Angel Reese missed Monday's game against Texas Southern for No. 7 LSU. The talented forward missed his second straight game. Kim Mulkey, Tigers head coach, won't comment.
Reese was voted 2023 NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player following a double-double in LSU's championship win against Iowa. This year, she was AP preseason All-American. She has played less in the last week.
LSU benched Reese for the second half of its game against Kent State last Tuesday. Reese's 11 points and five rebounds put the Tigers up by two at halftime, but they won handily.
Mulkey labeled that a “coach’s decision” without explanation. Reese did not travel to play Southeastern Louisiana last Friday and was not included in the team's website recap of Monday night's triumph.
“Explain why? When asked about Reese on Friday, Mulkey claimed Angel was clearly not in uniform. Angel is on this basketball team, so we hope to see her soon.”
The reigning champion Tigers have faced early challenges this year. They lost to No. 20 Colorado on the season's first night, clearly lacking coordination.
They added numerous crucial pieces: LSU added Mikaylah Williams, a top freshman, and two high-profile transfers, Aneesah Morrow from DePaul and Hailey Van Lith from Louisville.
(Despite her youth, Williams leads LSU in scoring at 19 points per game and is often the most composed player on the court.) Morrow has moved from the bench to the starting lineup without Reese.
Reese has averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds in four games this season. She said on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday: “please don’t believe everything you read.” She has not addressed her absence from the team.