Angel Reese registered 19 points and nine rebounds as No. 7 LSU pummeled No. 9 Virginia Tech, 82-64, on Thursday in her first game back after a four-game absence from the team.
Although things appeared to be business as usual on the court for the Tigers star in a rematch of last season’s Final Four matchup, Reese felt like she needed a “reset” to take care of her mental health. During the absence, the star forward said she leaned on Basketball Hall of Famer and LSU legend Shaquille O’Neal for advice.
“I talked to Shaq every day,” Reese said after Thursday’s game, per NOLA.com. “We facetime every day. He checked on me, called me every single day to make sure I was good. He told me every day, ‘This too shall pass. This too shall pass. This too shall pass.’ He’s been here before. He knows what it takes. Just being able to have somebody like that was something that was good for me. He told me when I was right, told me when I was wrong, told me what I needed to do to get back to where I am.”
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In October, Reese secured an NIL deal with Reebok. O’Neal is president of basketball for Reebok and was instrumental in helping the LSU star earn the deal. Reese is averaging 17.4 points and 10 rebounds per game this season.
LSU (8–1) will return to action Sunday at 3 p.m. ET against visiting Louisiana-Lafayette (2–2).
