Two players ejected after shoving fiasco, LSU's Kim Mulkey slaps clipboard in chippy college basketball game

Tempers flared during Thursday's highly anticipated Top-25 women's assemblage basketball matchup betwixt the one-loss LSU Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners. 

The crippled featured players shoving — which led to ejections — coach's method fouls and a noticeable clipboard-slapping infinitesimal from LSU manager Kim Mulkey. LSU guardant Sa'Myah Smith and Oklahoma guardant Liz Scott were some tossed from the crippled aft the shoving incidental successful the archetypal quarter.

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Oklahoma halfway Beatrice Culliton was battling for presumption successful the overgarment with Smith erstwhile the 2 got tangled up. Culliton elevated her limb to make immoderate separation, and Smith retaliated by pushing her to the ground. Scott, who was besides successful the overgarment area, responded by shoving Smith.

Smith was corralled by Joe Schwartz, LSU's adjunct of hoops operations. The teams separated and went backmost to their seat areas. The usually even-keeled Smith was called for a foul connected the play and past ejected pursuing a review.

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"Pushing, I guess, is considered fighting," Mulkey said. "It (Smith's reaction) was shocking. It wounded our squad with her not being a portion of tonight, due to the fact that we're trying to make her. My aged mentor (former Louisiana Tech coach), Leon Barmore, ever said you've got to support a chill caput successful a blistery game. . . . Never fto ’em spot you sweat."

Mulkey besides gave a motion to the game's amusement value: "I conjecture it was entertaining for the fans."

Play resumed aft the ejections, with Oklahoma starring 12-11. The Sooners took vantage of the 6-foot-2 Smith's vantage to support it close, rallying from a 24-point shortage precocious successful the 3rd 4th to get wrong 1 constituent successful the last minute.

In the 3rd quarter, Mulkey slapped a clipboard that adjunct manager Seimone Augustus was holding. LSU was enjoying a 67-45 pb astatine the time. Mulkey proceeded to outcry and constituent for respective seconds, portion Augustus appeared to contend with a little infinitesimal of shock.

Referees aboriginal assessed a method foul aft the Tigers' manager argued a foul telephone against prima defender Flau'Jae Johnson. Oklahoma manager Jennie Baranczyk besides received a method astatine a antithetic constituent successful the game.

The chippy crippled ended with a full of 5 method fouls and 63 escaped propulsion attempts.

"We saw a batch of things tonight," Mulkey said. "You saw ejections. You saw 2 teams people implicit 100. You saw a method connected the 2nd flop. . . . I got teed up, and she told maine I got teed up for pointing astatine the large screen. I was decidedly looking astatine the large screen, and I was not existent happy, but I don’t cognize if I point. But she’s crossed the way. Whatever."

The Tigers' 107-100 triumph implicit the Sooners improved seventh-ranked LSU's grounds to 22-1.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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