BREAKING: Three Things Kim Mulkey Said After LSU Women’s Basketball Exhibition

BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU women’s basketball opened its 2026-27 exhibition slate with a 159-31 demolition of UNT Dallas on Thursday night inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, but the final score was never the story . With a revamped roster, two key frontcourt players sidelined, and a highly touted freshman class making its debut, Kim Mulkey used the postgame podium to address the pieces that will define her sixth LSU team. Here are the three things that mattered most.

1. Laila Reynolds Brings “Harassment” and Backcourt Flexibility

Florida transfer Laila Reynolds made all six of her field-goal attempts and did not commit a turnover in her LSU debut, a quiet but flawless stat line that caught Mulkey’s attention . The head coach was most struck by Reynolds’ defensive energy and the lineup versatility she unlocks.

“The speed was one thing. I think she has the ability to create harassment,” Mulkey said. “The more comfortable she gets in the system and plays more physical every day. She’s very quiet, doesn’t open her mouth much, but is just a pleasant person to be around” .

Reynolds finished with 20 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals off the bench . Mulkey explained that Reynolds’ value extends beyond her individual production: she allows LSU to play bigger in the backcourt by sliding MiLaysia Fulwiley to the point and pairing Reynolds with Mikaylah Williams on the wing . That flexibility matters for a team that is currently thin in the frontcourt and may need to lean on smaller, faster lineups.

2. The Freshman Learning Curve: Lola Lampley’s “Good and Bad”

Five-star freshman Lola Lampley posted 13 points, three steals, and one rebound in her first collegiate action, but Mulkey’s assessment was characteristically honest and measured . “I think she played good and bad. I’m sure she was nervous. I’m sure that’s the first time for her to play at this level. She did some things good,” Mulkey said .

The critique focused on two areas: rebounding hunger and pace. Mulkey noted that Lampley managed only one rebound in a game where opportunities were limited by UNT Dallas’s poor shooting, but stressed that the freshman must develop a mindset of crashing the glass every time a shot goes up . She also pointed to turnovers born from rushing rather than letting the game come to her.

Despite the constructive criticism, Mulkey’s long-term view was glowing: “She’s a good-looking athlete that’s really, really talented. And she’s another one that’s just gonna explode one day” . For a program that has relied heavily on veteran guards, Lampley’s development curve will be worth monitoring as the season progresses.

3. Frontcourt Injuries: Patience Over Urgency

The most significant absence from Thursday’s exhibition was not a surprise scratch but a planned one. Six-foot-five Russian center Anna Minaeva (quad injury) and six-foot-three Spanish forward Noa Morro (shin surgery in September) did not play, leaving LSU undersized against the Trailblazers . Mulkey provided a timeline and a philosophy.

On Minaeva, who is just 17 years old, Mulkey emphasized the challenge of gauging pain tolerance in a young international player: “I don’t know in sports if anybody ever plays with just zero pain every day. I think you’re always gonna have something and so we just wait for the trainers and the doctors to say she can go” . She said Minaeva could return as soon as Monday .

On Morro, Mulkey offered a more defined recovery window: “She had her surgery September 2, September 3 and that’s usually like a 12-week deal, so she should be back ready to go in November” . The coach was explicit about what she will not accept: a stop-start return where a player practices one day and sits the next. “You just sit until you can go and practice every day and we can get you in a flow,” she said .

Until both return, LSU will rely on ZaKiyah Johnson and Grace Knox to shoulder the frontcourt load, a reality that may force Mulkey into the smaller lineups she acknowledged could be “our best team for a long period of time this year” .

What It Means

The 159-point exhibition was never going to reveal LSU’s ceiling. What it did reveal is a team with elite guard depth, a defensive identity capable of generating 36 steals and 61 fast-break points, and a frontcourt that remains a work in progress . Mulkey’s postgame comments painted a picture of a coach managing expectations in real time—praising Reynolds’ fit, tempering freshman hype with honest evaluation, and refusing to rush injured bigs back before they are ready.

LSU has one more exhibition against Loyola (N.O.) on October 29 before the regular-season opener against Southeastern Louisiana on November 2 . By then, Mulkey hopes to have a fuller roster and a clearer rotation. For now, the message is patience—and the standard remains unchanged.