It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t dominant, but in the end, the Tigers came out on top and are moving forward in the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. After beating No. 14 Rice 70-60, LSU coach Kim Mulkey took some time to discuss her final thoughts on the matchup.
LSU coach Kim Mulkey didn’t hold back while discussing her team’s first round performance vs. Rice
“It was an ugly basketball game. It was an ugly basketball game. It’s okay, you won’t hurt my feelings.”
LSU coach Kim Mulkey didn’t hold back when speaking with the media after her squad’s 70-60 victory over No. 14 Rice. It was an ugly game, pure and simple, but at the same time, they won and are officially still dancing.
“It happens, but you won. Keep perspective, you won. You survived and you’re gonna advance.”
On the day, the Tigers shot the ball 42.9 percent from the field and turned the ball over a shocking 24 times. Only making matters worse, only 10 of said turnovers were off of steals, showing just how sloppy the purple and gold were on offense. Still, as far as coach Mulkey and the veterans are concerned, this is nothing new.
“If I remember last year against Miami in the Elite Eight, it was an ugly basketball game and I told the audience I’d turn my TV off, I wouldn’t watch this,” the Tiger head coach reflected on last season’s tournament run. “It was ugly today. To emphasize the good things, we did hold them below 39.9 (percent) from the field. You’re gonna win games when you do that.
“We didn’t shoot bad – with the exception of a couple of players. I thought the other players had good shooting percentages in the shots that they took. I thought we got to the foul line like we have all year.”
Sloppy, but promising on the offensive side of the ball
Interestingly enough, despite the overall struggles from the Tigers, it was a solid all-around game from top to bottom. Aneesah Morrow, Flau’jae Johnson, Mikaylah Williams and Angel Reese each scored at least 10 points. Additionally, assisting on over half of their makes, the ball movement was there.
As long as the group continues taking good shots and the crowd continues to show up, there’s no reason the purple and gold won’t be able to bounce back from their somewhat sluggish start to the tournament. Furthermore, if LSU coach Kim Mulkey is still in good spirits, it’s hard not to feel confident about a better showing in the second round.
“I thought our crowd was outstanding. Very, very good crowd today for a 3:00 game on Friday. But we don’t work in Louisiana – Fridays are our – that’s the first day we get to party. The weekend baby!”
And so the party continues on to Sunday. The No. 3 LSU women’s basketball (29-5) squad will next take the court tomorrow, March 24, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. CST in Baton Rouge, LA, vs. No. 11 Middle Tennessee State (30-4) in what could be a surprisingly good second round matchup in the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.
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