ALBANY — Kim Mulkey left the Sweet 16 unscathed.
Hours after the much-anticipated release of a Washington Post profile about the controversial LSU coach — who had previously hyped it as a “hit piece” before it was published — defending champion Tigers kept possession of their crown by knocking off second-seeded UCLA, 78-69, Saturday at MVP Arena, setting up a rematch against Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the Elite Eight.
“I say things in that locker room that if you were just on the outside and you heard, you would [gasp], but the [players] love it,” Mulkey said. “They feel my energy. They feel my warmth. They feel my realness.”
No. 3 LSU (31-5), hoping to become the first repeat champion in seven years, trailed by three with less than three minutes remaining, before Flau’jae Johnson (24 points, 12 rebounds) led the Tigers to a game-closing 14-2 run.
“I wasn’t scared of the moment,” Johnson said. “Coach Mulkey told me to go do what you do, and I did.”
LSU’s star forward, Angel Reese, was kept quiet early, physically overmatched inside by 6-foot-7 Lauren Betts (14 points, 17 rebounds, four blocks).
The Bruins, though, erased their edge in the paint by settling for 3s, hitting just 7 of 32 from deep.
Reese (16 points, 11 rebounds, four steals) eventually found success, as the Tigers went up 10 late in the first half, but the Bruins battled back with a decisive edge on the glass, a spark from reserve Gabriela Jaquez (14 points) and three straight 3-pointers by Londynn Jones late in the third quarter that put the Bruins (27-7) ahead.
The score was even at 48 when the fourth quarter began, when the power programs began exchanging jabs and hooks and momentum in a back-and-forth game featuring 13 lead changes and eight ties.
Reese put the Tigers up for good with 1:46 remaining, then swallowed Johnson in a bear hug after the latter’s ensuing block and free throws.
Betts couldn’t match, making just 1 of 2 on the next possession, before blocking Reese, then failing to stop a swooping Johnson, who gave LSU the first two-possession lead in nearly 11 minutes of game time.
The Tigers’ celebration started before the final buzzer sounded.
The champs were ready for whatever came next.
“We’re the good villains,” Reese said. “Everybody wants to beat LSU. Everybody wants to be LSU. Everybody wants to play against LSU.
“Since the national championship, we haven’t had peace, and it’s crazy to say that. … But I wouldn’t want to change where we are right now. I wouldn’t want to change the three letters across my chest because it means something, and I want to be a part of history.”