In a clash defined by a heated foul and a viral apology, the most powerful statement didn’t come from LSU’s star freshman, but from the opposing coach at Ole Miss.

Even though the Tigers defeated the Rebels 78-70 on their home court, what caught everyone’s attention in that game was an incident involving the 6-foot-2 star and the Tigers’ freshman, Grace Knox.

In the third quarter, Knox was assessed a technical foul after committing a hard personal foul on Cotie McMahon during a fast-break layup attempt and then taunting her as she hit the floor. The sequence pushed Knox to four fouls, forcing her to the bench for the remainder of the game.

“I realize that hurt the team,” she said while addressing the incident in a recent one-on-one interview with WAFB-TV’s Jacques Doucet. “That really didn’t look that well for LSU, just as a school. I did apologize to my teammates. I apologized to the coaches. Cause that was never really my intention, to like shoot anybody down or just be seen as that type of person all the time.”

“But I definitely don’t intend to take away any of my fiery, any of my passion on the court. I’m still going to play how I play. I’m just going to react a little bit less. And just control my emotions a little bit more. Especially after the play is already over with,” Grace Knox further added.

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But while the Tigers star was owning her mistake, Ole Miss wasn’t holding onto it, as the Rebels head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin took to X to address Knox’s recent comments. And her response left little room for drama.

“This is high level! She was extremely respectful in the handshake line, and we took none of it personally after the play. Let’s move on! These are young people, ladies & gentlemen, 🤝🏽” coach Yo wrote.

In a conference where emotions often spill into headlines, McPhee-McCuin chose restraint over rivalry. By publicly backing Knox’s maturity, she removed any oxygen from the controversy and made it clear Ole Miss had already moved on.

However, inside LSU’s locker room, the response wasn’t nearly as forgiving.

Kim Mulkey Makes ‘Coach’s Decision’ on Grace Knox

While coach Yo has publicly shut the door on the controversy. The Tigers’ head coach, Kim Mulkey, might not be letting her off the hook so easily.

When the LSU Tigers faced Missouri on Sunday, Grace Knox never left the bench. And after the win, Mulkey made it clear that the decision was intentional.

“She’s good, (I) just didn’t play her,” she said as per LSU Wire. “There’s nobody else that makes that decision.”

Though Mulkey didn’t dive into discipline specifics, she labeled it a “coach’s decision.” Why? Because she was content playing Mikaylah Williams inside alongside forwards Amiya Joyner and Kate Koval.

“(There) was just no need to throw her out there,” Mulkey added.

For Knox, who is averaging 9.2 points and 4.6 rebounds with 11 starts in her freshman season, Sunday marked the first time she didn’t see the floor. But if there is one lesson she will take away from that incident, it will be to “use a towel on the bench to cover (her mouth).”

Now, as LSU prepares to take on the Tennessee Lady Volunteers on February 26, the question shifts to whether Grace Knox will reenter the rotation or if Mulkey’s message will extend another game.