Angel Reese and the LSU Tigers seemed to put the drama behind them on Thursday night.

Reese scored 19 points in her first game back after a four-game absence in No. 7 LSU’s 82-64 win over No. 9 Virginia Tech. 

It was the women’s basketball star’s first game action since she was benched for the second half of a game against Kent State on Nov. 14. 

Reese shot 5-of-10 from the field, 9-of-16 from the free-throw line and scored 13 of her 19 points in the second half.

“Angel is Angel,” head coach Kim Mulkey said about Reese’s performance. “You saw her tonight, so you can probably answer that. I don’t have to answer because what I saw on that floor tonight was special by everyone that got to play. It was absolutely wonderful.”

Reese added nine rebounds as LSU moved to 8-1 with the victory.

“Just coming back and doing whatever it takes to win, and I did as much as I could today,” Reese said. “Seeing this team grow from when I wasn’t here really shows a lot and I’m really happy for this team, where we’re at right now.”

Mulkey picked up her 700th career victory in her 813th career game coached, the fastest a Division I women’s or men’s coach has reached that milestone. 

Reese’s time away from the team had been shrouded in mystery, with Mulkey providing few details about the situation other than to previously say Reese “is still part of the team.”

Outkick previously reported Reese had been suspended in order for her to have an “attitude adjustment.”

The women’s basketball star told reporters after the game that she had leaned on and spoke with NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal during the course of her absence the last few weeks. 

“I talked to Shaq every day. We FaceTimed every day,” Reese said. “He checked on me, called me every single day to make sure I was good and he told me every day, ‘This too shall pass.’ He’s been here before. He knows what it takes and just being able to have somebody like that with something that was really good for me. 

“He told me when he was right, he told me when I was wrong. He told me what I needed to do to get back to where I am.”

Reese was welcomed back with open arms as she received a rousing applause from the LSU crowd during the starting lineup introductions. 

She was also honored before the game for recording her 1,000th career rebound earlier this season and hugged Mulkey during the short ceremony. 

The two shared another emotional embrace after the game when Mulkey was honored for her milestone on Thursday night.

Reese’s first point of the game came on her second free-throw attempt 1:02 into the game for LSU’s first point of the night.

The Tigers trailed until there was 7:13 left in the second quarter, when a layup by Reese tied the game at 20. 

LSU tied the game two more times before Aneesah Morrow finally gave the Tigers their first lead of the game with 5:09 left in the first half. 

The Tigers finally gave themselves space when they went on an 8-2 run to close out the half.

— with AP