Hailey Van Lith got some praise from her former teammate Angel Reese on Saturday in Birmingham, Ala.
Van Lith played a huge role in TCU gaining its first-ever Elite Eight berth with a 71-62 win over Notre Dame with 26 points.
Following TCU’s win, Reese posted “HVL,” Van Lith’s initials, to her X account, along with sharing a highlight of the 23-year-old from Saturday’s game.
HVL.
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) March 29, 2025
Hailey Van Lith signals to her teammates during the second half of a TCU’s Sweet 16 win over Notre Dame. Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images
Reese and Van Lith were teammates last season at LSU, reaching the Elite Eight in the 2024 NCAA Tournament before losing to Iowa.
Saturday’s win also marks Van Lith’s fifth Elite Eight appearance across three different schools.
Van Lith played her first three college basketball seasons at Louisville before transferring to LSU for her senior year and opted to play for the Horned Frogs as a graduate student this season.
Angel Reese reacts after a New York Liberty turnover during the second half at the Barclays Center. Noah K. Murray-NY Post
During Saturday’s win, Van Lith set TCU’s single-season scoring record on Saturday with her effort putting her at 663 points on the year.
She also chipped in nine rebounds and four assists in 39 minutes.
Angel Reese and teammates try to calm Hailey Van Lith after a foul was called against Lith during a game against Tennesee last season. Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
“Going into this game, I was really just going to go and have no regrets,” Van Lith said afterward. “I wasn’t going to put any pressure on myself to necessarily win. I was going to go out there and have fun and play with the joy that God gave me.”
Van Lith also outscored the entire Notre Dame squad 12-10 in the fourth quarter, which helped seal the win for the Horned Frogs.
“I think Hailey’s a dog, overall,” TCU senior Madison Conner told ESPN. “Regardless of if it’s on the offensive end or on the defensive end, she’s going to do anything it takes to win. She has that competitive edge.”
