Hogs' Jenna Lawrence, Saylor Poffenbarger on Big Win
Arkansas Razorbacks' Jenna Lawrence and Saylor Poffenbarger with the media after a 100-60 win over Louisiana Tech on Thursday night at Bud Walton Arena.
Transcript
00:00 Yeah, Sailor, that first group of y'all on the court just really set the tone early,
00:04 especially scoring.
00:06 Just what do you think of the team's mentality bouncing back from that game on Sunday?
00:10 I think it was a learning experience.
00:12 Coach Nabors breaks our games down into sections,
00:15 and I think the last four games were super challenging.
00:18 And I feel like it's all about your approach.
00:20 And, you know, you can lose by 15 and come and soak about it.
00:24 And I think that in practice, we had a big emphasis of, you know,
00:27 using it as a learning experience and using it as a positive to the season.
00:30 And I think just our response showed everything and showed,
00:34 you know, we are mature.
00:37 We're a very mature team.
00:38 And I think that it showed that even though we might have lost,
00:42 we still learned a lot.
00:43 And Jenna, I mean, a lot of y'all got some just really valuable experience
00:49 on the floor tonight.
00:49 You were one of them and you scored 10 points.
00:51 I mean, just how did it feel to, you know, kind of have this type of game?
00:56 It was good to get the experience tonight.
00:58 Whenever I go out there like earlier games, I was kind of like timid
01:03 and like not really wanting to like scared to shoot and scared to miss.
01:06 But tonight, once that first three went down,
01:08 I kind of got in the groove and was myself again.
01:11 So it was a really good experience for me.
01:14 And then just for either of you, I mean, just what's it like
01:17 whenever you're out there and Talia is just I mean, she was 12, 16,
01:21 five of eight from three.
01:22 What's it like on the court
01:23 whenever you have a player like that that can just go get a bucket like that?
01:26 I think that it comes with a lot of hard work.
01:29 Talia puts in a lot of work to do what she does.
01:33 And I think that when you when she does it in practice, it's.
01:36 It's like nothing else, and I think, you know, that's Talia's game.
01:41 She's going to come out. She's going to shoot. She's going to do that.
01:43 And like, I feel like when you have her on your team, it's like
01:45 you wouldn't want to play against her.
01:47 So we're lucky to have her.
01:48 But I think it's.
01:49 Kudos to Talia because she does a good job.
01:54 You know, early in the season, you all had like big leads
02:00 in the first half like this, and it didn't quite turn out like this,
02:03 where you all continuously pulled away.
02:05 Just what has allowed you all to do that as the seasons moved along
02:09 for either of you that want to take?
02:10 You know, I think.
02:15 It's a focus thing, I think, when we go up, it's not
02:19 we don't give a lead because they're better than we are, they're making
02:23 like it's a focus thing, and I think in practice
02:26 we have done a lot of stop, score, stop and kind of grinded it out.
02:30 When you know, at the end of practice, when it starts getting sloppy,
02:33 we start getting tired.
02:34 And I think that's big because I mean, a lead is a lead.
02:39 And I think, as you said, we've blown those leads in previous games.
02:42 And I think that for us, it's really important to stay focused,
02:45 stay locked in and keep that lead.
02:48 On top of your 11 rebounds tonight, five steals as well.
02:52 Is that something that you've worked on or,
02:55 you know, looked at being active and getting steals?
02:59 I think it's just how I'm in a lot better shape than I was last year.
03:03 And I think I put in a lot of work to, you know, be in this shape.
03:08 So I think it just helps me be more active and be all over.
03:12 And, you know, whenever you're in the right places, the right time, get a steal.
03:16 I guess, Jenna, what did it feel like to actually finally see your first three go down?
03:21 I know you said it opened up confidence for you, but I guess your first one,
03:25 you never forget your first one.
03:27 Yeah, it was just a relief whenever it went in.
03:30 I've been waiting to make my first three the past how many games we've played.
03:34 So just to finally just like go over the edge of that is just
03:39 I feel I have so much more confidence now and I feel so relieved.
03:42 And I'm just ready to play another game, honestly.
03:44 By the way, she makes like six in practice every day.
03:49 Yes, Taylor, you had a point where you had a nice little spin move
03:51 and got the bucket to go.
03:53 Do you practice that during practice?
03:55 The bench was going crazy for that, too.
03:57 We were going crazy.
03:58 Can you tell me what your question was?
03:59 Yeah, you had a nice spin move.
04:01 Do you practice that, you know, footwork down by the paint?
04:03 Yeah, actually, at the beginning of the season, Todd told me
04:06 I'm going to have to find a new move.
04:07 But I think that all of high school, it's funny.
04:10 I that's like my go to move.
04:12 I it's I don't even think about it.
04:15 It's kind of something that I do.
04:16 But yeah, I practice it every day.
04:18 She also does those a lot in practice.
04:20 And really, and for either of you, you know, obviously,
04:23 this is a game where you win by 40.
04:25 You're probably not going to win by 40 most other games.
04:27 How do you what are you looking to take away from these kind of wins
04:30 as you move into SEC play coming up next month?
04:33 I think the biggest things with these wins is like Jenna's saying a lot.
04:37 Getting players confident.
04:39 I think our team has so much talent, but, you know, game
04:43 confidence only comes with game experience.
04:45 And I think that wins like these are so valuable
04:48 because it allows our players to get in there, get confident, make shots like
04:51 like she said, it's a huge relief when you make your first three.
04:53 Well, now she won't have to think about that first three.
04:55 And I think that it's that goes to everyone
04:58 that got to go in there and do their first thing.
04:59 So it's definitely huge because going into SEC play,
05:02 it's not really a time to get our first things out of the way. So.
05:05 Jenna, was that your driving layup for the 100th point tonight?
05:10 Yes, it was. I didn't realize that, but it was
05:15 played again.
05:15 We scored 100 before or you got the 100th point.
05:17 I've never got to the 100th point.
05:20 I've played games where we've scored 100, but that's my first time
05:23 like scoring 100th point.
05:25 And either of you, Franklin, so
05:27 so quite a little bit there in her brief time.
05:30 Can you kind of talk about it?
05:31 Has she been showing that practice and what kind of player do you think she is?
05:35 Yeah, he's really confident, honestly, like I talk about it all the time.
05:40 Like, I think it is so cool to come into a sport that she hasn't played in four
05:44 years and she you would think she's played for four years.
05:47 And I think that, you know, we need someone like that.
05:49 We need someone that picks us up.
05:51 She has amazing energy.
05:52 And I think that she's out there and she just wants to have fun
05:55 and she just wants to help us the best she can. And it shows.
05:57 And I think when she goes out there, that's literally her.
06:00 Like, that's what she does every day in practice.
06:01 You know, normally you're the new kid and you don't want to mess up.
06:04 Well, she's the new kid that wants to make us wrong.
06:06 And I think that that's what we need.
06:08 And it was nice to see her out there.