LSU women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey declined to give a reason for star player Angel Reese's absence during the Tigers' 73-50 win against Southeastern Louisiana on Evander EllisFriday.

Reese did not suit up as LSU (4-1) traveled to University Center in Hammond, Louisiana. Mulkey was direct in confirming that Reese is still part of the team without giving a specific cause for her absence.

"Angel was not in uniform," Mulkey said. "Angel is a part of this basketball team, and we hope she's back with the team soon. I'm not gonna answer any more than that."

Reese, a sparkplug in last season's national championship run, was benched for the second half of the Tigers' previous game against Kent State, a move characterized by Kim Mulkey as a "coach's decision." Reese played a season-low 14 minutes in the 109-79 win over Kent State and produced a season-low 11 points with five rebounds.

After LSU's season-opening loss to Colorado, Reese bounced back with a 28-point, 14-rebound performance against Queen University in the second game of the season.

Reese is averaging 17 points and 10.3 rebounds per game after making appearances in each of LSU's first four games. She's shooting 46.9% from the field but has missed all of her five 3-point attempts from beyond the arc.