Angel Reese defends not coming to teammate’s aid in LSU-South Carolina fight: ‘Person at my status”
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Angel Reese issued a mea culpa of her own for not standing up for her teammates during Sunday’s scuffle toward the end of the Gamecocks’ conference title-clinching win over LSU.
While the rest of the LSU Tigers charged to the defense of Flau’jae Johnson, Reese was spotted going the opposite way toward the end of the team’s bench far from the melee on Sunday.
The incident occurred with 2:08 left on the clock in the SEC tournament championship game.
South Carolina star Kamilla Cardoso sparked a bench-clearing melee after aggressively shoving Johnson in a retaliatory move after she had bumped into the Gamecocks’ Ashlyn Watkins.
Reese faced backlash for not sticking up for Johnson in the moment and eventually addressed it on X shortly after 10 p.m.
“As a person at my STATUS, sometimes you have to walk away from certain situations,” Reese wrote. “Mind you the play before that I had rolled my ankle AGAIN and was already walking to the bench. I ALWAYS ride for mine. I’m super proud of this team & super excited for March.”
Another video posted to X did show Reese talking to Johnson one-on-one aftert things were broken up.
Cardoso also issued an apology for her role in the chaos.
She was one of the main players involved in the incident that occurred
“I would like to extend my sincerest apologies for my actions during today’s game,” Cardoso wrote on X after the game. “My behavior was not representative of who I am as a person or the South Carolina program, and I deeply regret any discomfort or inconvenience it may have caused. I take full responsibility for my actions and assure you that I am committed to conducting myself with the utmost respect and sportsmanship in the future.”
![Louisiana State University forward Angel Reese (10) waves to fans after South Carolina beat LSU for the SEC championship game.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/waves-fans-south-carolina-beat-78122755.jpg?w=1024)
The Gamecocks came away with the SEC crown in what would eventually become a 79-72 win, but due to the episode, they’ll be without Cardoso for the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Since she was assessed a fighting penalty, Cardoso was the only player who would miss time in the March Madness as a result of the skirmish.
![A scrum erupts on court that would lead to multiple ejections in the final minutes between the South Carolina Gamecocks and LSU on Sunday.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/03/scrum-erupts-court-lead-multiple-78134858.jpg?w=1024)
“I just want to apologize to the basketball community. When you’re playing in championship games like this in our league things get heated,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said in an ESPN interview after the game. “No bad intentions. Their emotions got so far ahead of them that sometimes these things happen.”
South Carolina is the presumptive No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament.
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