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LSU women's basketball 'lost composure' in Texas loss, Kim Mulkey says
- Story byThe Daily Advertiser
- LSU women's basketball 'lost composure' in Texas loss, Kim Mulkey says
Flau'jae Johnson's jumper on LSU women's basketball's third possession of the second half knotted the game with Texas up at 40 apiece.
The remainder of the game, LSU went 8 of 21 from the field while the Longhorns worked to reward themselves seven more total shots in the final two quarters than the Tigers by forcing a myriad of turnovers. LSU couldn't recover in the 77-64 loss to the Longhorns inside the Moody Center Thursday night.
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For the first time this season, Kim Mulkey saw her team lose their composure a bit in the fourth quarter. The No. 5 Tigers only trailed by four going into the final period but Texas was relentless led by senior guard Rori Harmon, who paced Texas' 12 steals with six of her own.
MORE LSU WBB COVERAGE Kim Mulkey on what went wrong for LSU women's basketball in Texas loss
In the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, LSU (21-3, 7-3 SEC) had more turnovers with five than it had shot attempts with four and the team didn't score its first point that frame until the 5:07 mark.
"The first three or four minutes of the fourth quarter we had two shots attempts and we had five turnovers," Mulkey said after the game. "To me that's composure. Give Texas credit, they created that."
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Junior star guard MiLaysia Fulwiley missed a layup, sophomore point guard Jada Richard lofted up a rushed 3-pointer, senior star Flau'jae Johnson took a couple of ill-advised shots.
"It wasn't just about turnovers, it was shot selection. That to me is as good as a turnover, just taking poor shots," Mulkey said. "When you play Texas, they're going to be in full-court press for 40 minutes. That's not going to go away and you just have to take care of the ball.
"I thought (Texas was) good. They were hungry and very effective."
LSU outrebounded Texas (22-2, 7-2), which not many teams do. Mulkey's team scored more points in the paint and equaled Texas in offensive rebounds and second-chance points. A lot of what has put LSU in position to win, as it did during its seven-game win streak ahead of the matchup with the Longhorns, it did.
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But it was the poise and composure down the stretch. While LSU lost to Kentucky on a buzzer beater to open SEC play back at the beginning of January and then followed that up with a four-point at loss at Vanderbilt, the Tigers made plays late in those games to afford themselves opportunities to possibly win.
They didn't have it when the Tigers needed it at Texas.
"I think they lost their composure a little bit. It's the timing of the turnovers, it's the timing of the bad shots," Mulkey said. "I guess you could use the word frustrated. They didn't seem to stop playing hard."
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com .
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Why Kim Mulkey says LSU lost composure late in loss to Texas
