Kim Mulkey receives $45,000 bonus after LSU beats Middle Tennessee to reach Sweet 16

It sure looked like LSU would be on upset alert Sunday in Baton Rouge. The Tigers trailed Middle Tennessee State at halftime of the Women’s NCAA Tournament, and the deficit grew to nine points with 8:43 to go.

That’s when Kim Mulkey’s group found a rhythm and didn’t look back, outscoring MTSU 51-15 the rest of the game to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. It was quite the turnaround to keep LSU’s hopes for a repeat alive.

And for Mulkey, it resulted in a big payday.

The Sweet Sixteen appearance earned Mulkey a $45,000 bonus as part of her contract, according to USA Today’s Steve Berkowitz. All told, the LSU coach has received $110,000 in bonuses as her team gets ready to head to Albany for the next round of the tournament.

The Tigers got some big-time performances in the second half, led by Flau’jae Johnson and Angel Reese. Johnson scored a team-high 21 points to help spark the turnaround while Reese flipped the script in the second half to finish with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Aneesah Morrow also showed out with a double-double, totaling 19 points and 13 boards.

Flau’jae Johnson: ‘I wasn’t going home’

If it seemed like LSU wasn’t ready for its season to end, it’s because that’s exactly how Johnson and the Tigers felt.

“I wasn’t going home, bro,” Johnson said after the game. “I put in too much work. Our team put in too much work. I’m so thankful, man. First of all, I want to thank God, Jesus, my Lord and savior. But I put in so much work, and I’m just a walking representation of that.”

Johnson had a huge day for LSU, scoring a team-high 21 points while also adding two blocks and a steal as she led the defensive turnaround in the second half. But her emotions showed when Kim Mulkey called a timeout with 8:20 to play in the third quarter, just as the Tigers were starting to claw their way back in.

Johnson’s message was simple.

“We’ve got to stay poised and stay together,” she said. “We’ve got to play together. I told them, if we don’t keep shooting one shot and they’re making a three, we’re not gonna win this game. I said we’ve got to play together. Let it go, let’s just play together. And look, we came out with the dub.”

LSU will now look to maintain the momentum into the Sweet Sixteen. The Tigers will now head to Albany for the Sweet Sixteen to take on the winner of UCLA vs. Creighton.