Angel Reese left in tears after emotional March Madness defeat as LSU teammate Flau’Jae Johnson leaps to her defense

And after the Tigers defeat and exit from March Madness at the hands of the Iowa Hawkeyes and Caitlin Clark, that emotion transpired in front of the press.

LSU was eliminated from March Madness after winning the tournament in 2023Credit: Getty

Forward Angel Reese was emotional, wiping away tearsCredit: Getty

Teammate Flau’jae Johnson helped wipe away Reese’s tears in an act of kindnessCredit: Getty
On Monday, LSU was eliminated from March Madness with a 94-87 loss, in which Clark took over, scoring 41 points.

For the Tigers, Reese held her own, notching a 17-point, 20-rebound double-double, while teammate and sophomore guard Flau’jae Johnson led the way in scoring with 23 points.

Despite their efforts – and Reese attempting to play through an ankle injury she suffered in the first half – it wasn’t enough as Iowa advanced to the Final Four.

After the game, the 21-year-old Reese addressed the media with her teammates Johnson and guard Hailey Van Lith, uncertain if she’d return to play another year of college basketball with them.

Reese, who was ranked the No. 2 player in her class by ESPN, is projected to be a top-10 pick in the WNBA Draft if she decides to declare.

“I’ll make a decision when I’m ready,” the junior Reese said.

Visibly distraught over the loss, emotions got to the 6-foot-3 forward as she recalled the last year since winning the NCAA Championship.

“I’ve been through so much,” she continued while wiping away tears.

“I’ve seen so much. I’ve been attacked so many times, death threats, I’ve been sexualized, I’ve been threatened, so many things, and I’ve stood strong every single time.

“I just try to stand strong for my teammates because I don’t want them to see me down and not be there for them.

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“I’m still a human. All this has happened since I won the national championship, and I said the other day I haven’t been happy since then.

“And it sucks, but I still wouldn’t change anything, and I would still sit here and say I’m unapologetically me.”

Unable to sit in silence, Johnson came to her teammate’s defense.

“Everybody can have their opinion on Angel Reese, but y’all don’t know her,” the 20-year-old Johnson said.

“Y’all don’t know Angel Reese. I know Angel Reese.

“I know the real Angel Reese and the person I see every day is a strong person, is a caring, loving person.”

“The crown she wears is heavy. She’s the type of teammate that’s going to make you believe in yourself,” the Roc Nation rapper added.

“The leap that I took from my freshman to my sophomore year, Angel gave me that confidence to go be a dog. Playing next to a dog every day. And just to see how the media ridicules her, we went through our problems but this is my sister right here and I’m so proud of her…

“How they like to twist it and call her the villain, y’all don’t know Angel. I’m just happy that I get to play with her, I get to be around her, her presence, her energy is different.

“She just makes me a better player… and that’s what great players do.”

Reese can return to LSU for another year but has to decide within two days.

Per WNBA rules, players whose teams advance to the Elite Eight have up to 48 hours after their last game to opt-in.

If Reese does opt-in, she’ll be included in the WNBA Draft held in Brooklyn on April 15.