If Angel Reese Doesn't Play, Who Starts For LSU Women's Basketball?
If Angel Reese Doesn't Play, Who Starts For LSU Women's Basketball?
Angel Reese didn't practice with the LSU women's basketball team a day before their game against Niagara at the Cayman Islands Classic.
LSU women's basketball star Angel Reese didn't practice with the Tigers a day before their game against Niagara at the Women's Cayman Islands Classic on Nov. 24.
The reigning 2023 Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four has missed the last two games for the Tigers for undisclosed reasons.
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Without their star forward, the Tigers are 2-0 with a pair of lopsided wins against Southeastern Louisiana and Texas Southern.
Here's a look at the LSU lineup when Reese is out.
LSU Women's Basketball Lineup Without Angel Reese
With Reese out, the Tigers have started:
- Sa'Myah Smith, F
- Aneesah Morrow, F
- Flau'jae Johnson, G
- Hailey Van Lith, G
- Mikaylah Williams, G
Morrow entered the starting five for LSU without Reese and has averaged 13.3 points this season. In the two games she started, Morrow scored 17 points against Texas Southern and 10 against Southeastern Louisiana.
2023-2024 LSU Women's Basketball Roster
| NUMBER | NAME | POSITION | CLASS | EXPERIENCE | HIGH SCHOOL | HOMETOWN | PREVIOUS SCHOOL |
| 1 | Angelica Velez | Guard | Freshman | HS | The Webb School | Bronx, N.Y. | |
| 2 | Amani Bartlett | Forward | Junior | 2L | Houston Christian HS | Cleveland, Texas | |
| 4 | Flau'jae Johnson | Guard | Sophomore | 1L | Sprayberry HS | Savannah, Ga. | |
| 5 | Sa'Myah Smith | Forward | Sophomore | 1L | DeSoto HS | DeSoto, Texas | |
| 10 | Angel Reese | Forward | Junior | 1L | St. Frances Academy | Baltimore, Md. | Maryland |
| 11 | Hailey Van Lith | Guard | Graduate Student | TR | Cashmere HS | Wenatchee, Wash. | Louisville |
| 12 | Mikaylah Williams | Guard | Freshman | HS | Parkway HS | Bossier City, La. | |
| 13 | Last-Tear Poa | Guard | Junior | 1L | UC Senior Secondary College | Melbourne, Australia | Northwest Florida State College |
| 14 | Izzy Besselman | Guard | Sophomore | 1L | Episcopal HS | Baton Rouge, La. | |
| 20 | Janae Kent | Guard | Freshman | HS | Oak Forest HS | Oak Forest, Ill. | |
| 23 | Aalyah Del Rosario | Center | Freshman | HS | The Webb School | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | |
| 24 | Aneesah Morrow | Guard | Junior | TR | Simeon HS | Chicago, Ill. | DePaul |
| 55 | Kateri Poole | Guard | Junior | 1L | South Shore HS | Bronx, N.Y. | Ohio State |
Is Angel Reese Suspended?
Hall of Fame coach Kim Mulkey has not said Reese is suspended.
Following the Tigers’ 106-47 win over Texas Southern, Mulkey alluded to the team dealing with locker room issues.
“You always have to deal with locker room issues," Mulkey said in a postgame conference. "Sometimes, you don't know about it. Sometimes, you want to know more than you're entitled to know. I'm going to protect my players, always. They are more important."
She added that she would not reveal whether Reese would even make the trip to the Cayman Islands.
Mulkey did sound like Reese would be back at some point. After Tigers' 73-50 win over Southeast Louisiana she told reporter, “Angel is a part of this basketball team, and we hope to see her sooner than later.”
Angel Reese Led LSU WBB To 2023 NCAA Championship
Angel Reese was the leader of the LSU team in 2023 and was the 2023 Final Four Most Outstanding Player as well as the 2023 BET Sportswomen of the Year and 2023 ESPY Best Breakthrough Athlete.
Reese, who played two years at Maryland before transferring to LSU, averaged 17 points per game for the Tigers last season.
LSU Women's Basketball Roster Depth, Talent Showing While Angel Reese Absent
The Tigers were ranked No. 1 in the preseason for a reason. Not just because of Reese, but because of another win in the transfer portal and a talented freshman class.
The national champions added star Hailey Van Lith from the transfer portal. Van Lith, a 2020 McDonald's All-American, was the catalyst for Louisville's 2022 Final Four team and enters the year with 1,553 career points.
She is averaging 11.8 points and 4.6 assists per game.
Carrying LSU, though, has been freshman Mikaylah Williams, who started all six games for LSU, joining Van Lith as the only players to do so. Williams is averaging 19.2 points per game along with 3.5 rebounds. She is shooting 56.6% from 3-point range.
There are a total of six players averaging double figures for LSU, including Reese.
LSU Lady Tigers Basketball Schedule at Women's Cayman Island Classic
LSU faces Niagara at 1:30 p.m. ET on Nov. 24. LSU then plays Virginia at 5 p.m at Nov. 25.
Women's Cayman Island Classic Teams
The teams are (ranking based on Nov. 13 poll):
- No. 7 LSU
- No. 8 UConn
- No. 3 UCLA
- No. 9 Virginia Tech
- Kansas
- Virginia
- Niagara
- Tulane
Women's Cayman Island Classic Schedule
Here is the Nov. 24 schedule:
- Virginia vs. Tulane, 11 a.m. ET
- No. 7 LSU vs. Niagara, 1:30 p.m. ET
- No. 9 Virginia Tech vs, Kansas, 5 p.m. ET
- No. 8 UConn vs. No. 3 UCLA, 7:30 p.m. ET
Here is the Nov. 25 schedule:
- No. 9 Virginia Tech vs. Tulane, 11 a.m. ET
- No. 3 UCLA vs. Niagara, 1:30 p.m. ET
- No. 7 LSU vs. Virginia, 5 p.m. ET
- No. 8 UConn vs. Kansas, 7:30 p.m. ET
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