LSU’s Angel Reese waved her hand in front of her face while staring down Caitlin Clark, then pointed toward her finger as if to say a ring was coming while walking toward the Iowa star.

The gestures late in the Tigers’ 102-85 victory in the NCAA championship game Sunday lit up social media, with comments supporting the ‘Bayou Barbie’ for trash talk that’s just part of the game and condemning her for lacking grace in victory.

The bubbly junior from Baltimore, who transferred from Maryland to join flamboyant LSU coach Kim Mulkey, was unapologetic in the postgame news conference.

‘All year, I was critiqued about who I was,’ Reese said. ‘I don’t fit in a box that y’all want me to be in. I’m too hood. I’m too ghetto. But when other people do it, y’all say nothing. So this was for the girls that look like me, that’s going to speak up on what they believe in. It’s unapologetically you.’

Clark, the scoring sensation who was the first with consecutive 40-point games in an NCAA Tournament, made the face-waving gesture to no one in particular during an Elite Eight victory over Louisville.

Lady Tigers forward Angel Reese (10) gestures towards Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22)

The ‘Bayou Barbie’ also appeared to mock Clark by copying a celebration she’s now known for

In her press conference, the LSU star was unapologetic and says she ‘doesn’t fit in a box’

The Associated Press Player of the Year wasn’t shy about showing her emotions when the Hawkeyes knocked off undefeated defending national champion South Carolina in the semifinals.

If she saw Reese’s gestures, Clark didn’t seem concerned about them.

‘I was just trying to get to the handshake line and shake hands and be grateful that my team was in that position,’ said Clark, who scored 30 points. ‘That´s all you can do is hold your head high, be proud of what you did. All the credit in the world to LSU. They were tremendous.’

In a 79-72 semifinal victory over Virginia Tech, Reese made what appeared to be a ‘you’re too small’ gesture several times after scoring around the basket.

The fashionable 6-foot-3 post with modeling aspirations is becoming a social media magnet. Reese wooed Lil Wayne after chastising the rapper from New Orleans for reaching out to Elite Eight opponent Miami before doing the same with the Tigers.

‘I’m going to be me, but I can’t do it without the girls here, and I can’t do it without the rest of my teammates and coaches,’ said Reese, who had 15 points and 10 rebounds while three teammates scored at least 20 points.

She was named the Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four after setting an NCAA single-season record with her 34th double-double against the Hawkeyes.

‘Twitter can say what Twitter can say,’ Reese said. ‘I love reading those comments. I have all the screenshots of what everybody has said about me all season. What are you going to say now?’

MEET LSU’S ‘BAYOU BARBIE’

By Lillian Gissen for DailyMail.com

Get ready to meet March Madness’ most lucrative new star – LSU’s 6-foot-3 ‘Bayou Barbie,’ who has become a social media sensation and has raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars thanks to her massive sponsorship deals, all while dazzling with her impressive basketball skills.

Angel Reese, 20, has captivated the world both on and off the court recently – thanks to her fierce determination, powerful drive, and unapologetic attitude.

The athlete, who won a national title with a 15-point effort against Iowa on Sunday, has become a viral online star, gaining more than half a million followers for often flaunting her lavish lifestyle as one of the top college athletes in the nation.

Along the way, she has reportedly earned a staggering $384,000 from her numerous partnerships with brands like Coach, Calvin Klein, and Bose, among others.

Get ready to meet March Madness’ most lucrative new star – LSU’s ‘Bayou Barbie’

Angel grew up in a town near Baltimore, Maryland, called Randallstown. She had a love of sports right away, participating in basketball, swimming, and track as a kid, as well as ballet.

After high school – where she was ranked as the number two player in her class by ESPN – she headed to the University of Maryland for college.

She played for the Maryland Terrapins women’s basketball team for two years, becoming the first player to average a double-double since 1975.

In 2022, when Angel announced that she wanted to switch schools, she was branded as the most heralded transfer on the globe.

She ultimately opted to head to Louisiana State University, where she now plays for Kim Mulkey’s LSU Tigers.

‘A fresh start, that’s what I came to LSU for,’ she told Yahoo! Sports earlier this month. ‘I just wanted a fresh start.

‘Being able to be within a program with Kim Mulkey, where she was going to push me every day and keep me humble and to get me to the next level, I think what was important for me.

‘I came from Maryland and I succeeded at Maryland, but I wanted more. I needed Coach Mulkey, that’s just what I needed.’

