Reese addressed critics after the win
LSU forward Angel Reese (10) celebrates after a turnover in the second half an NCAA college basketball game against Arkansas in Baton Rouge, La., Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023. LSU won 79-76. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
LSU forward Angel Reese (10) celebrates after a turnover in the second half an NCAA college basketball game against Arkansas in Baton

Every now and then, a player creates a highlight that strikes a chord. LSU star Angel Reese did exactly that on Thursday night during a 79-76 win over Arkansas.

Reese lost her shoe during a play in the third quarter. With Arkansas’ Samara Spencer dribbling at the top of the key, Reese attempted to use her free time on defense to put her shoe back on. She abandoned that task when Spencer started driving down the lane for a layup. With her shoe in one hand, Reese rejected Spencer at the basket and stared her down after the block landed the Razorback on the floor. It appeared that some words were exchanged and Reese was issued a technical foul, her first one of the season.

She put up 30 points and 19 rebounds in the victory, her 19th double-double at LSU. The performance tied her with WNBA legend Sylvia Fowles for the most consecutive double-doubles in LSU women’s basketball history.

‘Let’s normalize women showing passion for the game’
After the victory, “Angel Reese” was a trending topic on Twitter in Louisiana. She took to the app to address critics as the highlight circulated and ended the message with a friendly emoji.

“‘I’m too hood.’ ‘I’m too ghetto.’ I don’t fit the narrative and I’M OK WITH THAT,” Reese wrote. “I’m from Baltimore where you hoop outside & talk trash. If it was a boy y’all wouldn’t be saying nun at all. Let’s normalize women showing passion for the game instead of it being ‘embarrassing.’”

The message was met with support from Washington Mystics’ Natasha Cloud and retired WNBA player Armintie Herrington.

Ranked No. 3, LSU is undefeated and appears to be having a blast. Reese also retweeted a video of teammate Alexis Morris being carried in the Tigers’ fan section after the win. Morris scored two clutch buckets in the fourth quarter to bring LSU back from a 3-point deficit and hold on for the win.

Reese came to LSU after two seasons at Maryland as the top-rated player in the transfer portal and seems like she has found a home in Baton Rouge. “This is the happiest I’ve ever been playing. I feel like I’m back to my game,” she recently told Just Women’s Sports’ Lydnsey D’arcangelo.

LSU forward Angel Reese (10) reacts after defeating Arkansas in an NCAA college basketball game in Baton Rouge, La., Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023. LSU won 79-76. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

LSU forward Angel Reese (10) reacts after defeating Arkansas in an NCAA college basketball game in Baton Rouge, La., Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023. LSU won 79-76. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Angel Reese is now tied with Sylvia Fowles for an LSU record. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)