Angel Reese Says She and Kim Mulkey 'Have Similar Personalities' After Holding Enraged Coach Back from Referee

The LSU Tigers defeated Northwestern State mightily in a 81-36 victory on Sunday

LSU star Angel Reese and head coach Kim Mulkey will do what it takes to win at the highest level.

Mulkey, 61, was ejected by game officials during LSU's 81-36 victory over Northwestern State on Sunday, just before the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

The Tigers head coach became enraged over an offensive foul called on LSU's Aneesah Morrow that was called when her team held a nearly-40 point lead over Northwestern.

As Mulkey demanded answers from referees, Reese, 21, held her coach back from causing more of a scene on the court.

During the team's postgame media availability on Sunday, Reese said it "was fine" that she had to hold Mulkey back, and explained that she and her coach share similar expectations when it comes to winning.

"Me and coach Mulkey have similar personalities, and we really like to win no matter the score," Reese told reporters.

Related: Angel Reese Says NCAA Championship Forced Her to 'Mature Quickly': 'It's a Fast Life I'm Living' (Exclusive)

The LSU star added, "And of course she’s going to fight for us, and we all fight for her, so that moment was fun, and we knew she had our back and we had her back."

Reese and Mulkey recently made headlines after Reese was inexplicably absent from the team for a stretch of games.

Reese didn't play in LSU's pummeling 59-point victory over Texas Southern on Nov. 20, but Mulkey delivered a puzzling response to a question about what's keeping her from playing with the team.

"You always have to deal with locker room issues," Mulkey said at the time.

"That’s just part of coaching," she continued. "In 40 years, I can never think of a time where I didn't have to deal with issues. That’s what coaches do."

Mulkey added, "Sometimes you'll know about them, and sometimes you don’t," regarding the aforementioned "issues" facing her team. "Sometimes you want to know more than you're entitled to know," she continued.

Addressing the reporter personally, Mulkey insisted, "I'm going to protect my players. Always."

Related: LSU Women's Basketball Coach Kim Mulkey Dons Outlandish Courtside Outfits on Road to Victory: See the Looks

Reese returned to the court on Nov. 30 to help her team defeat the Virginia Tech Hokies at LSU.

Reese told reporters after her return that her time away from the team "felt great," although it was a "long week and a half" for her.

"Taking time for yourself is really important," she said. "I feel like that's something that was important, resetting and focusing within the team."

When asked about the reason for her absence, the LSU star was unspecific but explained, "My mental health is the most important before anything, and I'm gonna make sure I'm okay before anything, because I don't wanna cause any harm or cancer in the locker room."

Reese added that she wants "people to realize I'm not just an athlete – I'm a human too."

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"I go through things, we all go through things, and just being able to have so many people that were super supportive to me in this past week and a half really showed me a lot."

During her time away from the Tigers, LSU maintained their impressive level of play, and Reese said she's "really happy" about how the team is playing currently.

Reese added that her role now is "just coming back and doing whatever it takes to win."

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