LSU, Kim Mulkey Overcome WaPo Distraction, Reach Elite 8 With Win Over UCLA

ALBANY, NY – The No. 3 LSU women’s basketball team took the court at 1 p.m. Eastern time to battle the No. 2 UCLA Bruins in the Sweet 16. The contest tipped off in Albany, NY about 2.5 hours after the Washington Post dropped a much-anticipated article about Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey. 

Even before the game, in the media room, press members whispered to each other, "The Mulkey story dropped." One person said to me, "Her postgame interview is going to be very interesting…" 

Although, as OutKick’s Glenn Guilbeau noted, the Washington Post article was "much ado about not that much." Still, given that Mulkey took time out of multiple press conferences over the past week to address the article, before it was even published, it was fair to wonder if it would be hanging over the team’s head as it continues its run to try to repeat as NCAA National Champions. 

The Tigers showed no ill-effects coming out of the gates against UCLA, using their athleticism to jump out to a 34-27 lead at halftime. After one possession, LSU star Angel Reese scored on a turnaround jumper and immediately started yelling something – definitely involving the "F" word – at her defender. The UCLA player, Lina Sontag, simply laughed at Reese's outburst. 

The third quarter was a different story, though, as the Bruins came roaring back to tie the game. Several times during the third, Mulkey screamed at officials as the LSU Tigers committed offensive fouls on three straight possessions during the period. Safe to say, Mulkey didn’t agree. 

Head coach Kim Mulkey of the LSU Tigers yells at officials during a game against the UCLA Bruins in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena.

(Getty Images)

The fouls piled up on Reese, who had to sit for long stretches during the game. Still, she posted a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double despite fouling out with 30 seconds left in the game. 

It was clear, though, that the best player on the floor for either team was LSU's Flau'jae Johnson, who hit a crucial basket to give the Tigers a four-point lead with under one minute to go. 

Her 24 points led all scorers, and she added 12 rebounds to help LSU survive the UCLA onslaught, keeping the season alive for at least one more game following a 78-69 victory. 

After the game, Kim Mulkey spoke to a crowded media room, with everyone anxious to hear what she would have to say. 

The second reporter asked Mulkey the obligatory question: "The Washington Post story about you published today. Have you had a chance to see it, and do you have any comment on it?"

"No. When did it publish?" Mulkey responded. 

"Couple hours before the game," the reporter answered. 

"Imagine that," Mulkey said. "Must have thought y'all would look at it, get some clicks or be a distraction. No … I haven't read it and I probably won't read it. I probably will have my attorneys communicate with me to see if there's anything in there that we need to be concerned about." 

It was clear when Mulkey was joined by her players on the stage, they had great admiration for their head coach. All of them had nothing but positive comments towards her. 

"As long as I produce on the court, [Coach Mulkey} wants me to be who I am, and as individuals, I think you kind of need that confidence from your coach," Flaujae Johnson said. 

"Coach said, 'I don't care if you're an astronaut, as long as you land on the Moon and come back before 1:30 practice,'" she continued, to laughter from the room. "To have a coach support us we're able to blaze those trails, we're able to be who we are in this world." 

The Tigers, right now, want to be back-to-back National Champions. They await the winner of the second game in the Albany 2 Region, with many fans hoping for a rematch against Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes.