Emotional Angel Reese speaks out after Iowa defeat as LSU star reveals she ‘hasn’t been happy’ since winning national title last year – and claims she’s been receiving DEATH THREATS — before shedding tears as teammate Flau’Jae Johnson slams her critics

An emotional Angel Reese cried and said she “hasn’t been happy” since winning the national championship last year, as the LSU star spoke after the Tigers’ Elite 8 loss to Caitlin Clark’s Iowa.

Reese, who finished the contest with 17 points, also claimed she had received “death threats” and detailed what has clearly been a difficult year for her.

“I can’t really defend myself,” he said. ‘I mean, I have great teammates. I have a great support system. I have my hometown. I have my family that defends me. I can’t really talk about things because I just ignore them.

“I’m just trying to stay strong,” he continued. ‘I’ve been through so much, I’ve seen so much, I’ve been attacked so many times. Death threats, I have been sexualized, I have been threatened.

‘I have been so many things and I have stayed strong, every time. And I just try to hold my ground for my teammates because I don’t want them to see me down and not be there for them… I’m still a human being. All of this has happened since I won the national championship, and I said the other day that I haven’t been happy since. And it sucks, but I still wouldn’t change anything.

Reese revealed that he “hasn’t been happy” since LSU won the national championship last year.

‘And I would still sit here and say that I am unapologetically me, that I will always leave that mark and be who I am and stand by that. And I hope the girls that look up to me… I hope I give them some kind of inspiration… they continue to be who they are, they continue to wake up every day, they continue to be motivated.

Reese’s comments came after teammate Flau’Jae Johnson defended her on the podium.

Johnson appeared to reference LA Times writer Ben Bolch’s since-updated op-ed that referred to LSU players as “villains.”

‘Everyone can have their opinion about Angel Reese. But you don’t know her. “You guys don’t know Angel Reese… I know the real Angel Reese,” Johnson said.

‘And the person I see every day is a strong person, a loving and caring person. The crown he wears is heavy, brother. She’s the kind of teammate that will make you believe in yourself. The jump I made from my freshman year to my sophomore year: Angel gave me the confidence to become a dog. Playing next to a dog every day, and just seeing how the media ridicules her, we go through our problems, but she is my sister.

“And I’m so proud of her,” she continued. ‘The media, all of you, how they like to twist him and call him a villain and all that, you don’t know Angel, brother. And I’m happy to be able to play with her. I can be surrounded by her presence, her energy is different. She just makes me a better player…and that’s what great players do.

Reese scored 17 points but needed 21 shots to get there and went cold in the second half.

Reese fouled out of the game with 1:45 left, and that could have meant the end of his college career.

The 21-year-old previously spoke about her ambition to play in the WNBA and saying on Monday night, “I’ll make my decision when I’m ready.”

Shortly before halftime in his team’s 94-87 loss, Reese appeared to get angry at LSU coach Kim Mulkey for “bringing me the damn ball.”

Reese’s outburst with the game tied 41-41, towards the end of the first half,

At another point in the contest, Reese appeared to tell his teammates to “stop making stupid shots” during a timeout.