LSU’s quest to reach another Final Four encountered a brief first-half injury scare.

Star forward Angel Reese limped off the court and started riding a bike on the sideline early in the second quarter after attempting to block Caitlin Clark’s shot and landing awkwardly — admitting postgame, after the Tigers’ 94-87 loss to Iowa, that she rolled her ankle “on one of the cameras.”

“I’m tough, so I tried to play through it, of course,” Reese told reporters, “and this is something that has been going on for a little while now. But I played through it, and I’m not going to make that excuse for the rest of my play for the game.”

Four minutes into the second frame, Reese was called for a foul after Clark drove toward the basket and Reese attempted to swat the Iowa star’s shot.

But Reese’s momentum carried her off the court and toward a cluster of people underneath the basket, and she hobbled toward the LSU bench without putting any weight on her right ankle.

Reese, though, checked back into the game around a minute of game time later, scored the Tigers’ next basket and blocked a shot, adding to her statline that ended with 17 points, 20 rebounds, four assists, two steals and three blocks.

When asked about Reese’s injury, LSU head coach Kim Mulkey said she figured that it was the same ankle that Reese dealt with during the Tigers’ SEC tournament run.

Reese’s ankle injury had flared up during LSU’s quarterfinal game against Auburn, and she showed up to its championship game against South Carolina in a boot before playing, according to The Daily Advertiser.

“You’re in the heat of the moment,” Mulkey told reporters Monday after LSU fell short of another Final Four appearance. “She’s playing. Trainer never came to see me to give me any details. I don’t know that Angel or I, either one, would ever make an excuse that her being hobbled was why we lost the game.”

Before the injury scare against the Hawkeyes, Reese had compiled 10 points and six rebounds, with No. 3-seed LSU building a five-point lead over No. 1-seed Iowa after the opening 10 minutes.

Reese, who confirmed postgame that she hasn’t made a decision about either returning to LSU for another season or entering the WNBA Draft, eventually fouled out with 1:45 remaining.