The athlete has become a viral online star, gaining more than half a million followers

Since joining the Tigers, she has averaged 23.2 points per game – ranking her as the fifth college basketball player – and she’s currently leading the number of three throws made and attempted in the sport. She also holds the SEC single-season record for double-doubles with 32.

‘When somebody else is shooting, she’s very hard to block out,’ her coach, Kim, said. ‘She’s not going to give up just because you put a body in front of her.

‘You’d better get some position, you’d better get some strength because she’s going to fight you in there for it.’

When it comes to what makes her so good, Angel, who plays forward, attributed being ambidextrous and her ability to figure out where the ball is going to go next.

‘When I know the ball is going up, I know which side it’s going to go to,’ she told the outlet. ‘And then I don’t let my defenders kind of box me out.’

She also told the New York Times that it’s her ‘dog mentality’ that separates her from other players.

‘I always want to go out there and win and I’m very passionate about that,’ she added.

‘Whoever’s in front of me, I’m going to go get it, and I’m going to talk trash to you the whole entire game, and that’s that.’

And while the athlete has made numerous strides on the court, she has also engrossed the world with spunky personality.

The star is certainly not afraid to own her impressive skills, and she knows she’s one of the tops in the sport.

In fact, before every game, she has someone from the opposing team bring her a crown.

Angel (seen as a kid) grew up in a town near Baltimore, Maryland, called Randallstown. She had a love of sports right away, participating in basketball, swimming, and track as a kid, as well as ballet

She has also become well-known for wearing lip gloss and eyelash extensions on the court, and having her nails done for every game – something you don’t see that often in basketball.

She branded herself as the Bayou Barbie last year, and she has since begun selling merch with the term written on it.

Back in January, after she went viral for making an intense play that involved her shoe flying off, she spoke out against people who called her ‘too hood’ or ‘too ghetto’ on Twitter, writing, ‘I don’t fit the narrative and I’M OK WITH THAT.

‘I’m from Baltimore where you hoop outside and talk trash. If it was a boy, y’all wouldn’t be saying [nothing] at all.

‘Let’s normalize women showing passion for the game instead of it being ’embarrassing.”

Angel often flaunts the many glamorous perks that come with being a successful collegiate athlete on her Instagram and TikTok accounts, where she has gained more than 546,000 followers and 633,000 followers respectively.

The sports star’s feed consists of photos and videos that show her jetting off on lavish vacations, staying in five-star resorts, relaxing beachside, toting around designer handbags, and donning expensive clothes.

She also loves to show off her stunning body, and has shared numerous snaps of herself in bikinis and revealing outfits that leave her curves on full display.

It’s no surprise that young men are fighting to get her attention, and her mother, who is also named Angel Reese, recently revealed on Twitter she she’s received a ton of messages from guys who believe that she’s her daughter.

‘FYI… I am Angel Reese, the mom, not the LSUwbb player. Please be mindful when you tag and/or send me DMs that your intent is to me not my daughter,’ she wrote on Twitter earlier this week.

‘I’m getting some crazy dating request from men who are my kid’s age, who clearly by the content of message think they’re sending it to Li’l A.’

Since joining the Tigers, she has averaged 23.2 points per game – ranking her as the fifth college basketball player – and she holds the SEC single-season record for double-doubles

Along the way, Angel has landed many lucrative sponsorships – with Yahoo reporting that she has more NIL brand deals than any other player in college basketball.

She has posted ads for companies like Calvin Klein, TurboTax, Bose, McDonalds, Xfinity, JanSport, Outback Steakhouse, and Wingstop within the last few months.

She also teamed up with Coach in August 2022, announcing that she had become the company’s ambassador and that they were teaming up to drop a collection of purses together.

In addition to the $384,000 that she reportedly racked up from her branding, she also earns somewhere between $63,000 to $75,000 yearly for her basketball career.

Thanks to her impressive abilities as an athlete, strong social media presence, and captivating personality, she has amassed a huge fanbase who often lineup outside her games in an attempt to see her.

The Times reported that at a recent game, more than a thousand people attended – and that it’s gotten so intense that the team now has to travel with a police officer.

She has even caught the attention of celebrities like Dwayne Wade, Gabrielle Union, Drake, and Li’l Wayne – who have all spoke about her on social media.

As for what’s next for Angel, she said during an appearance on the Outta Pocket podcast that she wants to continue playing on the college level for as long as possible.

‘The amount of money I can make in college is way more than the amount I can make in the WNBA,’ she admitted. ‘I’m definitely going to be taking that into consideration.’