Back in 2024, Kim Mulkey’s LSU Tigers and Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks battled for the SEC championship. However, that contest was marred as a brawl broke out after Gamecocks forward Kamilla Cardoso pushed Tigers guard Flau’jae Johnson. The Gamecocks eventually won, 79-72, but that brawl had somehow put an asterisk on that game itself.
During the post-game press conference, Mulkey would raise a few eyebrows as she wanted Cardoso to have pushed her future Chicago Sky teammate, Angel Reese, instead of the smaller Johnson. Reese, also a power forward, was closer to Cardoso in size and would not have taken lightly to getting pushed around, even by a taller opponent.
“No one wants to be a part of that. No one wants to see that ugliness,” she told reporters. “But I can tell you this: I wish she would have pushed Angel Reese.”
At that time, Johnson was still in her sophomore year and considered small for her position, and Mulkey noted that Cardoso’s push on a much smaller player was “uncalled for.”
“Don’t push a kid,” she added. “Don’t push somebody that little. That was uncalled for, in my opinion. Let those two girls that were jawing, let them go at it.”
LSU were the defending champions, having beaten Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2023 national championship game. However, South Carolina was ranked No. 1 and were the favorites to win the national title that year. Both teams had their respective storied history and well-respected coaches, with tensions boiling over in such an important contest.
Ultimately, South Carolina did not just win the SEC title, they went on to the national title game and also beat Clark and the Hawkeyes in the process.
The Incident That Led to the South Carolina vs. LSU Brawl
As for why Cardoso pushed Johnson, it stemmed from Flau’jae Johnson pulling away for a fast break, only to be fouled by MiLaysia Fulwiley to stop that from happening.
This soon led to Johnson shoving South Carolina’s Ashlyn Watkins, with Cardoso running in and shoving Johnson to the ground. The brawl then happened and Cardoso was ejected, which also led to her suspension.
Brawl at the end of LSU vs. SC only left 5 players on each team 😳🥊 pic.twitter.com/w1r6WF6Pur
— Sportsville (@Sportsville_) March 10, 2024
A total of six players were ejected thanks to that March 2024 brawl, including South Carolina’s Chloe Kitts, Tessa Johnson and Sakima Walker, along with LSU’s Aaliyah Del Rosario and Janae Kent. While Cardoso was ejected for starting the brawl, the other five were expelled for leaving the bench and escalating it.
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