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Duane Johnson and George Colbert attended UMBC with the former Angel Webb, where she starred in basketball from 1988 to 1992 before eventually being inducted into the school\u2019s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015. So when Webb\u2019s daughter, Angel Reese, and LSU visited Coppin State on Wednesday evening, there was never a doubt that Johnson and Colbert would show their support for Reese and Webb.
\u201cShe\u2019s like our daughter,\u201d said Colbert, a Reisterstown resident.
Johnson and Colbert were part of a crowd of about 60 ticket holders who showed up three hours before the 6 p.m. tipoff between the reigning national champion Tigers and the host Eagles at the Physical Education Complex in Baltimore. When the doors officially opened at 4 p.m. \u2014 30 minutes earlier than planned \u2014 three lines to enter the venue had snaked around the corner of the building.
Reese, a Randallstown native and St. Frances graduate who played in her first NCAA-sanctioned game in the state since March 20, 2022, when she was a member of Maryland\u2019s program, put on a show for the announced 4,100 \u2014 the first time the Physical Education Complex had been sold out for any Coppin State athletic event. The 6-foot-3 junior power forward racked up 26 points, six rebounds and five steals, and No. 7 ranked LSU sailed to an 80-48 win for its 13th consecutive victory after opening the season with a stunning 92-78 loss to Colorado.
\u201cComing back here, this is my home,\u201d Reese said afterwards. \u201cI\u2019m the Baltimore Barbie before I was the Bayou Barbie.\u201d
The opportunity to watch a Tigers squad anointed the preseason favorite to capture another national title and headlined by future WNBA draft picks Reese, graduate student shooting guard Hailey Van Lith (who was told to rest) and junior shooting guard Aneesah Morrow was enough to persuade David and Teri Levine to make the hour-long drive from Potomac and also wait outside three hours before the game\u2019s start.
\u201cIf we were going to go, we were going to go all the way,\u201d said Teri Levine, who added that she and her husband switched allegiances from the Terps to LSU after Reese and coach Kim Mulkey moved to the Tigers.
As attention-grabbing as LSU is, many eyes were on Reese, who was serenaded by the loudest cheers when she was introduced and every time she scored or made a steal. Tickets for the game were sold out before the end of November, and as of Tuesday, a general admission ticket that sold for $15 was being sold for between $56 to $324 on SeatGeek.
Reese\u2019s presence was enough to draw Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who watched the game from the university president\u2019s suite. Lightweight boxing champion Gervonta Davis also attended. Two Ravens players, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and inside linebacker Patrick Queen \u2014 both of whom played football for the Tigers \u2014 were rumored to attend, but didn\u2019t show.<\/p>\n
Fans greet LSU forward Angel Reese as she and her team leave after their win against Coppin State on Wednesday night in Baltimore. (Karl Merton Ferron\/Staff)<\/p>\n
LSU Lady Tigers forward Angel Reese cheers her teammates during a non conference homecoming game against the Coppin State Eagles for the St. Frances Academy Panthers alum and NCAA basketball champion…(Karl Merton Ferron\/Staff Photo)<\/p>\n
LSU forward Angel Reese waves to the fans after Wednesday’s game at Coppin State. (Karl Merton Ferron\/Staff)<\/p>\n
LSU Lady Tigers forward Angel Reese stands with teammates while awaiting the start of the game against the Coppin State Eagles during a non conference homecoming game for the St. Frances Academy Panthers alum and NCAA champion…(Karl Merton Ferron\/Staff Photo)<\/p>\n
LSU Lady Tigers forward Angel Reese during a non conference homecoming game against the Coppin State Eagles…(Karl Merton Ferron\/Staff Photo)<\/p>\n
LSU Lady Tigers forward Angel Reese tips the ball during a non conference homecoming game against the Coppin State Eagles…(Karl Merton Ferron\/Staff Photo)<\/p>\n
LSU Lady Tigers forward Angel Reese (10) talks with guard Angelica Velez who waits to inbound the ball during a non conference homecoming game for the St. Frances Academy Panthers alum and NCAA basketball champion…(Karl Merton Ferron\/Staff Photo)<\/p>\n
LSU forward Angel Reese guards against Coppin State forward Laila Lawrence. (Karl Merton Ferron\/Staff)<\/p>\n
