Kim Mulkey evaluates LSU's play entering fourth quarter vs. South Carolina

It’ll be a race to the finish line. LSU entered the fourth quarter with a 56-52 lead over No. 1 South Carolina on Thursday night. Ahead of the final 10 minutes of the game, LSU head coach Kim Mulkey revealed what her team has to do to win.

“We gotta rebound the ball,” Mulkey said. “At the beginning of the quarter, [South Carolina was] behind and they played with a little bit more energy. We didn’t. So I called the timeout. Angel [Reese] gets her third [foul] on something that she shouldn’t have because of something her teammate didn’t do.

“You live, you learn, you grow — Look, we’re competing. That’s a darn good team over there. They’ve been in these situations. My team hasn’t, and I just thinking if we can compete a little bit here, you never know what might happen.”

With three fouls, Reese sat during the final minutes of the third quarter to avoid foul trouble. Before the final frame, the standout center approached Mulkey, asking if she could check back into the game. Mulkey didn’t hesitate to trust her star.

“I tried to get her off the floor in the third quarter on the defensive end,” Mulkey said. “I put the big freshman Aliyah in, and she did fine. Now, you got two fouls you can play with, so let’s go play.”

Big matchup attracts even bigger crowd

Mulkey isn’t the only one cheering for Reese. The massive matchup attracted a staggering crowd, with nearly all 13,215 seats in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center filled. Earlier this week, Reese discussed how much the fans’ support means to the team.

“It’s crazy. Obviously, on the road, it’s like a home game as well and everybody’s coming out to see us,” Reese said. “It’s a blessing to be a part of something so amazing and I feel like we’re a part of history. You don’t see this many people coming out for women’s basketball — women’s sports in general — so I embrace this moment.

“I love the fans that come out. The students. Everybody that comes out and supports us. I’m just so appreciative of everybody who really supports us and continuously supports everything. So, I’m just happy.”

Kim Mulkey, sitting next to Reese as they discussed their popularity with fans, pointed out there was likely a horde of fans waiting to get autographs and a moment with the Tigers players after the game. 

“Go down that hall and take a peek — Scott [Woodward] just did — go see what’s what’s waiting for these kids after every ball game. And those people will not leave until they go out there,” Mulkey said.

Reese agreed, humorously pointing out that the fans are willing to go to great lengths to catch even a moment with the LSU women’s basketball team.

“They’re waiting at the car, they’re waiting at the bus, they’re waiting,” Reese said with a chuckle.

On3’s Andrew Graham also contributed to this article.