Kim Mulkey laughs as LSU player throws shade at Tennessee for slow Transfer Portal response

The LSU Tigers, coached by Kim Mulkey, just nailed their 10th SEC win of the 2024-2025 season, 25th overall, on Sunday. As the No. 6-ranked squad in the nation pitted against the No. 19-ranked Tennessee Volunteers, Mulkey's team secured an 82-77 win.

Mulkey was able to find a hidden gem in Arizona Wildcats transferee Kailyn Gilbert. Playing off the bench for just 22 minutes, the junior scored a game-high 23 points on 7-for-15 shooting while also contributing a rebound and an assist in the process.

During the post-game press conference, Gilbert was asked about what it is about her remarkable outings in limited minutes against the Volunteers, through which Mulkey couldn't help but laugh at her third-year guard's response.

"I can say they (Tennessee) picked up the phone too late in the portal. So, I was kind of upset about that. That's kind of where you get that fire from everytime I played them," Gilbert said.

Mulkey then added to Gilbert's answer, replying:

"I'm glad they were too late."

Check out Kim Mulkey's laugh during Kailyn Gilbert's statement below in an X video uploaded by sportswriter Cory Diaz.

There's no denying that Gilbert has put out some of her best outings of the year against the conference opponent, as in their last game in early January, the Tampa Bay, Florida native put up 22 markers, five boards, an assist and two steals in 30 minutes of action in LSU's previous tight 89-87 routing of Tennessee.

For Mulkey, it can be seen that she is just happy to have Gilbert on the Tigers' side, as she has proven to be a key cog in their bid to return to the national championship picture come March. On the season, Gilbert has been averaging 10.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals per contest.

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Kim Mulkey lauds her bench unit for stepping up to the challenge

Apart from Kailyn Gilbert, transferee Miracle Sheppard made her presence known off the bench with eight markers, five boards, two assists and two stocks (steals plus blocks). But, for Kim Mulkey, it was a collective effort from all of her players in the Tennessee win, especially in regards to her second stringers stepping up.

"Jada Richard was pretty damn good today. She gets five minutes and she scores five points. She stepped up there, made a free throw, her two baskets. It wasn't just KG and Miracle. I thought Jersey (Wolfenbarger) got some rebounds. There was something about everyone that came off that bench that did something good today," Kim Mulkey said. [3:38]

The LSU Tigers return to action on Sunday to take on the Texas Longhorns on the road and hopefully, tally another triumph in their record.