Fans get sentimental as Flau'jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow cry for Kim Mulkey following Elite Eight exit vs. UCLA

The LSU Tigers' 2025 NCAA Tournament run came to an end on Sunday with a 72-65 loss to UCLA in the Elite Eight. The team fell short of their championship aspirations. After the game, the relationship between coach Kim Mulkey and her players was on full display as Flau'jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow expressed their emotions in the post-game press conference.

The two stars reflected on their journey and expressed gratitude to their coach and teammates. The Instagram page of B/R W Sports, a portal dedicated to women's sport uploaded clips from the press conference and captioned it:

"The relationship between coach Mulkey and her players."

The post resonated with fans, who flooded the comments with support and admiration for the team’s bond.

"Well done ladies ... it's all on the court... blood, sweat, tears," one fan wrote.

"Between her and Dawn, they be having me crying. They are so special to these ladies, preparing them for greatness! Well done, ladies, y'all put up a great fight!" another fan wrote.

"Loved the … I’m not finished," one Instagram user said.

"These player-coach relationships are real," a college hoops fan wrote.

"I don’t always agree with Coach Mulkey but this was class. These kids clearly respect her and are changed because of her," a user commented.

"I felt that 'pick your head up,'" a fan said.

"This was a tough loss as an LSU fan, but they played their hearts out," a Tigers fan wrote.

Fans' comments on Flau'Jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow's press conference (Image via Instagram/@BRWSports)

The two athletes, visibly moved, shared what this season meant to them, underscoring the impact of their time under Coach Mulkey’s leadership.

What did Flau'jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow say about Kim Mulkey

When asked how they would remember the season, Flau'jae Johnson took a moment before responding with words about her personal growth and faith in God.

"I feel like this season I went through so much, and I really, like, overcame a lot," Johnson said. "I feel like the number one thing is my relationship with God. Like, it got so much better because that’s who I ran to when stuff got hard. Then when I went to God, I was able to open up to my teammates, I was able to open up to coach Mulkey, and I thought I became a better person, and I became — I really became a leader."

Morrow echoed similar sentiments, crediting Mulkey for pushing her to excel both on and off the court.

"Coach Mulkey challenged me to be a better person, to be a better player, and she challenged me to be able to make it in the real world," Morrow said. "She keep(s) it real with you; she show(s) you how it is, and honestly, I’m just grateful for that. I said that I wanted to leave DePaul and find my second family, and I did that.