Kim Mulkey defends putting Angel Reese back in with foul trouble

LSU star Angel Reese battled foul trouble for much of the second half of Thursday’s game against South Carolina.

Reese picked up her fourth foul with 8:20 remaining in the game and went to the bench, before checking back in with 5:58 remaining.

Unfortunately for LSU, Angel Reese played less than two minutes, before fouling out with 4:02 left. South Carolina was able to grab control in the final minutes with Reese on the bench and pulled away for a 76-70 win.

After the game, LSU coach Kim Mulkey defended her decision to put Reese back in the game with 5:58 remaining and four fouls.

“I don’t think I put her back in the game too early,” Mulkey said. “She fouled out with four minutes to go, so she [wouldn’t have] been in there [at the end] if I’d have put her in with five minutes to go.”

South Carolina guard Raven Johnson made a pair of free throws with 4:02 left after Angel Reese picked up her fifth foul. From that point forward, South Carolina outscored LSU 9-3. Mulkey shared what impact the absence of Reese had on the final few minutes of the game.

“When you don’t have Angel Reese on the floor the last four minutes of the game, it takes you out of your rhythm, it takes you out of your confidence zone,” Mulkey said.

“I thought the game came down to exactly what it usually does. It’s just toughness. It’s experience. That was a good basketball game. Our kids fought really hard. The crowd was outstanding. It was a great atmosphere. And when you don’t have your All-American on the floor to rebound, first, and to guard [Kamilla] Cardoso, as well, I thought we battled and did about as good as we could.”

Despite not having Reese for the final few minutes, LSU still had chances to win late. But a few costly plays during the first half might have ultimately led to the Tigers coming up short.

Gamecocks guard Te-Hina Paopao nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the first quarter to cut LSU’s lead to 24-18. The Tigers then led 41-33 in the final seconds of the second quarter and had the ball, before Milaysia Fulwiley drilled a three to put the halftime deficit at 5 for South Carolina.

“This game comes down to possessions,” Mulkey said. “The end of the first quarter, we gave up a 3. The end of the second quarter, we went in too early, they come down, they hit a 3. … You break it down possession by possession.

“When we came out in the third quarter, they were tougher than we were. The first five minutes, they started rebounding the ball, started taking it right at us. We didn’t get to the foul line. With a team that plays as physical as they do and as tough as they do defensively, you shoot the ball 6 for 18 [from 3], we had to get to the foul line and we didn’t do it. They got to the foul line more than we did.”