Kim Mulkey reveals Last-Tear Poa availability, injury update ahead of SEC Tournament championship vs. South Carolina

LSU women’s hoops received some good news ahead of their SEC Championship game against South Carolina as word is that Last-Tear Poa has been released from the hospital following a scary incident in Saturday’s game.

Poa left the semifinal game on a stretcher due to a neck injury and was even taken to the hospital. However, women’s college basketball reporter Rob Joyce said head coach Kim Mulkey told him that Poa was back at the team hotel and out of the hospital.

He tweeted Sunday just before 3 o’clock:

“Kim Mulkey tells us in our SEC Radio pregame interview that Last-Tear Poa was released from the hospital and is back at the team hotel. Freshman Janae Kent will make her first career start.”

He also noted that Mulkey said this was “the best possible scenario we could have prayed for.”

Just before the start of LSU’s SEC title game vs. South Carolina, sideline reporter Brooke Weisbrod provided the following info on Last-Tear Poa:

“Last-Tear Poa was released from the hospital at 1:30 this morning after suffering a concussion last night in the fourth quarter. Poa, today, she was up, walking around, she was able to get something to eat and she’s back at the team hotel with a manager.”

Good news all around.

More information on Last-Tear Poa

A scary scene developed in the fourth quarter of the LSU–Ole Miss SEC women’s basketball tournament quarterfinal as Tigers junior guard Last-Tear Poa suffered what appeared to be a head and neck injury after her head hit the floor. She was eventually stretchered off the court.

After initially staying down for a number of minutes, Poa got up with the help of her teammates but was clearly struggling to support herself on her own two feet. After trainers came over to help her off the floor, she was shortly laid back down.

Then the stretcher was taken out to Poa, who was put in a neck brace and stabilized on a backboard to prevent further displacement or her head and neck. It’s a common precaution when transporting anyone with an unidentified head and neck injury.

LSU head coach Kim Mulkey also quickly came out to comfort Poa, and apparently told the LSU team that Poa had movement in her limbs as she was being attended to.

Shortly after she was taken from the arena and off for further evaluation, ESPNU sideline reporter Brooke Weisbrod shared that Poa was being taken from the arena to a local hospital. Poa had been placed in a protective neck brace and stabilized on a board, common procedures for someone with an undiagnosed head and neck injury.

And after attending to Poa along with medical staff on the floor, LSU head coach Kim Mulkey came back to her huddle and reassured her distraught players, noting that the guard had been moving her extremities and limbs prior to being removed, according to Weisbrod.

The LSU Women’s Basketball Twitter page also released a statement on Saturday evening. “Poa suffered a concussion, but has movement and feeling throughout her body. She is expected to be released from the hospital tonight.”

On3’s Andrew Graham also contributed to this article.