The LSU Tigers women’s basketball team’s dream of becoming back-to-back champions came to an end in the Elite 8 round of the women’s tournament following a tough loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes. However, in the minds of some, Tigers star Angel Reese‘s early injury made this loss even more difficult to swallow.
After a slow start to the game, head coach Kim Mulkey’s club exploded, taking an 8-point lead early on. Unfortunately, that momentum was quickly lost when Reese suffered an ankle injury while attempting to contest a drive by Iowa’s Caitlin Clark. The Tigers star forward stumbled into the Media section under the baseline, falling over. When she got up, Reese was in notable pain and hobbled to the bench.
Following their 94-87 elite aid defeat, Mullkey addressed the injury and discussed its significance for the game’s outcome.
“I didn’t ask anybody how bad the sprain is. Honestly, I’m assuming it was the same ankle she sprained in the SEC Tournament. But you’re in the heat of the moment. She’s playing, trainer never came to see me to give me any details. I don’t know that Angel or I, either one, would ever make an excuse that her being hobbled was why we lost the game,” said Mulkey.
Like Reese, Mulkey has no intention of allowing the injury to her star forward to dominate headlines as the reason they lost. In the end, despite the injury, the Tigers’ downfall was their defense, as they had little to no answer for stopping Clark. The Hawkeyes star finished the game with 41 points, 12 assists, and seven rebounds.
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