2000 NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL MIDEAST REGION SECOND ROUND
PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES * ARIZONA
March 19, 2000 - Knoxville, Tenn.

HEAD COACH JOAN BONVICINI:

General Comments: "Obviously, we are very excited to be in the second round. We beat a very good Kent team last night. Tennessee looks very good, and they are very quick and deep at every position. Defense is the trademark of this Tennessee team and it is important that we also play good defense and rebound. The trademark for us has been balance and scoring off the bench."

On substitutions: "We'll basically go by the way the players are playing on the court. If someone gets hot, then we'll leave her in the game. Mainly we need to do better in the post."

On rebounding: "Tennessee is awesome on the boards. Tamika (Catchings) and (Kara) Lawson do a great job. We'll have to do a good job defending them as well."

On Tennessee: "Pat's (Summit) teams always play so hard and they play good defense. She mixes up her defenses more than she used to, but so do we. I think they run better than just about anyone in the country. (Tamara) Catching plays the post, but she is like a guard."

On transition defense: "I think we've definitely improved and that will be critical against Tennessee. I think we just need to play to our strengths."

On Arizona's strengths: "Our strength is our balance. You can't just focus on one play. We have different players that can step it up every night. We also averaged 29 points-a-game from our bench. We are quick and can get up and down the court very well. Rebounding is definitely a strength as well."

On Krista Warren: "She is very versatile and can play the three or four spot. We have that option.

FELECITY WILLIS (Sr., G):

On playing on Tennessee's home court: "We've had success on the road and showed poise this year. We have to rebound, control tempo and play Arizona basketball."

On guard play: "Our guards will have to play well and hits shots to open up the inside game."

HEAD COACH PAT SUMMITT:

On Arizona: "Watching Arizona, they've been a very impressive team and one of the best rebounding teams we've seen. They also get a lot of looks defensively. Arizona is a solid team and has a strong outside game. They also get a lot of points off the bench. We have to be able to handle their defensive pressure, and at the same time, they will have to handle oursThis is a really solid and talented eight seed. In the Pac-10 it was hard to figure out who was the best team and how to rank those teams. You look at Arizona's roster and they're a veteran team, so you have to be concerned with their personnel and how to handle them."

On Furman win: "I really liked our defensive pressure and our shot selection. I liked what I saw mentally, and they were very focused. Our team needs to become serious about rebounding and learn how to box out. But, overall, I was really pleased from watching the film."

"Your bench has to come through in this tournament. We're looking to get more points from our bench."

"Every team has the potential to win out here. We're just focused on playing our game. We know we have 40 minutes of basketball to play, so we're not going to be talking about losing."

On coaching matchup/Joan Bonvicini: "She's a very talented coach with a solid staff. You watch her team play, and they run a lot of different looks defensively. Coaches try to add an element of surprise in the post season."

On similarities between Arizona and other teams: "When you look at the athleticism of Arizona, the first team that came to mind was Florida. They play well together in an offensive scheme and run the high-low. As far as the personnel, style of play and athleticism, they are very similar to Florida."

On tempo: "We have learned how to start the game a lot quicker. Our defensive play and perimeter defense got us off to a good start last night. You have to be ready to play and start strong."

On humble attitude at Tennessee: "When you have a standard as high as we do at Tennessee, you have to stay grounded. We want to win the national championship every year and be playing in the Final Four, so we focus on the details. Sometimes we watch teams on tape, and then on the court it's a whole new level of intensity."

On team leaders: "Looking at our leadership right now, it's better than it's been all year. We really had different people step up at different times. In our close games, Semeka Randall and Tamika Catchings really stepped up and made some key plays and kept the team under control. Kara Lawson has also had tremendous poise and a demeanor that is very much a calming factor. She's been an asset several times this season."

On Niya Butts: "You just look at Niya and she's the fastest player on our team. I expect to play her tomorrow night, and when we need to bring in some pressure, she can be that defensive weapon. She brings our defensive intensity to a different level."

KARA LAWSON (Fr., G):

On back: "I experienced a little tightness last night in the second half. But, it feels good right now and it felt good when I woke up this morning. I'm ready to get out to practice today."

KRISTEN "ACE" CLEMENT (Jr., G):

On play versus Furman: "It's important to get off strong, especially in the post-season. Rebounding and playing strong defense was a key emphasis for me. I was focusing on more of a team game and on defense, and I knew my offense would come to me - and it did."

On blue collar shirts: "In the post season, we're a blue collar team. We want to maintain a strong work ethic and we're going to roll up our sleeves in practice and focus on each game."

"I don't care who we play. We look at every team as a top seed. Every team comes in to play too, and we don't take anything for granted. Everyone wants to win a championship."