University of Tennessee Athletics
UT-UNCA Post Game Notes
December 19, 2007 | Men's Basketball
Tennessee Head Coach Bruce Pearl: "Through the first 20 minutes tonight, we had experienced three great halves of basketball, including the entire game against Western Kentucky. We were struggling though, in the second half, especially defensively. We were having trouble communicating on defense because the action was not in front of our bench. We just did not have the sense of urgency we needed.
"UNC Asheville is a good team that will enjoy a good year, and will compete for the championship in the Big South conference. We like to play against teams that have a chance to win their league titles. KJ Garland and Bryan Smithson are very good players for the Bulldogs. Kenny George played well. They utilized him to good advantage, especially in the second half when their offense was in front of their coaching staff.
"I was really really pleased with the first half, because we really really played well. I would like to have kept going at that pace the rest of the way, not because of the margin it would have given us, but just to see us play consistent basketball.
"I would like to see more progress by Ramar Smith and Wayne Chism. They will play better, but why they are not playing better right now, I just do not know. It's probably a matter of being able to handle success. J.P. Prince played great in the first half, but fatigue seemed to get to him a little bit in the second half. We have got to keep him intense on the defensive end of the court. He needs to work hard in the weight room and in the training room to round into proper form.
"What an amazing turnout?? 21,001. We really appreciate it; the fans were treated to a good ballgame, especially in the first half. Chris Lofton is an accountable player, and it was good to see him scoring well tonight. We all know what a great player Allan Houston was, and Lofton is the same kind of quality person as Houston."
UNC Asheville Head Coach Eddie Biedenbach: "We did not respond at the beginning of the game like the team that we are, and that cost us at the end of the game. This is a tough lesson. I am looking for this team to get better and better as the season goes on. I am not happy with the outcome of this game, but I am happy we ground it out in the second half and put ourselves in position to win. We just need to execute better and hit some shots.
"You have to give Tennessee a lot of credit; they have great athletes. Bruce Pearl has done a great job with their enthusiasm and what they are doing. This is a great opportunity for us to come in and play in this arena and I am looking forward to doing it again."
POSTGAME NOTES
* Tennessee improved to 22-0 in non-conference home games under Bruce Pearl.
* The Vols' home winning streak stretched to 23 games, the fourth-longest streak in school history.
* Chris Lofton set the all-time Tennessee record for 3-pointers made with four treys tonight to give him 349 for his career.
* Lofton surpassed Allan Houston (1989-1993), who had 346.
* Lofton's 24 points tonight places him squarely into eighth place on Tennessee's career scoring list (1740).
* J.P. Prince had a career-high tonight with 13 points.
