Kim Mulkey after South Carolina loss: 'I'm sure I'll toss and turn all night'

It’s clear to see the kind of competitor that Kim Mulkey is in each game that she coaches. That’s why, after losing in Baton Rouge in a primetime, Top-10 matchup against No. 1 South Carolina on Thursday, she may not have gotten much shuteye afterward.

Mulkey spoke about how she felt leaving the game last night during her postgame press conference following the 76-70 loss for No. 9 LSU to the Gamecocks. No matter how close the Tigers were, a defeat is still a defeat and, as such, she wasn’t going to be anything but disappointed as she headed home for the night.

“I’m not into moral victories. Never have been,” said Mulkey. “We had opportunities to win this game and we didn’t.”

“I’m sure I’ll toss and turn all night. Don’t know if I’ll sleep much but that’s a personality deal,” Mulkey said.

LSU, the defending champions, led by as much as 11 inside a packed arena against the top-ranked team in the nation. They had it around double-digits, or at least two possessions or more, for most of the first half. That included a lead of as much as seven in the second half and five early in the fourth quarter.

Still, over the course of the game, the Tigers never truly put South Carolina away. After doing plenty of things right in the contest, the Gamecocks were still right there in it near the end. Then, after Angel Reese fouled out with four minutes to go, the No. 1 team closed on an 11-3 run.

However, even amidst her clear frustration, Mulkey doesn’t want to take away from the energy in their building for the game. She shared her appreciation for what their fanbase brought to the game in what unfortunately turned into a losing effort.

“I’m extremely proud of LSU, the atmosphere,” Mulkey said. “What we created here, what we have created here in three years now. It doesn’t get any better than what you experienced tonight.”

With the defeat, LSU fell to 18-3 on the year and 5-2 in the SEC. It’s their second loss in the last four games as they now sit a full game behind the Gamecocks and a half game behind Tennessee in the conference.

Even so, this matchup, although a highly-anticipated one, is just one of 30 games in their regular season. All they can do now is take the result for what it is and head into the next one in order to stay in the race and keep their ultimate goals in mind.

“We’ll learn from it, just like we did when we went to South Carolina last year,” Mulkey said. “We’ll learn from it.”

“This is just one game. It’s just one game,” said Mulkey.