Roanoke

LSU star Angel Reese returning for clash with Virginia Tech

M.Nguyen3 months ago

BATON ROUGE, La. — One of the biggest stars in women's basketball will be back on the court for LSU's marquee clash with Virginia Tech on Thursday.

LSU coach Kim Mulkey announced at a news conference Wednesday that All-American forward Angel Reese, who has not been with the defending NCAA champions for the past four games, will play for the seventh-ranked Tigers in their 2023 Final Four rematch with the ninth-ranked Hokies.

"Angel is back and we are happy, happy, happy," Mulkey said. "She's happy, happy, happy."

LSU (7-1) will host Virginia Tech (5-1) as part of the inaugural ACC-SEC Challenge. The 9 p.m. game will air on ESPN.

The 6-foot-3 Reese, who was named the most outstanding player of the 2023 Final Four, is averaging 17.0 points and 10.3 rebounds this year after averaging 23.0 points and 15.4 rebounds last year. So her return will certainly help LSU against the Hokies and star center Elizabeth Kitley.

"It's a boost having her back, period. It's not just against Virginia Tech — it's just for our team, she's just a tremendous player," Mulkey said of Reese. "She gives us a good matchup with Kitley. But it's not just [good] for this one game. It's for the rest of the season."

Reese had 24 points and 12 rebounds in LSU's 79-72 comeback win over Tech in the Final Four.

She has not played for LSU since the first half of a Nov. 14 win over Kent State. Mulkey benched her for the second half of that game, even though LSU led Kent State by just two points at halftime.

Mulkey has refused in recent weeks to explain why Reese has not been with the squad.

"What's in that locker room stays in that locker room," Mulkey said Wednesday.

So what exactly is Reese coming back from?

"She's coming back from not being with the team," said Mulkey, who has 699 career wins.

Mulkey said Reese has been "really good" in practice, but she declined to say how long Reese has been at practice.

"What difference does it make?" she said. "A coach is entitled to play who they want whether they practice with the team or not."

LSU will still be short-handed Thursday, though.

Mulkey announced that 6-2 forward Sa'Myah Smith (11.7 ppg, 7.6 rpg), suffered a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus in the team's win over Niagara in the Cayman Islands Classic last Friday. Smith will miss the rest of the season.

"It's just so sad for her because she has improved by leaps and bounds," Mulkey said. "Angel being back kind of helps, but there's no substitution for the value that Sa'Myah has."

Mulkey also announced that reserve guard Kateri Poole, who has not been with the team the past two games, won't be back for Thursday's game. She declined to say why Poole is not with the team.

"Kateri's not with us right now," Mulkey said.

With Smith and Poole not suiting up Thursday, that means LSU is down to three players who saw action in the Final Four win over Tech — Reese, guard Flau'Jae Johnson (11.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg) and reserve Last-Tear Poa.

But the Tigers have some talented newcomers.

DePaul transfer Aneesah Morrow (18.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg) was named the national player of the week for her play in the team's two games in the Cayman Islands Classic. The 6-1 forward had 28 points and 10 rebounds against Niagara. She had 37 points and 16 rebounds in a 76-73 win over Virginia, helping to make up for the absence of Reese, Smith and Poole.

"[Morrow and Reese] being on the floor together ... may not be smooth, but it should be really good because Morrow's playing really good basketball right now," Mulkey said.

Louisville graduate transfer Hailey Van Lith is a familiar foe to the Hokies. The guard is averaging 12.9 points with her new team.

Mikaylah Williams, a freshman guard, is averaging 17.5 points.

The Tigers have won seven straight since opening with a 92-78 loss to Colorado.

Mulkey was pleased with how her short-handed team did in the Cayman Islands Classic.

"We've got some competitors. When thrown a curveball, they can hit it," she said. "If you have everybody and everything's going smooth, it's still hard to win in that circumstance because you're really thinking about that beach. ... Sometimes it's just hard to focus when you're at a beautiful place like that. And then when you have to do it with an unexpected injury and all the things that have taken place, I saw a gutsy performance."

In the Final Four, Tech led LSU 59-50 entering the fourth. But the Tigers outscored Tech 29-13 in the final quarter.

LSU scored 54 points in the paint and tallied 24 second-chance points in that physical game.

Will this year's LSU team try to beat Tech the same way?

"We can score," Mulkey said. "Morrow can score. Angel can score. But they can also rebound when they're not scoring. So we feel like those two are pretty special players. But they're not all we have. On the perimeter we have experience with Flau'Jae and Hailey and Poa. Mikaylah Williams doesn't play like a freshman.

"We're just going to go play [Tech] and do what we do — whoever's got the hot hand."

Kitley is averaging 24.3 points and 11.5 rebounds for Tech, while point guard Georgia Amoore averages 17 points.

"Those two players are just so good," Mulkey said. "You've got a big post presence that can face you up and then Amoore, I don't think there's a shot she can't make.

"You can't guard Amoore with just one kid. I don't have [former LSU point guard Alexis] Morris — you remember how good Morris was guarding her, and how good she was guarding Caitlin Clark [in the NCAA title game]. We just may have to do a little bit of tag team."

Mark Berman (540) 981-3125