LSU Lady Tigers forward Angel Reese, in white reaches betweeen Coppin State Eagles guard Cassandra Hawthorne and guard Faith Blackstone to help forward Laila Lawrence, during a non conference homecoming game for the St. Frances Academy Panthers alum and NCAA basketball champion…(Karl Merton Ferron\/Staff Photo)<\/p>\n
LSU forward Angel Reese, a Randallstown native and former St. Frances star, powers between Coppin State forward Charia Roberts, left, and guard Tiffany Hammond, right, during a free throw Wednesday night at the Physical Education Complex in Baltimore. (Karl Merton Ferron\/Staff)<\/p>\n
LSU Lady Tigers forward Angel Reese (10) presses her hand into the face of Coppin State Eagles forward Charia Roberts while battling for position during a non conference homecoming game for the St. Frances Academy Panthers alum and NCAA basketball champion…(Karl Merton Ferron\/Staff Photo)<\/p>\n
LSU Lady Tigers forward Angel Reese gestures for a three point basket scored by a teammate3 against the Coppin State Eagles during a non conference homecoming game for the St. Frances Academy Panthers alum and NCAA basketball champion…(Karl Merton Ferron\/Staff Photo)<\/p>\n
Members of Howard County’s Maryland Sting basketball team who play in the AAU conference from left, Parker Cheneir, 11 of Fulton (whose grandfather Phil Chenier played for the Baltimore Bullets), Kelsey Cornick, 10 of Columbia and Ella Lewis, 10 of Fulton, get the attention of LSU Lady Tigers forward Angel Reese as the team practice during a non conference homecoming game between the Coppin State Eagles and the LSU Lady Tigers for St. Frances Academy Panthers alum and NCAA champion Angel Reese…(Karl Merton Ferron\/Staff Photo)<\/p>\n
LSU Lady Tigers forward Angel Reese practices during a non conference homecoming game between the Coppin State Eagles and the LSU Lady Tigers for St. Frances Academy Panthers alum and NCAA champion Angel Reese…(Karl Merton Ferron\/Staff Photo)<\/p>\n
Members of Howard County’s Maryland Sting basketball team who play in the AAU conference from left, Parker Cheneir, 11 of Fulton (whose grandfather Phil Chenier played for the Baltimore Bullets), Kelsey Cornick, 10 of Columbia and Ella Lewis, 10 of Fulton, get the attention of LSU Lady Tigers forward Angel Reese as the team practice during a non conference homecoming game between the Coppin State Eagles and the LSU Lady Tigers for St. Frances Academy Panthers alum and NCAA champion Angel Reese…(Karl Merton Ferron\/Staff Photo)<\/p>\n
LSU Lady Tigers forward Angel Reese practices during a non conference homecoming game between the Coppin State Eagles and the LSU Lady Tigers for St. Frances Academy Panthers alum and NCAA champion Angel Reese…(Karl Merton Ferron\/Staff Photo)<\/p>\n
Members of Howard County’s Maryland Sting basketball team who play in the AAU conference from left, Parker Cheneir, 11 of Fulton (whose grandfather Phil Chenier played for the Baltimore Bullets), Kelsey Cornick, 10 of Columbia and Ella Lewis, 10 of Fulton, get the attention of LSU Lady Tigers forward Angel Reese as the team practice during a non conference homecoming game between the Coppin State Eagles and the LSU Lady Tigers for St. Frances Academy Panthers alum and NCAA champion Angel Reese…(Karl Merton Ferron\/Staff Photo)<\/p>\n
Fans wait for the doors to open during a non conference homecoming game between the Coppin State Eagles and the LSU Lady Tigers for St. Frances Academy Panthers alum and NCAA champion Angel Reese…(Karl Merton Ferron\/Staff Photo)<\/p>\n
Fans wait for the doors to open during a non conference homecoming game between the Coppin State Eagles and the LSU Lady Tigers for St. Frances Academy Panthers alum and NCAA champion Angel Reese…(Karl Merton Ferron\/Staff Photo)<\/p>\n
\u201cAngel can score as much as she wants, and I love her to death, but we want Coppin to win,\u201d Scott said during the second quarter. \u201cAnd anytime we can highlight Baltimore in a positive way and highlight one of our own who is doing great things and highlight an HBCU institution that is doing great things here in West Baltimore, there\u2019s nothing better you could ask for.\u201d
Coppin State had hosted larger Division I foes such as Maryland (three times in 2014, 2017 and 2021 when Reese was a member), Pittsburgh (2022) and Louisville (2007 when Angel McCoughtry, a Baltimore native and St. Frances graduate, was a junior). But athletic director Derek Carter said welcoming LSU was different.
