Kim Mulkey isn’t known for being a complacent coach, and that became quite evident in how she dissected the team’s pain point postgame. What was even more startling was the fact that LSU had outplayed the Bulldogs convincingly, and yet she took the time to highlight the shortcomings.
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“We knew we’d have to rebound with them. The little 1-2-2, we knew they would do that. We didn’t handle it very well. Kayla, as good as she played, will tell you too many turnovers for her. Jada had 4 turnovers. So rebounding and they play hard. They play hard,” said Kim Mulkey, on what mistakes they made during the game.
Well, as good as LSU looked on the court, they made quite a few errors that Mulkey would look to rectify before the NCAA playoffs start. The turnovers were a big part of that. The Tigers got 20 turnovers in that game, an unacceptably high number.
Mikaylah Williams did have a fantastic day: 26 pts, 15 rebounds, and 4 assists. But even she couldn’t avoid the turnover syndrome. Williams got 8 turnovers, and Jada Richard got 4, and MiLaysia Fulwiley (4) also matched her numbers.
Despite Mulkey’s complaints, they did manage to better their opponent’s rebounding figures: LSU 44- 40 Mississippi Bulldogs. But was rebounding the only issue against Mississippi that day, or was there something else as well?
Flau’jae Johnson’s Form Doesn’t Worry Kim Mulkey
Not all of LSU’s basketball players are playing their best basketball as the calendar has officially flipped to March and the regular season has come to an end. The victory at Humphrey Coliseum might have been sweet, but that doesn’t negate the fact that there has been a performance slump for the players, and none has been more noticeable than Flau’jae Johnson’s sudden dip.
But coach Kim believes in her performer and isn’t remotely perturbed with Johnson’s “bad” games. “She’s probably her hardest critic. She’ll be fine. We got a lot of depth that’ll help her. Not a lot of things that you got to put on her shoulders. Every athlete goes through probably, I don’t want to use the word slump, but I think in Flau’jae’s mind, she was 1 for 6 tonight?”
“This game is not just about scoring. Go rebound, go defend. Flau’jae’s fine, she will be fine. How many tonight didn’t play up to par, right? It wasn’t just Flau’jae; you could name two, three more. You move on, you flush it, and get ready for the SEC Tournament,” said Mulkey.
Kim Mulkey believes that when the time comes, Flau’jae will bounce back. Johnson (13.8) is also the second-highest point scorer on the team after Fulwiley (14.1), so losing faith in her is not acceptable.
It would be wrong to count out the senior-year player just like that. And mind you, it wasn’t just her. Kate Koval, for her 24 minutes, managed only 4 points, and Zakiyah Johnson got 1 point for her 10 minutes on the hardwood.
With the regular season now complete, the focus shifts to correcting these mistakes before the win-or-go-home pressure of the NCAA Tournament begins.
LSU made it to the Elite Eight last year, and this time around, they would look to go beyond that stage, and for that, the team needs everyone chipping in.