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Angel Reese Scores 19 In LSU Return

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Angel Reese had 19 points and 9 rebounds in her first game back with LSU since November 14. Reese, who started and played 29 minutes, was instrumental in the 82-64 win over Virginia Tech. Meanwhile, Aneesah Morrow had a 19-point, 15-rebound double-double. The Hokies’ Georgia Amoore had a game-high 25 points in the loss.

“How happy are y’all to see me?” Reese greeted reporters after the game. While she did not say much about her absence, she did say that she was glad to be back. “It was a long two weeks to be away from the team. I’m just happy to be back and this place was amazing tonight,” Reese said. The game also marked Kim Mulkey‘s 700th coaching win, making her the fastest coach in both men’s and women’s NCAA history to hit that mark. “Angel is one of the best players I’ve coached. I’m just proud. I’m proud of how she handled herself. She’s back to the Angel everybody knows,” Mulkey said after the game.

Read More: Angel Reese And LSU Stars Name Their All-Time Basketball Starting Lineups

Short-handed LSU Look To Persevere

LSU fielded just seven players against Virginia Tech as the early-season drama, as well as some brutal injuries, have begun to take their toll. Kateri Poole remains away from the team and did not make her return alongside Reese. Meanwhile, star sophomore Sa’Myah Smith was ruled out for the season after tearing her ACL, MCL, and right meniscus in the Cayman Islands. That leaves LSU with just 11 players to see out the season. Morrow and freshman Milaylah Williams are already close to averaging 30 minutes a night.

However, the Tigers can likely take their foot off the gas for December, with five games left before the SEC slate begins in January. Their December opponents have an average NET ranking of 273, meaning they will likely be little trouble for the 8-1 Tigers. It’s January that will start to cause problems if the Tigers remain short-handed and their stars stay on high workloads. Despite losing their entire starting lineup to graduation and the WNBA draft, South Carolina has re-emerged as one of the best teams in the country. They are 6-0, with half their wins coming against ranked opponents. The Tiger-Gamecocks matchup is currently set for January 25.

Read More: Angel Reese Becomes Shaq’s First Reebok Signing

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Is Angel Reese Playing Against Virginia Tech?

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LSU has continued its policy of silence about Angel Reese’s absence as one of the team’s biggest games of the season looms. The No. 7 Tigers (7-1) are scheduled to host No. 9 Virginia Tech (5-1) on Thursday. However, the team has not revealed if Reese will be returning to the team for this top-ten matchup. Reese has not played since being benched at half-time against Kent State on November 14. Reese has subsequently missed the team’s next four games, including a Thanksgiving Week tournament in the Cayman Islands. The Tigers are 4-0 without Reese, although the NET ranking of their opponents in those games sat at an average of 202nd. However, the Tigers barely survived Virginia (53rd in NET ranking), beating the Cavaliers 76-73.

Furthermore, Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey has consistently shut down any line of questioning about Reese’s absence. When asked if Reese would appear in LSU’s first game after her Kent State benching, Mulkey told reporters to “buy a ticket and find out”. Since then, Mulkey has only doubled down on her rhetoric. Mulkey said that her silence is about “protecting her players” while also alluding to “locker room issues”. But the reality of the situation is that LSU has made sure to bunker down against any rumors or leaks. It’s unknown if Reese is even training with the team right now.

Read More: Angel Reese And LSU Stars Name Their All-Time Basketball Starting Lineups

Drama Swirls Around Reese And LSU

The lack of communication from LSU has led to a deluge of rumors about what is going on. Reese’s parents beefed with the parents of her teammate, Flau’jae Johnson. In those exchanges, Johnson’s parents appeared to imply that Reese had been suspended for poor grades. Reese herself seemingly responded to this, telling her social media followers to not “believe everything you read“. Meanwhile, recently graduated LSU alums chimed in, implying that they had insider knowledge about dysfunction on the team.

However, Reese appears largely unbothered by the speculation. On November 22, Reese posted a video to her TikTok account, showing her walking around her apartment in a fluffy pink bathrobe. The audio of the video was a speech by Deion Sanders talking about how little he thinks about his haters. Furthermore, Reese posted a video of the same speech to her Instagram last weekend. She has since posted other videos to her account, none of which appear to directly reference the drama within the team. This remains a developing story and we’ll have any updates as and when they emerge.

Read More: Angel Reese Becomes Shaq’s First Reebok Signing

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