Kim Mulkey doesn’t want her ‘problem’ to be a distraction for Angel Reese and her team “We’re not going to let one sleazy reporter distract us from what we’re trying to do. Absolutely not,” Mulkey said

Kim Mulkey doesn’t want her ‘problem’ to be a distraction for Angel Reese and her team
“We’re not going to let one sleazy reporter distract us from what we’re trying to do. Absolutely not,” Mulkey said

LSU coach Kim Mulkey pledged that she wouldn’t let an impending Washington Post “hit piece” about her derail the defending national champion Tigers during the women’s NCAA Tournament.

A dominant second-half surge, led by star forward Angel Reese and dynamic guard Flau’Jae Johnson, proved Mulkey right – at least for now.

Reese’s 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Johnson’s 21 points, helped third-seeded LSU pull away for an 83-56, second-round victory over No. 11 seed Middle Tennessee on Sunday.

“Listen, man, we’re not going to let one sleazy reporter distract us from what we’re trying to do. Absolutely not,” Mulkey said. “My kids didn’t even know I said that yesterday. That team is not involved in this. They were in shock when they saw all that on the internet.”

Mulkey grabbed headlines when she railed against the Washington Post and even threatened legal action.

Reese said Sunday that she didn’t know anything about that, but other teammates did.

“Coach Mulkey’s had our back all year, so we’ve got to have coach Mulkey’s back,” said forward Aneesah Morrow, who scored 19 points. “We’ve got to play hard and for one another – and that’s as simple as it is.”

LSU trailed by nine in the third quarter before surging to a comfortable second-half lead and ended the Blue Raiders’ 20-game winning streak.