“We’re very lucky to have won that game”: Kim Mulkey reviews LSU’s last-gasp win vs Washington

Kim Mulkey's LSU Tigers made the impossible possible on Monday. They turned their fortunes to script a 68-67 win over Washington Huskies in the first round of the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship.

While the No. 7 Tigers scored the first points, they maintained the lead for only six minutes of the first quarter. Huskies's Elle Ladine made a 3-pointer that put Washington in the lead and they quickly widened the gap.

During the post-game press conference, coach Kim Mulkey was asked about her team's performance and the close-call win.

"First of all, we're very lucky to have won the game," Mulkey said (0:35 onwards). "But you know what you create your own luck. Had we not won the game, I still would have been proud of the effort that was given with that group on the floor."

"The last five to 10 minutes, they fought really hard to try to make things positive or make positive things happen. To put yourself in a position to win. They played their little 3-2 Zone. They hadn't played that in two years. I thought it was outstanding," she added.

Aneesah Morrow and Flau'jae Johnson led the Tigers with 19 points each, while Sa'Myah Smith finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds.

Kim Mulkey breaks down the mindset and strategy behind the final-shot win

The game looked like it belonged to Washington, who maintained the lead for most of it except for the first and final few minutes. At the end of the first quarter, the Huskies lead 24-11. After the second, the gap closed to 36-26; after the third, it was 52-48.

LSU's efficiency was low; they made 32.9% of their shots from the floor compared to Washington's 44.1%. Bad shots can lower morale, and Kim Mulkey spoke on this.

"When people play you a Zone and you get wide-open looks and you can't nail a shot, that rim gets a little bit smaller and a little bit smaller," Mulkey said. "So what do you do? You got to be able to dribble, penetrate. You got to have some athleticism about you to push the ball in the open floor, you got to screen the zone.

"I think we just got in the rut of one pass one shot and we got second half. We fought really hard, made some changes in the lineup and won the game on a last-second shot, basically.

Next, the LSU Tigers will play the winner of N.C. State vs. Southern game on Wednesday for the tournament championship.