LSU coach Kim Mulkey said she wouldn’t let an impending Washington Post “hit piece” about her derail the defending champion Tigers in the women’s NCAA tournament.
A dominant surge in the second half, led by top forward Angel Reese and dynamic guard Flau’Jae Johnson, proved Mulkey right — at least for now.
Reese’s 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Johnson’s 21 points, helped third-seeded LSU pull away Sunday for an 83-56 second-round victory over No. 11 seed Middle Tennessee.
“Listen, man, we’re not going to let some dirty reporter distract us from what we’re trying to do. Absolutely not,” Mulkey said. “My kids didn’t even know I said that yesterday. That team is not involved in this. They were in shock when they saw all that on the internet.”
Mulkey made headlines when she railed against the Washington Post and even threatened legal action.
“Coach Mulkey had our back all year, so we have to have Coach Mulkey’s back as well,” said forward Aneesah Morrow, who scored 19 points. “We have to play hard and for each other – and that’s as simple as it is.”
LSU trailed by nine in the third quarter before surging to a comfortable victory, ending the Blue Raiders’ 20-game winning streak.
“I didn’t want to let my team down,” said Reese, who gave Mulkey a long hug on the sideline as she checked out in the final minutes.
Reese also noted that she may have played her last game on LSU’s home court as she has not yet decided whether she wants to turn pro after this season.
“So I did what it took to win,” Reese said. “And me and the coach have that kind of relationship where she can come up to me and talk to me, like, ‘I need you,’ and give me the encouragement that I need.”
On Saturday, Mulkey used a press conference to attack the Post and journalists as a whole.
“Reporters who give a megaphone to a one-sided embellished version of things are not trying to tell the truth,” she said. “They’re trying to sell newspapers and feed the click machine. This is exactly why people no longer trust journalists and the media. It’s these kinds of dirty tactics and hatchet jobs that people are simply fed up with. I am fed up and I will not let the Washington Post attack this university, this amazing team of young women that I have, or me, without a fight.”
Mulkey added that she had hired “the best defamation law firm in the country, and I will sue the Washington Post if they publish a false story about me.” There aren’t many people who can hold these types of journalists accountable, but I can, and I will.”
She said the Post had “called former disgruntled players to get negative quotes to include in their stories,” and “misled” other coaches to discredit her.
The 60-year-old Mulkey was a star player in college, winning a national title with Louisiana Tech before helping Team USA win gold at the 1984 Olympics. She won three national titles as Baylor’s coach before moving to LSU, where she is the highest-paid women’s basketball coach in the US. earns $3.26 million per year.
Mulkey is credited with helping players with personal problems, but has also courted controversy, especially in her relationship with Brittney Griner, whom she coached at Baylor. Although Griner said she appreciated Mulkey defending her from hostile fans, she also said the coach told her to cover her tattoos and not to talk publicly about her sexuality.