No. 7 LSU saw the return of Angel Reese and reason to believe they still have some juice as the reigning NCAA champions on Thursday.
The Tigers defeated No. 9 Virginia Tech 82-62 in a rematch from last season’s Final Four, their biggest win of a season that hasn’t started on the right foot despite an 8-1 record. It was also the 700th win of LSU head coach Kim Mulkey’s career.
Reese had missed the previous four games for undisclosed reasons. After a midgame benching against Kent State, Reese was conspicuously absent for wins over Southeastern Louisiana, Texas Southern, Niagara and Virginia. As reporters continued to request an explanation, all Mulkey would do was confirm it was disciplinary measure, comparing the situation to “disciplining your children.”
In her return, Reese posted 19 points on 5-of-10 shooting with nine rebounds, two assists, one steal and four turnovers. If there were any hard feelings from her apparent suspension, they weren’t on display when the player embraced Mulkey both during and after the game.