Angel Reese not with LSU on Cayman Islands trip

Angel Reese missed her third consecutive game Friday as No. 7 LSU opened the Cayman Islands Classic with a 99-65 win over Niagara.

The star forward has not been with the team since coach Kim Mulkey benched her during the second half of a 109-79 win over Kent State on Nov. 14.

LSU is also without guard Kateri Poole on this week's trip. Mulkey said an update on Poole's status would be given when the team returned to the United States.

As for Reese, it's been the same answer as when she missed her first game following the benching.

"You will know when (Reese) comes back," Mulkey said after Friday's game, per ESPN. "Obviously she's not with us."

Mulkey has refused to divulge any details of Reese's absence from the team, saying Nov. 14 that she would not field any questions about it and "That's all y'all need to know."

LSU (6-1), the defending national champion, has encountered some turmoil early in the 2023-24 season. The Tigers lost to Colorado 92-78 on opening night, with Mulkey criticizing her players' toughness after the game.

"I'm disappointed and surprised in some individual players that I thought would just be tougher and have a little fight and leadership about them," Mulkey said.

Reese posted a video to TikTok Thursday that borrowed audio from Colorado football coach Deion Sanders.

"Look at me," Sanders' voiceover said. "What about me would make you think I care about your opinion of me? Your opinion of me is not the opinion I have of myself. You ain't make me, so you can't break me."

LSU defeated Iowa in last April's national championship game for the program's first women's basketball title. Reese led the Tigers with averages of 23 points and 15.4 rebounds per game and was a first-team All-American.

—Field Level Media