"That kid had tears after the game": Kim Mulkey lauds LSU star Kailyn Gilbert after Stanford triumph

Kim Mulkey's LSU Tigers stretched their win streak to a perfect 10-0 on Thursday. No. 5 LSU defeated the Stanford Cardinal 94-88 in an overtime thriller in the ACC-SEC Challenge.

Mulkey lauded junior guard Kailyn Gilbert for her performance, who scored her season-best 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line.

"[Kailyn Gilbert] is deceptively quick. She sometimes looks like she’s not playing hard or going as fast as she can, and then all of a sudden, she's got that little explosive step to get in the paint and make things happen. Her on-ball defense was good," Mulkey said postgame (19:00).

"That kid had tears after the game, and it’s her journey — what it means to her. We are certainly happy she’s at LSU. I say that at every press conference," the coach added. "She listens, wants to do good, and when you contribute like she has been for our team, she should have tears of joy."

Gilbert racked up five points in overtime to help the Tigers secure the hard-fought victory. She also dished out four assists and grabbed a rebound in 34 minutes of play.

The 5-foot-8 Tampa Bay native has been a key contributor for Kim Mulkey's team this campaign, averaging 11.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists playing just about 21 minutes on average per game.

Kim Mulkey calls out ranking injustice for Stanford Cardinal

Standford Cardinal went into Thursday’s clash against LSU with a 7-1 record but were unranked in the latest AP poll. LSU coach Kim Mulkey expressed her disbelief after the win and applauded their performance.

"I don't know how they're not ranked, but that's for you guys to decide. Don't y'all get to vote on that stuff?" Mulkey asked reporters. "I don't know who votes on rankings. Stanford is Stanford. Tara's not there anymore, but that entire staff is Tara VanDerveer's legacy."

"What you saw tonight was Stanford. It's the Stanford of 10 years ago, and it'll be the Stanford of 10 years from now," she added. "What they do is outstanding. It's almost positionless basketball."

Kim Mulkey's Tigers needed an extra five minutes to take down the unranked Cardinal. Stanford did the best job of blocking LSU's inside plays with a tight zone defense.

The Cardinal started strong, leading 28-15 after the first quarter before LSU battled back. Stanford had a higher shooting percentage and made more free throws than LSU.