To err is human, but not so much when you’re in a court competition. Fighting for the NCAA Championship in the regular season and committing the same mistake over and again leads to disappointed players and a frustrated coach. These scenes were at display when the Louisiana State University Lady Tigers lost their second game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Monday. The upset caused the LSU head coach Kim Mulkey to speak honestly about her team’s flaws underscoring their lackluster performance. And that grabbed a lot of eyeballs.
What did Mulkey say?
Mulkey spoke her mind and admitted to her team’s shortcomings in their recent loss against the Bulldogs. She was questioned about the back-to-back two losses in the post-game press conference that saw the media personnel receiving a straightforward answer. With this, the LSU fans felt sorry for Mulkey as she divulged how her team had repeated the same mistake they had made against the South Carolina Gamecocks. A YouTube short for the same was circulated on social media.
“This game was one that was not surprising. When you play a game on the road after a big game like we had with South Carolina, you watch your team and see how they reacted. We had the lead and did some things early, but in the second half we can’t seem to get stops defensively when they matter. You have to get stops at this level and we don’t seem to be doing it,” Mulkey stated.
The Lady Tigers were the favorites to win this competition, leading by a 40-35 margin at halftime. However, things changed for them during the third quarter. The Bulldogs created chances for themselves and smashed 28 points in the third quarter as the Lady Tigers tried to make sense of it.
The Baton Rouge team underperformed in that quarter since they could only pot 17 points in response. The fourth quarter saw the LSU throttle 16 points in comparison to the Bulldogs 14. Maybe if they have performed better in terms of defense, the LSU might have restricted the Mississippi State.
Likewise, in their previous game against the South Carolina Gamecocks, the LSU looked in full flow except in the fourth quarter. The Gamecocks soused a spectacular 24 points as the LSU could only score 14, and had a botched-up performance in the back end of the court. Perhaps, the LSU didn’t learn much from that game and looked to be repeating their mistakes. They couldn’t save the day with their performances.
How did the overall match go?
The Lady Tigers star Angel Reese stood out for her exceptional performance. She basketed the team’s highest 20 points and grabbed 18 rebounds. But her double-double went in vain. Other than her, the LSU’s guard Flau’jae Johnson smoked 28 points. The LSU as mentioned were leading at the end of the second half, but that situation changed. By the end of the buzzer, the LSU besotted 73 points as the Mississippi surged past the Lady Tigers scoring 77.
Hopefully, after Mulkey’s admission, the LSU will pull up their socks and resolve their defense woes as soon as possible. Post that fans will be expecting them to come back stronger in the next game against the Florida Gators at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Sunday.
