When Angel Reese grabbed Kim Mulkey to hold her back from letting the referee have another earful after her ejection, her star player felt like she was going to need some help. “It was precious. She was pulling me back and she just finally said, ‘Kramer come help me,'” Mulkey reenacted and laughed. “She was calling for my son from the stands. It’s moments like that you’ll reflect back on when you retire.
“Just fighting for my kid.”
With LSU women’s basketball up 41 points in the fourth quarter against Northwestern State Sunday inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Mulkey did not agree with a charge called on junior forward Aneesah Morrow and stormed out onto the court to let ref Timothy Green know about it.
Green proceeded to tag Mulkey with a double technical, which calls for immediate ejection from game. LSU went on to win, 81-36, to earn its 11th straight victory. “He did the right thing, I’m not questioning that. In fact, I think I helped him. I said, ‘I’m not leaving you, you better toss me,’ or something like that,” Mulkey said. “It was like he had no choice. But I appreciate officials that know what you’re trying to do out there. I don’t appreciate bad calls but it’s part of coaching.”
For Reese, she drew links to her and Mulkey’s similar competitive drive saying it was fun holding her coach back from the referee in the heat of the moment.
Kim Mulkey just got ejected from this game.
Aneesah Morrow was called for a charge and she was not a fan of the call.
Angel Reese holding her back.#LSU pic.twitter.com/V64zn0u1NU
— Cory Diaz (@ByCoryDiaz) December 17, 2023
“Me and coach Mulkey have similar personalities in we like to win no matter the score,” Reese said. “Of course she’s going to fight for us and we al fight for her. That moment was fun, and we knew she had our back and we had her back.” The energy inside the PMAC was lacking prior to Mulkey getting tossed and she said when she made it back to the coaches’ locker room that she had texts telling her she got a standing ovation upon her exit.
It wasn’t her first time being ejected from a basketball but her first time at LSU. Last season, she recalled during the SEC Tournament her first season how she tried to get ejected during the team’s loss to Kentucky but the referee didn’t oblige her. Mulkey didn’t agree with the charge call on Morrow Sunday and in the moment, felt like she needed to get rung. “It was time.”
