LSU HC Kim Mulkey explains why the Tigers suffered Alabama upset

Kim Mulkey's LSU Tigers lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide 88-85 in overtime on Thursday evening. The defeat was the Tigers' third of the season, all in Southeastern Conference play (27-3, 12-3 SEC).

The Tide rode on talented guard Aaliyah Nye's hot shooting. She finished the game with 28 points and four rebounds, while Tigers star Flau'jae Johnson struggled, only managing six points, seven rebounds and one assist.

During her postgame news conference, Mulkey was candid about why her team lost to the Crimson Tide.

“Let’s start at the foul line," Mulkey said. "You can't shoot 14 for 23 from the foul line. They missed four. Then let's go to rebounding. They out rebounded us. That's where I'd start and we knew they were outstanding shooters. and we held them pretty good from three.

“The game was so uneven due to the officiating, which made it tough to coach. It was a hard game to coach because the officiating was uneven the whole game."

Before the game, the Tigers were the No. 1 rebounding team in the SEC but only managed one offensive rebound in the first half, and despite finishing the game with 10 offensive rebounds, it was way short of their average (18.0 offensive rebounds a game). The Crimson Tide outrebounded Kim Mulkey's team 43-37.

Kim Mulkey credits Bama for stopping LSU comeback

Against the Kentucky Wildcats on Monday, Kim Mulkey's LSU Tigers found themselves in a 16-point hole, but they clawed their way back to win the game 65-58. Against the Alabama Crimson Tide, they once again fell into a 13-point hole and did well to claw their way back to force overtime, but it was too much to overcome.

During her postgame news conference, Mulkey credited the Crimson Tide for their performance.

“We had a chance to win the game, right?" Kim Mulkey said. "And we didn’t. Because we didn’t deserve to win. Alabama deserved to win that game. We needed to match their intensity and their grit and we did in spurts.

“We did it when we were behind trying to catch up, but I guess sometimes you just gotta give credit to the opponent, and I think I want to do that tonight. Alabama is a good team. They have older players, and they deserved to win."

Before the game, the LSU Tigers were slotted as No. 2 seeds in the NCAA Tournament's latest bracket as Kim Mulkey attempts to win another national championship with her rebuilt team.