Angel Reese returns to Columbia in different uniform. Can Gamecocks slow LSU star?
No. 1 South Carolina has its sights set on stopping No. 3 LSU as a team, but the Gamecocks will see a familiar face in the Tigers’ front court.
LSU sophomore forward Angel Reese leads the SEC in points (23.5) and rebounds (15.8) per game. She’s also fifth in the country in scoring. The Gamecocks played against Reese last year in Columbia during non-conference play when she was on Maryland’s roster. She transferred to LSU in May.
The 6-foot-3 Reese has a background as a point guard, and she’s known to bring the ball up the court at times. She has good footwork in the post, helping her maneuver through traffic down low. Her quickness allows her to get offensive putbacks, as she’s averaging 6.7 offensive rebounds per game.
Slowing Reese down is one of the bigger subplots when South Carolina (24-0) hosts LSU (23-0) on Sunday at Colonial Life Arena.
“There really isn’t any stopping her,” USC head coach Dawn Staley said. “I think with somebody like Angel, you’ve got to make her play on both sides because she’s super active. She’s relentless. She goes hard all the time.”
Reese put up 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in Maryland’s loss to USC last year. She was not as efficient shooting the ball, though, going 7-of-19 from the floor that day.
She’s greatly ascended this season and has emerged as a National Player of the Year candidate.
“She had a lot of opportunities at Maryland, but she’s the centerpiece of it all (now),” Staley said. “Sometimes when you take that on, players like Angel Reese, she thrives in it. And because of that, she’s outdone her production at Maryland.”
South Carolina forward Aliyah Boston won the NPOY award last season. As the projected No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft, she remains in that conversation.
Boston averages 13.3 points per game and leads the SEC with a 58.9% field goal percentage. The post battle will be a talking point for Sunday, but Boston — like Reese — isn’t focusing on the billing of that matchup.
“I know in the media, everybody’s putting ‘Aliyah vs. Angel,’ but it’s really a team effort,” Boston said. “It’s not a one-on-one game the entire game.”
Boston’s own game has elevated against ranked teams this season. In the four games that USC’s played an Associated Press Top 25 opponent, she’s averaging 18.5 points and 11.8 rebounds.
“It’s quite incredible,” Staley said. “She still plays the same way, but somehow, she gets to be a little more efficient. And she gets maybe four or five more rebounds that she usually does. She wants it.”
USC has the depth advantage in the post when it comes to guarding Reese, and Staley said showing her different looks is a key to slowing her down. Along with Boston, the team starts fifth-year senior Victaria Saxton, who stands at 6-foot-2, and it brings 6-foot-7 junior center Kamilla Cardoso off the bench.
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma spoke out about the Gamecocks’ physical play against the Huskies earlier this week. LSU head coach Kim Mulkey seems to be ready to embrace it.
“You better be physical back,” Mulkey told reporters Thursday. “I hope that we will match their physicality.”
Sunday’s game will be played in front of a sold-out crowd inside Colonial Life Arena, the first home sellout of the season for the Gamecocks.
LSU and South Carolina are the last two undefeated teams in the nation. For the Tigers, Reese is a big reason why.
“She’s a very talented player,” Boston said. “Very aggressive, hustle player, she plays her all for 40 minutes. Being prepared for that is what us as a team are going to have to continue to work at.”
South Carolina vs. LSU time, channel
- Who: No. 1 Gamecocks (24-0, 11-0 SEC) vs. No. 3 Tigers (23-0, 11-0)
- When: 2 p.m. Sunday
- Where: Colonial Life Arena
- TV/stream: ESPN and the ESPN app
This story was originally published February 10, 2023 at 5:09 PM.
