BASKETBALL
2 Emphatic Double-Doubles in a Row and 10th of the Season, Has Angel Reese Finally Found Her MVP Touch?
The LSU Tigers are showing glimpses of their previous season’s championship run. They have dominated the SEC with a commanding 16-2 NCAA record in their present campaign. Following this, analysts and observers have started drawing similarities from their previous season’s show. Evidently, one of the profound and explicit reasons behind their resounding success in both their campaigns has been the ruthless run of form of their tenacious forward – Angel Reese.
Similar to last season, the All-American forward has displayed tremendous brilliance on the hardwood. However, the question that remains is – will she end her season on a high just like last time?
After committing to LSU from Maryland in her junior season, Reese wanted to be a part of Kim Mulkey’s winning culture. Following this, it didn’t take a whole lot of time for her to show her worth. She had an explosive debut against Bellarmine, where she delivered 31 points and 13 rebounds. Soon after, she overtook Maree Jackson’s 1977 single-game rebounding record when Reese grabbed 28 rebounds in LSU’s win over Texas A&M. In addition to this, a spirited Alabama couldn’t stop her from reaching her 20th consecutive double-double which eventually broke Sylvia Fowles’ record at LSU.
A 32nd double-double in the Elite Eight saw her punching her way through Teaira McCowan’s SEC single-season record. Consequently, she was named Most Outstanding Player of the Greenville Regional 2. Moving on to the Final Four, Reese accomplished an SEC single-season rebounding record with her 24 points and 12 rebounds against Virginia Tech. Finally, her 34th double-double won her the Most Outstanding Player award. Additionally, her 15 points and 10 rebounds led LSU to their first NCAA championship.
The AP preseason All-American Reese had a bumpy start to this year’s campaign following LSU’s season opener humiliation against the Lady Buffs at Vegas. Following this, she had to face a brief suspension of four games due to undisclosed reasons. However, ever since her return, she has been flawless in every LSU contest she’s been a part of. She is inching closer to her previous season’s 23-point-per-game average as she is currently scoring 20.1 points in every game. Additionally, she has crossed the 50% mark for her second LSU season in a row in terms of shooting from the field. Apparently, she is currently draining 50.6% of her shots which is just 1.9% less of what she achieved last season.