LSU superstar forward Angel Reese had another dominant night when she led her No. 13-ranked team to a 71-66 win over the Auburn Tigers on Thursday. She registered 25 points, 20 rebounds and two assists to record her 17th double-double of the season.
The Tigers heavily celebrated the win against Auburn since it was revenge against coach Johnnie Harris’s team, who beat them 67-62 in January.
After the game, the $1.7 million NIL-valued Angel Reese (as per On3) was quick to thump her chest at the win on her Instagram stories.
“THAT GET BACK A MF,” Reese wrote.
Image via Instagram
Angel Reese gets her revenge against Auburn
The last time LSU met Auburn, Angel Reese lost the ball to the Tigers guard JaMya Mingo-Young, who won the game for her team, perhaps explaining the enthusiasm with which Reese celebrated Thursday night’s win.
In the Jan. 14 loss, the “Bayou Barbie” recorded a team-high 24 points, alongside 11 rebounds and zero assists in 37 minutes of action.
During her postgame news conference last night, Reese pointed out the differences between her performance in the first and second games.
“Tonight, I had to help my teammates more defensively,” Reese said. “I had to be there for them once they set the pick-and-roll, stepping up and helping on that guard on the screen. I think I did a great job keeping the team together as well. Last time, I don’t think I did a great job of leading the team in the right way.”
Reese also showed her vast experience and leadership qualities with the speech that she gave to her team during the game.
“I told our team they’re going to go on runs. I think they’re a really tough team,” Reese said of Auburn. “They have really tough guards and experience, of course, with their two guards in Honesty (Scott-Grayson) and Young. Being able to stay poised tonight and, of course, being back home definitely helped.”
LSU coach Kim Mulkey highlighted the important role that Reese occupies within the LSU ecosystem.
“The best way to describe Angel’s leadership is by how hard you play in practice,” Mulkey said. “How hard do you play in practice as this last month comes to a close for her career at LSU. Just play hard. If she does, the rest of them will play hard and they’ll play with a lot of confidence when she’s playing hard.”
Angel Reese is only the second Division I player to have six 25-20 games in their career. It seems she is coming good at just the right time for the LSU Tigers (23-4), weeks before the NCAA Tournament.