LSU's Angel Reese defends gestures toward Iowa's Caitlin Clark
LSU's Angel Reese waved her hand in front of her face while staring down Iowa's Caitlin Clark, then pointed toward her finger as if to say a ring was coming while walking toward the Hawkeyes star.
The gestures late in the Tigers' 102-85 victory in the NCAA championship game Sunday lit up social media, with comments supporting Reese for trash talk that's just part of the game and condemning her for lacking grace in victory.
The junior from Baltimore, who transferred from Maryland to join LSU coach Kim Mulkey, was unapologetic in the postgame news conference.
"All year, I was critiqued about who I was," Reese said. "I don’t fit in a box that y’all want me to be in. I’m too hood. I’m too ghetto. But when other people do it, y’all say nothing. So this was for the girls that look like me, that’s going to speak up on what they believe in. It’s unapologetically you."
Clark, the scoring sensation who was the first player with consecutive 40-point games in an NCAA Tournament, made the face-waving gesture to no one in particular during an Elite Eight victory over Louisville.
The Associated Press Player of the Year wasn't shy about showing her emotions when the Hawkeyes knocked off then-undefeated defending national champion South Carolina in the semifinals.
If she saw Reese's gestures, Clark didn't seem concerned about them.
"I was just trying to get to the handshake line and shake hands and be grateful that my team was in that position," said Clark, who scored 30 points. "That’s all you can do is hold your head high, be proud of what you did. All the credit in the world to LSU. They were tremendous."
In a 79-72 semifinal victory over Virginia Tech, Reese made what appeared to be a "you're too small" gesture several times after scoring around the basket.
The 6-foot-3 post player is becoming a social media magnet. Reese chastised rapper Lil Wayne, who is from New Orleans, for reaching out to Elite Eight opponent Miami (Fla.) before doing the same with the Tigers.
"I’m going to be me, but I can’t do it without the girls here, and I can’t do it without the rest of my teammates and coaches," said Reese, who had 15 points and 10 rebounds while three teammates scored at least 20 points.
She was named the Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four after setting an NCAA single-season record with her 34th double-double against the Hawkeyes.
"Twitter can say what Twitter can say," Reese said. "I love reading those comments. I have all the screenshots of what everybody has said about me all season. What are you going to say now?"
Here's how social media reacted.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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