'For Poa': How LSU women's basketball overcame 'hardest 5 minutes' to beat Ole Miss
Cory DiazGREENVILLE, S.C. — For Poa.
Two words but two emotional propellers that guided LSU women's basketball through the remaining 5:44 of the SEC Tournament semifinal game against Ole Miss inside Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
Last-Tear Poa's teammates tried to help her up after she attempted to take a charge on a driving Zakiya Stephenson. The hard collision sprawled Poa onto her back. Angel Reese said Poa is the "toughest player on our team" and when Poa didn't get up, they knew something was wrong.
After a few minutes and with assistance, Poa tried to slowly walk back to the team bench but went down to the floor again, where motions for the medical cart came.
"That was the hardest last five minutes of a game I ever played," Reese said following LSU's 75-67 win over Ole Miss on Saturday night.
Tears flowed.
While Poa was being helped onto the stretcher, LSU huddled and prayed. Scared yet hopeful that everything was going to be alright with their teammate, the emotion rippled through Reese, Hailey Van Lith, Aneesah Morrow, Flau'jae Johnson and the rest of the team.
Reese and Van Lith stepped forward to reiterate to the rest of the group that Poa would want them to finish the game off and get a win.
The last 5:44 was "for Poa."
"When I got to the huddle, it was bad," Mulkey said. "It was just very, very emotional. Angel spoke up, Hailey Van Lith spoke up. We got to get through this, finish this game.
"They dug deep. It was one of the more gutsy performances of a team I've ever coached. At this point, the game means nothing, it really doesn't. I think you have to dig and think, 'Wow, do I really just want to call out a play here?' You're thinking about, 'I need to be in the ambulance with Poa.'"
On the next possession for LSU with the Tigers clinging to a five-point lead, Reese knocked down a turnaround jumper and bellowed out what sounded like "Poa."
Nearly two minutes later, Johnson knocked down a 3-pointer to put LSU up 67-59 with 3:37 left and lifted her hands to the ceiling.
The challenge felt dire during the last five minutes in moments and timeouts. Mulkey said during one of the breaks, she looked at her players and asked for help.
"I looked at them and said, 'I need your help right now. I'm not a very good coach right now. What do y'all want to run?'" Mulkey said. "That makes them take ownership and it also makes them take away the emotion from them that they got to play coach for a minute. Call it psychology, call it what you want, but that's what I did.
"Each one of them wanted to say and suggest something. It kind of got the tears away from them."
LSU outscored Ole Miss 13-10 after Poa left, holding the Rebels off to advance to the program's first SEC Tournament championship game appearance in 12 seasons.
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In the circumstance, the trying time banded LSU together, just like all the other situations the team has dealt with this season. The Tigers were determined to win because that is what Poa wanted.
"Our team done been through hell. Let's be honest," Morrow said. "We told each other we have to have each other's back. We've been through worse than this.
"Just have Poa's back because she would want us to win this game for her."
LSU overcame and will play for a conference championship Sunday afternoon.
And the Tigers will play for Poa.
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU/UL athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.