“Surprised she didn’t rap about it” “Sisterhood right there”: Fans divided over LSU star Flau’Jae’s opinion on Angel Reese after loss vs. Iowa

LSU teammates Flau’jae Johnson and Angel Reese

The Elite Eight matchup pitting Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes against Angel Reese and the LSU Tigers ended with Iowa avenging their loss in last year’s NCAA Tournament Finals.

Both teams showed visible emotion after the game, with Angel Reese of LSU drawing particular attention, including a passionate response from her teammate, Flau’jae Johnson during the post-game press conference.

“Everybody can have their opinion on Angel Reese. But y’all don’t know her. Like, y’all don’t know Angel Reese.

“I know Angel Reese. I know the real Angel Reese and the person I see everybody is a strong person. It’s a caring and loving person, bro. But the crown she wear is heavy, bro.”

In particular, the “villain” persona the media had bestowed on LSU, and Reese in particular, did not sit right with Flau’jae.

“I’m so proud of her, like, the media, y’all, how they like to twist it and call the villain and all that, y’all don’t know Angel, bro.”

The support from Flau’jae towards Reese was abundantly clear, leading to Angel Reese breaking into tears as emotions overwhelmed her. However, the polarizing duo drew mixed reactions from fans. While some were overjoyed with their camaraderie, others were quick to troll the pair.

One fan was ready to take a shot at Johnson’s fledging rapping career, claiming her “surprise”.

Others were quick to point to the double standard the LSU players were adopting, pointing to their own behavior during victories as examples.
Comments on the caption trolling Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson

For some, the viewpoint was the opposite. To them, Flau’jae’s message was a beautiful example of teammates supporting each other.
Fans supporting Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson’s teammate mentality
However, for others, the reactions toward Reese were justified, especially given her mannerisms during and after games, claiming that “she made herself a villain”.
Fans duel about “the villain” moniker for Angel Reese
One fan took to pointing out how harmful social media and the commentary around “celebrities” has become. Instead, he chose to focus on these athletes and their greatness.
Fans call to appreciate the athletes’ greatness
For some fans, though, it was an opportunity to hail Caitlin Clark and her greatness. Seeing the emotions on the LSU stars’ faces, they claimed that the Hawkeyes superstar’s performance made them cry.
Fans claim Caitlin Clark left the duo crying

Flau’jae Johnson credits Angel Reese for her success

It wasn’t just the media critics Flau’jae Johnson wanted to clear the air on. Going a step beyond, the sophomore-year guard waxed poetic about Reese and her leadership, especially the confidence she instilled in her.

“She’s the type of teammate that’s going to make you believe in yourself. The leap that I took from my freshman to my sophomore year, Angel gave me that confidence to go be a dawg.

“Playing next to a dawg everyday, and you know, just to see how the media ridicule her, went through our problems, but this my sister right here… And I’m just happy that I get to play with her. I get to be around her presence, her energy, it’s different. She just make me a better player. That’s what great players do. “

The sophomore guard saw a significant jump in her numbers from Year 1 to Year 2. On both ends of the floor, her game passed the eye test and evident on the stat sheet.

Incresing her points from 11 to 14.7 and her assists average to 2.5, her growth as a defender went from 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks a game to 2.1, while 1.0 blocks a night was tremendous.

Moreover, her efficiency was the biggest indicator of her growth, becoming a 50% shooter, up from 42.4% in her first year. Similarly, her 3-point percentage also increased to 39.5 from 33 the previous season.

The story of the game

In a highly anticipated rematch of last year’s NCAA Championship Game, it was the Caitlin Clark show that took over proceedings. After a tightly contest first half, the teams were tied at 45-apiece, with Clark and Reese leading the way for their respective teams.

Caitlin had 12 points and five assists, while Angel tallied 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists, leading LSU in all three categories. However, an injury scare in the second quarter led to a scoreless third and most of the fourth quarter, Angel Reese ended the night with 17 points and 20 rebounds.

Meanwhile, Clark, defended by Hailey Van Lith for most of the night, got going in the third quarter, ending the game with 41 points, seven rebounds, and 12 assists in an all-around dominant outing.

With Paige Bueckers dominating in a victory against the USC Trojans and JuJu Watkins, the Final Four matchup between the two National Player of the Year contenders is set.