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LSU star and 2023 Women's NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Angel Reese didn't hesitate to taunt rival Caitlin Clark during the championship game.
Reese pulled Clark's Elite 8 celebration of WWE star-turned-actor John Cena's "you can't see me" wave and pointed to her ring finger to celebrate LSU's 102-85 blowout win over Iowa in Sunday's title game.
Here's a clip of the moment (via SportsCenter):
Clark taunted Louisville players during Iowa's Elite 8 win with the same celebration. Clark also taunted South Carolina's freshman guard Raven Johnson during the Final Four game by waiving her off on a defensive possession.
Reese wanted to avenge these disrespectful gestures, especially the one against Johnson, who was in the same conference as her. Here's what Reese said about this (via SportsCenter):
"I was waiting. Caitlin Clark's a hell of a player for sure. But I don’t take disrespect lightly. And she disrespected Alexis [Moore], and my South Carolina girls... They’re still my SEC girls too."
Angel Reese finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Caitlin Clark continued her fine run, scoring 30 points and dishing out eight assists, making eight 3-pointers. LSU extended their five-point first-quarter advantage to 17 by halftime and never looked back.
Fans divided over Angel Reese taunting Caitlin Clark
Caitlin Clark has inarguably been the best player in the women's division this season. Her performances have drawn attention from all over, and there's tremendous respect that she has garnered for her generational production in the 2023 NCAA tournament.
These factors led fans to have a divided opinion over Angel Reese's taunting celebration. Fans online labeled Reese "classless" for getting up in Clark's face, despite the year she has had.
Reese, however, had some support too. Fans called out the double standards and bias, as Clark has done the same over the past couple of games. She hasn't hesitated to talk trash or use taunting gestures against her opponents, despite being on the verge of winning games.
Many believed Angel Reese didn't do anything wrong in that regard, as it's part and parcel of the sport, and Caitlin Clark was on the receiving end of the taunting this time. Clark was unfazed by the celebrations, though. Clark said she was unaware of what went down during that point.
