, screen the passer. You're going to have wide-open look.
Because we missed a couple of them. I think Rashonta was the first person made the pass. We screened for her. She missed a layup. Those shots are going to be there. Slow down, calm down. Not really a change, just something to stop the bleeding.

Q. How many paychecks does Sylvia get for this game?
COACH CHATMAN: An opportunity to advance to tomorrow. Sylvia went out, you know, did what she's done for most of the year against a quality opponent on this stage. She never wavered. She goes 40 minutes again. One, two, three people on her. Really held it down in the paint for us.
SYLVIA FOWLES: Too bad I don't get a paycheck for this one. Just a great feeling to just advance tomorrow and be ready to play is my paycheck.

Q. Can you comment on the play of Allison Hightower, how she just really stepped up big for you on the offensive end.
COACH CHATMAN: Allison has shown that throughout the year. It's so hard for a freshman coming in, you don't ever give them a chance to get acclimated because you throw them to the wolves. She's finally comfortable in the open court taking her shot or making the shot, creating something for herself.
She sort of has that little ice water in your veins. When they're young they don't know any better. They're just out there playing the game that they've been playing. She knows these kids have so much confidence in her. They want her to take that shot, because she's taken them all year at practice and earlier in the year.

Q. Erica, you seem to really have found an attacking style again on offense, especially in this tournament. What have the coaches helped you with? What have you told yourself leading up to these games that allowed you to go inside?
ERICA WHITE: Basically what I told myself is just to come out and play fearless and smart. I think that's a deadly combination when I can put that together.
The biggest adjustment I made is just jump stopping in the lane, getting the defense in the air, making my layups, usually getting a foul on the defense, going to the line, making my free-throws.
Offensively I'm just playing smarter, being better with the ball. Like I say, I'm just trying to get to the paint, jump stop, create a shot for myself, and find my teammates.

Q. Sylvia and Erica, talk about how fulfilling it was to get that win after Tennessee got the win from you at the house.
SYLVIA FOWLES: It was a great feeling. Back then when we played them at our house, we had time to sit down and recover, look over the things that we didn't do well and some things that they didn't do well and how can we stop them. We just brung it out tonight. We brung it for 40 minutes.

Q. You played the No. 2 team in the country. You out-rebounded them. You beat them. You shot 44%. You held them under 40%. Is this the best game you guys have played this year?
COACH CHATMAN: Oh, gosh, you know, for this time of year, you'd have to say yes just because, you know, you've gotten an opportunity not as it relates to us but also about position. As the year goes on, Tennessee's going to get better, and so you know the challenge is greater, especially on this stage. It's a team that ran the table in this conference. They're the measuring stick. If you can be successful against that measuring stick, I guess you would have to say that, all things considered.
But I still think there's things we can do better, like eliminate the first four minutes of games where we have high-low possessions. We'll get there.

Q. Pokey, the very end of the season you guys really lost some close games to highly-ranked teams, a couple on your home floor. Tonight I sensed not only defensively but offensively you really came together as a team. Can you comment on that?
COACH CHATMAN: Yeah, you're talking about two and three in that five-game stretch. There's not a lot of shame in the teams you lost to, two possible No. 1 seeds, Vanderbilt at Nashville. The caveat that goes unmentioned was Ashley Thomas. She was not with us those five games. She played 11 minutes against Connecticut.
She doesn't score a lot of points, but she just helps you defensively. She knows where to go. She helps you offensively because she can set that solid screen that's going to lead to someone helping and having a shot for a shooter, all those coach things that we love. So it's nice having her back. She gave us some solid minutes.
That's why we schedule those games. You hope you can learn from them, and I think we did.

Q. Both players, third straight time in the tournament final. A little something left in the tank for the final tomorrow?
ERICA WHITE: Yeah, there's definitely fuel to the fire. We have an opportunity ahead of us to take out an opponent that beat us earlier in the year, no matter who wins the game tonight. We'll definitely be ready to play tomorrow. Gonna get some rest and come out energized.
SYLVIA FOWLES: I agree with Erica. We're just going to enjoy this for the last few moments, last few minutes, take it back, reenergize and bring the energy tomorrow.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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