Angel Reese on her injury vs. Iowa: 'I'm not gonna make that excuse'

The women’s basketball defending national champions, the LSU Tigers, saw their aspirations to become back-to-back national champions come to an end Monday night as they fell to the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Albany 2 Regional Elite 8 showdown.

LSU started the game flat, but after a challenge from their superstar, big Angel Reese, they made a big-time comeback, going up by as many as eight points. Unfortunately, disaster struck for the Tigers in the first half, as Reese rolled her ankle while contesting a shot by Caitlin Clark. After the game, Reese addressed the injury and its impact on her.

“I did roll my ankle on one of the cameras. And I’m tough so I tried to play through it, of course. This is something that has been going on for a little while now. I played through it and I’m not gonna make that excuse for the rest of my play for the game.

It is clear from her comments that Reese is not going to allow the injury to be an excuse for her team coming up short. The LSU forward was able to make it back to the court after a brief hiatus but was clearly in discomfort dealing with the ankle injury. And while some might believe that the injury played a significant role in the Tigers loss, their star player is not allowing that to be the narrative of their Elite Eight showdown with Iowa.

More on Reese’s ankle injury

Reese left Monday’s Elite Eight matchup against Iowa early in the second quarter with an apparent leg injury.

The star LSU forward stumbled out of bounds and immediately hopped to the bench for further evaluation. She went to the stationary bike to check her mobility and was back on the sideline within moments.

She returned to the game within 2 minutes of on-court action, but has been limping up the court.

After the injury, Reese stayed behind the action for the most part. She uncharacteristically stayed out of the paint. It wouldn’t be surprising if training staff evaluated her further at the halftime break.

Before her injury, the Hawkeye defense had no answer for the Tiger forward. She finished the first half with 13 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists — which leads LSU in all three categories. Tied at 45 entering halftime, a healthy Reese could have taken over down the stretch in the second quarter.

Reese injured her ankle during the SEC Tournament quarterfinals against Auburn last month and had to be helped off the court. It’s unclear whether the injury she sustained in the game on Monday is connected to her previous ailment.

On3’s Barkley Truax contributed to this story