Going into the fourth quarter, things weren't looking so good for the LSU Tigers. They trailed Virginia Tech, 59-49 and had been down by as many as 13 points. The fourth quarter was their time, however. LSU completed a major comeback to reach the first March Madness national championship game in school history. Helping lead the way for LSU was star forward Angel Reese. Reese finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and three steals while shooting 11-19 from the field. She had a game-high six offensive rebounds and she explained via Alexa Philipou of ESPN why she hit the glass hard in the second half.
Angel Reese said that when the coaching staff pointed out at the half that VT was +11 on the glass, "I took that personal."
Reese alone had 10 rebounds after the half
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) April 1, 2023
Angel Reese led LSU in rebounding and she tied Virginia Tech's Elizabeth Kitley with 12 apiece. At the half, Virginia Tech held a plus-11 advantage on the glass with Reese only having two rebounds. She grabbed ten of her 12 boards in the second half alone. LSU was able to close the gap on the glass in the second half as they finished with 36 rebounds compared to Virginia Tech's 38.
Reese has been a star for LSU all season and is a top WNBA draft prospect for 2024. This season she posted career-highs across the board after transferring from Maryland. She averaged 23.2 points per game, 15.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocked shots with shooting splits of 52.6 percent shooting from the field, 16.7 percent shooting from the three-point line and 70.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Behind Reese's phenomenal play, LSU has a chance to win their first ever March Madness national title in school history on either the men's or women's side.
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