2023 Cayman Islands Classic - Women's

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.

Nov 23, 2023 by Joe Harrington

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.

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.

Nov 24-25, 2023, 4:00 PM UTC

2023 Cayman Islands Classic - Women's

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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