Angel Reese gets benched as fans raise eyebrows over LSU basketball questions
Baton Rouge, Louisiana - Are LSU basketball and their star player Angel Reese struggling with team chemistry?
During the LSU women's game against Kent State on Tuesday, Coach Kim Mulkey made a head-scratching move by keeping top player Angel Reese on the bench for the entire second half, even though she started the game.
The No. 7 Tigers are sitting pretty at 3-1 and dominated the Golden Flashes with a whopping 109-79 victory at the Maravich Center in Baton Rouge.
Reese, usually a court sensation, had a good run in the first quarter but found herself benched for the whole second half. Instead, Mulkey rolled the dice with sophomore forward Aneesah Morrow.
Reese's absence left fans flooding the internet with their own reasons for her having been benched, while others simply wondered what was cooking in Mulkey's playbook – especially given Reese's clear star power.
Following the game, Mulkey was questioned about the eyebrow-raising decision and also her choice not to play senior guard Kateri Poole, who was suited up on the bench but sat out the whole game. Her answer left fans even more puzzled.
"I could, but I won't," Mulkey said when asked if she could explain why Poole and Reese didn't play. "It was just a coach's decision."
Why did Angel Reese get benched?
While Coach Mulkey didn't reveal her reason for benching Reese, fans couldn't help but flood the internet with their own conclusions.
"Told y'all this was coming. Those egos aren't going to exist well together," one fan tweeted.
"lots of speculation going on as to why and don't want to get ahead of myself, but on a team with so many dynamic personalities and talented players who want the ball, this was always going to take some time to mesh," another fan wrote.
Reese chose not to publicly criticize the head coach for benching her. Instead, the athlete took to social media to celebrate the impressive performance of her true freshman teammate Mikayla Williams, who scored a career-high 42 points.
Reese's postgame Instagram story showcased Williams' stats and praised junior guard Aneesah Morrow as "Neesthabeast."
Angel Reese and LSU hoops will take to the court again on Friday against Southern Louisiana at 8 PM ET.
Cover photo: Ethan Miller / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP