LSU-Oklahoma women’s game gets wild with shoves, ejections — and Kim Mulkey’s epic clipboard slap
ByMatt Ehalt
Published Jan. 31, 2025, 9:04 a.m. ET
The fans certainly got their money’s worth Thursday night in Baton Rouge.
No. 7 LSU’s wild 107-100 home win over No. 13 Oklahoma on Thursday featured a player being shoved to the ground, multiple ejections, Lady Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey slapping a clipboard out of an assistant’s hands and, oh yeah, both head coaches receiving technicals fouls.
As they say, it just means more in the SEC and Mulkey said it marked one of the wildest games she’s ever coached during her illustrious career.
“I always was told from my old mentor, Leon Barmore, you’ve got to keep a cool head in a hot game,” Mulkey said when discussing the ejection of Sa’Myah Smith. “Never let ’em see you sweat.”
The fireworks started early Thursday with Oklahoma leading, 12-11, with 4:10 remaining in the first quarter when the Sooners’ Beatrice Culliton jostled for position with Smith.
The referees called a foul on Smith before Culliton did a 180 turn toward Smith while using her elbow to clear Smith’s hands free.
7Culliton (l) and Smith (r) jostle for position.@ESPNW/X
7Smith pushes Culliton to the ground.@ESPNW/X
Smith then shoved Culliton to the ground to set off the fracas.
Oklahoma’s Liz Scott immediately came to her teammate’s defense and shoved Smith, who attempted to head back toward Scott before being blocked by a teammate and assistant.
Both Smith and Scott earned ejections.
“Pushing, I guess, is considered fighting,” Mulkey said of the ejections.
7Liz Smith comes over and pushes Sa’Myah Smith.@ESPNW/X
7The aftermath of the two pushes.@ESPNW/X
Mulkey, never one to shy from the spotlight, then provided meme-worthy material in the third quarter while leading, 67-45, when she slapped a binder out of assistant coach Seimone Augustus’ hands.
Augustus stood there with her hand held out for several seconds in a seeming state of shock while Mulkey continued to scream and point.
7Watch out, binder.@MatthewBrune_/X
7Mulkey slaps the binder to the ground.@MatthewBrune_/X
[IMG alt="
The poor assistant coach stares where the binder should be.
"]https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/Screenshot-2025-01-31-at-8.07.35%E2%80%AFAM.png?w=1024[/IMG]7
The poor assistant coach stares where the binder should be.@MatthewBrune_/X
Mulkey later earned a technical for arguing a foul against Flau’Jae Johnson.
Thursday’s game featured five technicals, 53 combined fouls and 63 combined free throws attempted, with LSU riding a 10-point halftime to an important conference win.
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“We saw a lot of things tonight,” Mulkey said. “You saw ejections. You saw two teams score over 100. You saw a technical on the second flop. … I got tee’d up and she told me I got tee’d up for pointing at the big screen. I was definitely looking at the big screen and I was not real happy, but I don’t know if I point. But she’s across the way. Whatever.”
