Kim Mulkey’s well-worn mantra about playing on the road carried extra weight for the LSU women’s basketball team Thursday, as the Tigers fell 88-85 to No. 20 Alabama in overtime in Tuscaloosa.
In the SEC, Mulkey often repeats that “when you step onto the road, it’s as if you’re starting with a 10-point deficit,” a reminder of the uphill battle against ranked opponents. For the second consecutive game, LSU battled a double-digit first-half deficit on the road. The Tigers had earlier rallied from 16 points down against No. 15 Kentucky, but Thursday’s game in Tuscaloosa proved even more challenging.
After clawing back from a 13-point disadvantage in the second quarter, LSU couldn’t overcome the fierce Alabama surge. With just 31 seconds left in overtime and trailing, Mikaylah Williams drove hard for what could have been the tying basket. Williams beat one defender and attempted to navigate past three more, only to be met by Alabama forward Essence Cody, who blocked the shot and sent Williams tumbling to the floor. Following two clutch free throws by Alabama, LSU ran a play to give Williams another chance from the top of the arc. However, her 3-pointer rimmed out, much to the Tigers’ dismay.
Mulkey voiced her frustration over the officiating after the game.
“The game was so uneven due to the officiating, which made it tough to coach,” she said. “It was a hard game to coach because the officiating was uneven the whole game. I kept trying to find answers from the officials. What are you looking at? Why are you going to the monitor? One time they went to the monitor to look at a play that happened two plays before. I don’t know . . . It was just too much going on, too busy. But I’ll say it again, you got two free throws to tie and then the ball in your hands to win it. And I’ll still say, had we won, we would not have deserved to win.”
LSU entered the game ranked seventh nationally and as a No. 2 seed in the current NCAA Tournament bracket, with six Southeastern Conference teams in the top 16.
Meanwhile, Alabama, bustling in the top 20 of the NCAA’s NET rankings and coming off a run of five wins in their last six games, looked poised for another upset.
Alabama’s aggressive play was evident throughout, particularly near the rim. The Tide notched 44 points in the paint—four more than LSU—and converted 46 percent of their shots, while forcing 13 turnovers. Alabama’s trio of starters— Cody, Sarah Ashlee Barker and Aaliyah Nye—combined for 66 points on 25-of-42 shooting. Nye led the way with a game-high 28 points, hitting 9 of 12 before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.
LSU’s top players struggled to keep pace.
“She’s good, man,” Mulkey said of Nye. “She only missed three shots. And she was 3 of 4 from the 3-point line and made all her free throws. They knocked down big shots when they needed it. When we were cutting into the lead, she knocked down big shots. But that’s what you’re supposed to do when you’re one of the top players.”
Williams finished with 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting despite battling foul trouble in the third quarter. Aneesah Morrow added 16 points and 9 rebounds on 6-of-14 shooting, while Flau’jae Johnson scored just 6 points on 2-of-12 shooting, ending her impressive 38-game streak of double-digit scoring. LSU managed a 46 percent field-goal rate overall but struggled from beyond the arc, hitting only three 3-pointers and grabbing 10 offensive rebounds.
The Tigers suffered during a three-minute stretch in the second quarter when they turned the ball over on six of eight possessions, mostly from self-inflicted errors such as bad passes, lost balls and traveling violations. Alabama capitalized on those mistakes, converting over 50 percent of its first-half attempts to go into halftime with a 46-35 lead and three starters already in double figures.
In the third quarter, Williams and Mjracle Sheppard sparked a brief LSU rally that chipped five points off Alabama’s lead. With just 23 seconds remaining in regulation, Williams’ clutch mid-range jumper tied the game and sent it into overtime. But Williams would miss two more key opportunities in the extra period.
Had LSU defeated Alabama, the Tigers would have set a new NCAA-era program record for regular-season wins. Instead, they now look to regroup ahead of a matchup with Ole Miss, set for 3 p.m. Sunday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Can’t keep digging holes for yourselves.