For the second time this season, a powerhouse LSU team had victory in its grasp against an elite opponent, only to let it slip. Head Coach Kim Mulkey believes the reason isn’t physical, but mental.

A tantalizing second half decided the SEC Tournament semifinal between LSU and South Carolina, with the Gamecocks emerging victorious. Speaking to the press after the defeat, Kim Mulkey responded when asked about a key moment at the end of the game where LSU was trailing by five with less than a minute remaining.

The LSU Tigers head coach lamented the team’s inability to follow the plan discussed during a timeout and pointed to the mental block that her players face in crucial phases.

Mulkey said, “We think we’re an elite team. But we’re not there to win those close games against the South Carolinas and the UConns. That margin of error or little things like that. We had two fouls to give… We just, I don’t want to say, lose our composure, but we just don’t do it.”

Not following the plan discussed in the timeout points to an alarming truth for the LSU Tigers. The team broke down early in the regular season as well, failing to close out games, which ended its undefeated start to the 2025-26 campaign.

They started well against South Carolina. But a third-quarter comeback by the Gamecocks put pressure on the Tigers going into the final few minutes of the game.

LSU could have recovered the five-point deficit late in the game, especially given how Mulkey explained the Tigers’ plan. Mulkey’s plan was to immediately foul after the inbound to manage the clock, a standard late-game tactic that the players failed to execute.

Mulkey will surely question her team about the failed execution, whether the players forgot the plan, chose to, or were forced to abandon it after the inbound. For now, the loss knocks them out of the SEC Tournament, and the focus will immediately shift to preparations for the NCAA Tournament.

While the team’s mental lapses proved costly, one silver lining for Mulkey was the continued emergence of sophomore Jada Richard.

Jada Richard continues postseason form in close defeat

While the LSU Tigers are out of contention for the SEC Title, Jada Richard’s performance over the three games has been a positive for Kim Mulkey’s squad. The sophomore has stepped up her shooting performance after the regular season and could emerge as a real perimeter threat in the NCAA Tournament.

Kim Mulkey heaped praise on Jada Richard, highlighting how the sophomore excelled in a slightly different tactical setup against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

“Jada can shoot the basketball. So, I put her on the wing. South Carolina played a lot of zone today, and I didn’t want Jada to be at the top today. She’s easier to guard in that zone than putting her at the wing… Jada was knocking down some shots.”

As LSU’s offense went cold in the second half, Jada stepped up, scoring 8 straight points for her team to prevent South Carolina from running away with the game.

Jada is averaging over 13 points per game after the regular season, where the sophomore contributed only 9.4 points to the LSU Tigers’ offense.

Kim Mulkey now has another strong offensive weapon in Jada, who has shown she can contribute increasingly in high-stakes matches, something that the LSU Tigers roster lacks right now.