Angel Reese places crown on bench during Caitlin Clark pregame warmups
Tip-off for the Iowa Hawkeyes‘ and LSU Tigers‘ Elite 8 matchup of the women’s college basketball tournament has yet to happen. However, LSU’s Angel Reese is getting the ball rolling on the action early with some fuel for LSU and its fans or possibly some mind games with the Hawkeyes and likely Caitlin Clark.
Before tip-off, as Clark was on the floor warming up, Reese took it upon herself to leave a friendly little reminder on the Tigers’ bench of who Iowa was going toe-to-toe with on Monday night. The Tigers big left a crown on the bench, directly in the sightline of the Hawkeyes’ star guards view.
You can check out Reese’s attempt to pump up the Tigers and maybe get into her opponent’s head ahead of the start of their huge Elite 8 matchup and the image below.
Reese calls out LSU after slow start, teammates respond
In a game that feels like a whole lot more than a Final Four spot is on the line, LSU came out a bit flat. Iowa enjoyed the opening few minutes, and head coach Kim Mulkey felt the need to call a timeout down eight points. Mulkey apparently did not do much of the talking, though.
Instead, she deferred over to Reese, who gave her thoughts on the start. ESPN’s Holly Rowe said Reese was speaking passionately about the early play, specifically the shot selection. Reese wanted to get the ball down low and get some easy buckets to calm down the rhythm.
“Iowa got out to an early start, and LSU called that timeout,” Rowe said. “It was 17-9, and Angel Reese was very strong in her communication. ‘Stop taking dumb shots.’ She did not like the shot selection.
“Since that timeout and that emotional outburst, she’s gotten what she’s wanted… Very clear communication from their leader that they listen to. And they have responded.”
Rowe is right; LSU has responded in an incredible way. The first 10 minutes of the game are up, and the Tigers will head into the second quarter with a five-point lead. Not too many people can get an inspired reaction out of their teammates on the sport’s biggest stage, like Reese.