It was a hard-fought, emotional SEC Tournament Championship for everyone involved. The Tigers eventually came up short, falling to South Carolina, but even despite the loss, star LSU forward Angel Reese feels good about her team moving forward and expressed plenty of excitement for the future.
Star LSU forward Angel Reese is proud of the fight her team put on the court vs. South Carolina
For all who took part in today’s SEC Tournament Championship, they likely saw a game unlike anything they’ll ever see again.
After double-digit ejections, fighting disqualifications and an eventual five-on-five competition for the last two minutes of the game, South Carolina would come out on top beating LSU women’s basketball 79-72 in what will likely go down as one of the most dramatic championships in conference history.
Even despite entering the day with five, maybe six fully-healthy players on roster, the Tigers put up quite the fight, pushing the Gamecocks to the very end. Unfortunately for coach Kim Mulkey and her team, it wasn’t enough to come away with a trophy, but if you ask anyone involved with the purple and gold program, it just went to show the will they have moving forward into March.
“I’ve never been a part of a game like that, but you know, two heavy hitters, we’re going to battle,” star LSU forward Angel Reese said when speaking with the media postgame. “We’re not scared of them, they’re not scared of us. We came in and knew what we had, they came in and knew what they had.”
And it turned up and went ways that we didn’t want it to go, but I’m proud of this team. We fought, we fought, we fought with five, maybe six healthy players – if that. Just know we’re not scared, and we’re in a place right now that I’m proud of, and I’m happy about where we are right now.”
Depth for the purple and gold was without a doubt a concern entering the day, and it would turn out to be a major turning point in the way things went in the championship. SEC foe South Carolina was healthy coming in and they used it to their advantage, getting 10 players on the court, nine of which received double-digit minutes.
In contrast, three of the Tigers ended up playing all 40 minutes. Even so, the team kept it close, even making it a five point game with less than two minutes to go.
While on one hand the team did come up short and will enter the NCAA Tournament with another loss against South Carolina, it’s important to note that LSU is battle tested and has the potential to beat just about anyone once fully healthy.
The team is ready for whatever comes next in March
With SEC play officially coming to an end this afternoon, all eyes have officially turned to the NCAA Tournament which is set to begin in a little less than two weeks on March 20, 2024.
While many will look at today’s loss and count coach Kim Mulkey and the Tigers out, this one game doesn’t entirely tell the full story.
The Tigers are officially entering the tournament on a 10-1 run and have plenty of positive momentum. Furthermore, the roster was battling injuries in just about every capacity before today. Forward Angel Reese and guard Mikaylah Williams played today on lower body injuries, while guard Last-Tear Poa left the tournament on Saturday with a concussion.
In turn, it’s safe to say that LSU very well could be moving forward as one of the most battle-tested teams in the country. Even scarier, they now have 10 days to get healthy after experiencing an incredibly emotional loss vs. the Gamecocks.
“We’re not scared of South Carolina. And I’m going to repeat that. We’re not scared of South Carolina,” Reese continued about her team, “A lot of people are scared of them, and we came in and battled, and battled, and battled, and battled until the end, and of course, we came up short, but we’ll see them again, or whoever will see them again.”
I’m just happy and I’m gonna acknowledge my teammates first. Janae (Kent) , Aalyah (Del Rosario), they came off the bench and did big things for us. Mikaylah (Williams), she was frustrated because she had to do minimum numbers and minimum time, but she came out there and did what she did, and she defended and she played as hard as she could.”
Among the seven players to see time on the court today for the purple and gold were three freshmen, with Janae Kent, Aalyah Del Rosario and Mikaylah Williams combining for 46 minutes, 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
As we look ahead to the NCAA Tournament, LSU women’s basketball has a final record of 28-5, with losses coming against Colorado, as well as fellow SEC opponents Auburn, South Carolina and Mississippi State.
With a chance to not only get healthy, but mentally prepare for yet another long tournament schedule, the Tigers are certainly looking dangerous moving forward, and star senior Angel Reese is abundantly aware of it.
“We played hard; we played tough. We did whatever it took to win, and sadly we came up short, but I’m happy where we are right now and anybody seeing us moving forward should be scared.”
While we don’t yet know who LSU is set to face in the first round, we won’t have to wait long to find out, as Selection Sunday is set to take place a little less than a week from now. You can tune in live on Sunday, March 17, at 7:00 p.m. CST on ESPN.
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