LSU’s Angel Reese is out for the second straight year
BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU Women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey declined to provide an explanation Angel Reese‘s absence after the star forward missed her second straight game on Monday, a 106-47 home win above Texas South.
“You always have to deal with locker room issues,” Mulkey said in a postgame press conference. “Sometimes you don’t know anything about it. Sometimes you want to know more than you’re entitled to. I will always protect my players. They are more important.”
Mulkey did not provide a timetable for Reese’s return.
The No. 7 Tigers travel to back-to-back games against the Cayman Islands on Wednesday Niagara And Virginia on Friday and Saturday.
Mulkey was asked if she had decided whether Reese would make the trip.
“If so, I wouldn’t tell you, okay?” she said. “You have no right to this information.”
Five Tigers scored double-digit points in Reese’s absence on Monday, led by Aneesah Morrow And Flau’jae Johnson with 17 points each. Hailey Van Lith 16 points added and Aalyah Del Rosario scored 14 chips off the bench.
After the Tigers’ season opener, there was a 92:78 defeat against then-No. 20 Colorado In Las Vegas, Mulkey expressed disappointment in some performances but did not single out anyone.
“I’m disappointed in some individual players who I thought were tougher, had a bit of fighting spirit and leadership qualities,” she said.
Reese was benched at halftime of the Tigers’ fourth game of the season, a 109-79 win Kent State, which Mulkey called a “coaching decision.” Reese didn’t play at all in LSU’s 73-50 win Southeast Louisiana on Friday.
“Angel wasn’t in uniform,” Mulkey said after the game in Hammond, Louisiana. “Angel is part of this basketball team and we hope to see her again sooner than later.”
Reese has not yet publicly addressed her absence posted on social media“Please don’t believe everything you read.”
Reese transferred from to LSU Maryland prior to the 2022–23 season, when she was named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. She is averaging 17.0 points and 10.3 rebounds in four games this season.
LSU added several high-profile transfers in the offseason, including Morrow and Van Lith. The Tigers also landed the top-ranked recruiting class.
