LSU coach Kim Mulkey’s No. 12 Tigers were beaten 65-61 by the No. 7 Vanderbilt Commodores on Sunday for their second consecutive loss in SEC play, after also losing to the No. 6 Kentucky Wildcats on Friday. The loss dropped the Tigers to 14-2 for the season and 0-2 in SEC play.
The loss was not without controversy, as despite Vanderbilt star Mikayla Blakes appearing to step out of bounds with a three-point lead and time expiring, the officials refused to review the action, allowing the Commodores to close out the game.
Kim Mulkey Furious at Officials’ No-Call During LSU Loss
During her postgame news conference, Mulkey was upset at the officials’ refusal to review Blakes stepping out of bounds before she was awarded a foul, which ultimately iced the game with the resulting free throws.
“I begged for it,” Mulkey said. “I thought I could run and tell them, the dead ball would come. And I tried to tell them, this is critical. We get the ball back down three. What can I do? All I can do is go over there, and they told me that’s not reviewable. Well, I thought with a change in rules, it is reviewable.”
According to the new rules in place before the current season tipped off, despite the Tigers having no timeouts left, they were still allowed to challenge the official’s call. However, a technical foul would be called if the challenge were unsuccessful.
Mulkey Questions LSU’s Toughness After SEC Loss
Despite adding the national championship-winning pedigree of talented guard MiLaysia Fulwiley to a roster that contains veteran guard Flau’jae Johnson, Mulkey still questioned her team’s toughness and experience during her postgame news conference.
“We’re not tough enough,” Mulkey said. “And toughness is, you either have it, or you don’t. And we’re not tough enough, and that’s all (the) players in that locker room tonight. You’re not tough enough to make a play when you need it. You’re not tough enough to get that rebound when we need it.
“It’s not just one or two. It’s the whole locker room at different times. Some of that I can attribute to inexperience,” Mulkey said. “But that’s making an excuse, honestly. We’re not there yet. We’re not there yet.”
The Tigers have started SEC play in less-than-ideal conditions, losing their first two games against ranked opponents, and will face a tough slate when they come up against two top-10 ranked teams in their next three games.