LSU’s Angel Reese absent for second straight game

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana. — L.S.U. Women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey declined to provide an explanation. Angel ReeseThe absence after the star forward missed her second straight game on Monday, a Victory at home 106-47 on south texas.

“You always have to deal with locker room issues,” Mulkey said in a postgame news conference. “Sometimes you don’t know. Sometimes you want to know more than you have a right to know. 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 the Cayman Islands on Wednesday for back-to-back games against Niagara and Virginia on Friday and Saturday.

Mulkey was asked if he had decided whether Reese would make the trip.

“If I had, I wouldn’t tell you, okay?” she said. “You have no right to that information.”

Five Tigers scored in double figures in Reese’s absence on Monday, led by Aneesah Morrow and Flau’jae Johnson with 17 points each. Hailey Van Lith added 16 points and Aalyah Del Rosario He contributed 14 from the bench.

After the Tigers’ season opener, a 92-78 loss to then-No. Colorado In Las Vegas, Mulkey expressed disappointment in some performances but didn’t single out anyone.

“I’m disappointed in some individual players who I thought would be tougher, who would have a little fight and leadership,” she said.

Reese was benched at halftime of the Tigers’ fourth game of the season, a 109-79 victory over Kent State, in what Mulkey called a “coach’s 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 as soon as possible.”

Reese has not publicly addressed his absence, but posted on social media“Please don’t believe everything you read.”

Reese transferred to LSU from Maryland heading into the 2022-23 season, when she was named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA tournament. This season she is averaging 17.0 points and 10.3 rebounds in four games.

LSU added multiple high-profile transfers during the offseason, including Morrow and Van Lith. The Tigers also landed the highest-ranked recruiting class.