\u201cThe Maryland games were big in the past, but never have we had a national champion with a star player with the profile of Angel, and part of that has to do with the climate of college sports and the NIL opportunities that players have now,\u201d he said. \u201cEven two years ago when Maryland was here, that wasn\u2019t the same profile that you have now. So there are just so many different factors available to student-athletes now. So this is bigger than Maryland or Pittsbugh coming in.\u201d
Coppin State went to great lengths for Wednesday night\u2019s game. The school tripled its usual amount of security between campus police and a third-party company.
The university added 200-300 parking spots around campus and through an agreement with owners of Mondawmin Mall on the other side of Gwynns Falls Parkway. Doors to the arena opened 90 minutes earlier versus the usual 60 minutes to reduce long lines and ease the burden on security.
\u201cWe just had to kind of magnify and expand some things we already have in place,\u201d Carter said. \u201cWe keep saying that at the end of the day, it\u2019s a basketball game.\u201d
But in some ways, it wasn\u2019t a typical game. The school added several more seats behind one baseline for media, and Steven Kramer, director of communications, said the number of requests for media credentials he received reached triple digits. But he estimated that about 40 of those requests came from people who had Instagram accounts and did not work for a publication or outlet. He also hired a few people to handle statistics, which is his area of expertise, so that he could concentrate on dealing with other game-related issues.
The game was a boon for the Eagles, too. Coach Jermaine Woods said the money LSU paid to play at Coppin State \u2014 which he declined to specify \u2014 would fund the team\u2019s recruiting budget, and he said he hopes the players\u2019 efforts opened fans\u2019 eyes.
\u201cWe did what we needed to do to give some excitement to Baltimore,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have fans, and when you draw the national champion and Angel, they saw some good basketball. \u2026 Tonight we showed Baltimore that there\u2019s something on North Avenue that can be really special.\u201d
Reese sat out four games<\/a> after getting pulled by LSU coach Kim Mulkey at halftime of the team\u2019s 109-79 win against Kent State on Nov. 14. The reason for Reese\u2019s absence was nebulous as Mulkey described it as \u201ca coach\u2019s decision,\u201d and Reese wrote on X<\/a>, formerly known as Twitter, \u201cplease don\u2019t believe everything you read.\u201d
Since her return against then-No. 9 Virginia Tech on Nov. 30, Reese has averaged 21.3 points and 10.8 rebounds, racking up at least 19 points and nine rebounds in each of her last four games. Although junior guard Kateri Poole, one of Reese\u2019s closest friends on the team, was removed from the roster earlier this month, Reese has hardly skipped a beat.
Against Coppin State, Reese finished just two points shy of her season high set against Queens (N.C.) on Nov. 9 and one steal short of her career best established against McNeese State on Dec. 12 before getting pulled with 3:19 left in the game. Reese even engaged in a brief but fiery display of emotion when she and Eagles redshirt junior small forward Charia Roberts, a Pikesville resident and graduate who transferred from Loyola Maryland, got tangled up for a rebound.
\u201cThat\u2019s just what I do, that\u2019s where I\u2019m from,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we do here in Baltimore. Being able to be back out here and the girls who are out here talking trash, that\u2019s something I\u2019m used to, and I was just happy to be out here with girls that understand that.\u201d
Johnson, the Randallstown resident who knows Reese\u2019s mother and said he canceled his season tickets to the Terps after Reese\u2019s transfer, praised the home team for agreeing to the game against the Tigers.
\u201cI think it\u2019s terrific that she came back to the community because she is a role model for today\u2019s youth,\u201d he said while wearing an Eagles baseball cap. \u201cHer impact is going to be tremendous.\u201d
Although the game was a mismatch on the court, Carter said the chance to host a hometown heroine like Reese and the reigning NCAA champion like LSU was a win for the Eagles.
\u201cWe\u2019re going to have people on our campus who have never been to Coppin State, and I think they\u2019ll appreciate all of the good that\u2019s on our campus,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is an opportunity for some of our prospective students to visit Coppin and perhaps they may choose Coppin as a destination to further their education whether as undergrad students or graduate students. Anytime we can showcase our great institution, that\u2019s what we\u2019re going to do. So that\u2019s how we\u2019re looking at it \u2013 an opportunity to show who we really are.\u201d
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