Kim Mulkey, LSU advance to Elite 8 with come from behind victory over Utah
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In this year’s tournament, Kim Mulkey has her LSU Tigers rolling. And after pulling off the come from behind victory against Utah in the Sweet 16, LSU is rolling into the 2023 Elite 8. For Mulkey, it’s another box checked on her prestigious career. And for LSU, it’s their first trip to the Elite 8 since Allison Hightower stocked opposing players on the court.
Utah gave LSU all they could handle, especially in the first half. Utah limited one of the nation’s best offenses to just 29 points in the first two quarters to take a 33-29 lead into the locker room. The Utes also got Tigers star forward Angel Resse in early foul trouble in the first half, limiting her to nine first-half points. But with Reese on the bench her wing running mate Ladazhia Williams kept LSU in the game with some tough physical baskets in the paint.
In the second half, with Williams and Reese in the game, the Tigers attacked. LSU would outscore Utah 17-14 to trail by one heading into the fourth 47-46. The game remained close, down to the wire. In the last minute, Reese would foul out for LSU, giving Utah a chance to take the lead on free throws. The Utes Jenna Johnson stepped to the line with her team trailing 64-63. And in painful fashion, the 75 percent free throw shooter missed both attempts.
On the other end, for LSU, guard Alexis Morris gave the Tigers the lead and the three-point victory with her four clutch points from the charity stripe.
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Resse finished the game with a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Williams was the game’s leading scorer with 25 points on 11-14 shooting from the field. She also tacked on six rebounds and two assists. And Morris finished with 15 points, seven assists, and four rebounds.
After the game, Mulkey was greeted by the school’s two other recent head coaching hires, football coach Brian Kelly and men’s basketball coach Matt McMahon. The two other Tiger leaders embraced Mulkey and congratulated her on advancing to the Elite 8. That embrace can be seen in the video below.
Up next for Mulkey and LSU is the dark horse of this year’s tournament, the Miami Hurricanes. Miami, a 9-seed, has upset the 8-seed Oklahoma State in the first round, 1-seed Indiana in the Round of 32, and just took out the 4-seed Villanova in the Sweet 16 to make it to the Elite 8. Miami will be anything but an easy out. Mulkey’s Tigers will need to lock in defensively and keep the Hurricanes out of the paint if they want to win. A tall task nobody has been able to do in the tournament to this point.