As of last night, we now have an official 2024 Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament bracket and the No. 3 LSU Tigers will soon take on No. 14 Rice on Friday, March 22 at 3:00 p.m. CST. As the first round fast-approaches, coach Kim Mulkey shared an initial post-SEC Tournament injury report with a little less than a week to go until the start of March Madness.
Coach Kim Mulkey shares encouraging injury report on star point guard Last-Tear Poa
One of the more concerning moments of the SEC Tournament came in the middle of the 4th quarter of LSU women’s basketball vs. Ole Miss, when Tiger point guard Last-Tear Poa was stretchered out of the game following a scary concussion.
The play came during what fans of the purple and gold have grown accustomed to seeing, as Poa went to take a charge, something she’d excelled at all season long. Unfortunately for the junior guard, when setting up to try and draw the offensive foul, she took a hard fall, hitting her head against the court in the process.
As scary as it was – and still is to this day, coach Kim Mulkey recently shared an encouraging update, as she slowly makes her way back to the court.
“She’s better everyday,” the Tiger head coach started during Sunday’s media availability. “I think she told me she got on the treadmill today. Gonna try to do some individual workouts, so that’s a great sign. Her parents are still here, they will leave tomorrow night.”
While entering the 2024 season as a high-potential backup guard, the former junior college player out of Melbourne, AUS, quickly found herself with some quality minutes, consistently receiving minutes with the starting unit at point guard.
In turn, getting her back on the court as soon as possible – while staying safe – will be key for the Tigers as we move into postseason play. Averaging five points, 3.1 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game, Poa is the kind of player who will do anything to help her team win.
Angel Reese and Mikaylah Williams looking like a near 100 percent
Poa wasn’t the only player on the LSU women’s basketball team who found her way into some tough injuries through the latter part of the 2024 season. In fact, by the end of the SEC Tournament, both freshman guard Mikaylah Williams and senior forward Angel Reese were playing through some nagging lower-body injuries.
While the injuries weren’t keeping them completely off the court, it certainly didn’t help having a potential reaggravation in the back of their minds. Luckily, with the extra time off, it sounds like the purple and gold are dangerously close to being at full health.
“We are in the process of getting healthy,” coach Kim Mulkey continued. “Get Angel’s ankle 100 percent, Mikaylah’s back to being healthy, just get a little bit more shape, and then Poa. It’s that time of year where you want to be playing your best basketball, and I really thought during the SEC Tournament we were.”
Notably, while Reese is still slowly making her way to full health, it sounds as though the star freshman is ready to go, as coach Mulkey added, “She’s great. She’s doing good; been practicing full speed.”
While the Tigers might have found themselves struggling for rotational pieces towards the end of the 2024 SEC Tournament, many fans will be thankful to hear that this is all just a part of the past. LSU women’s basketball is getting fully healthy at the perfect time of the year, which very well could mean trouble for any future opponents, including No. 14 Rice in the first round.
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