Conway, S.C. – The No. 14/13 Louisville Cardinals are set to face the No. 17/18 NC State Wolfpack in the ACC Quarterfinals.
The Cardinals and the Wolfpack met on February 2nd at the KFC Yum! Center. Louisville entered the game without Myisha Hines-Allen, a huge loss for the Cardinals. The absence of Hines-Allen was evident. NC State nearly edged Louisville on the glass, 42-40. The Cardinals were led on the glass by Cortnee Walton, who pulled down 12 boards.
Louisville jumped out to a 24-10 lead in the first quarter behind nine points from Mariya Moore. But, suffered an abysmal second period. The Wolfpack outscored the Cardinals, 18-7, on 67% shooting from the field. NC State dominated the glass in the second quarter, holding a 14-3 advantage on the boards.
The third period was not much better for Louisville as NC State came out hot. The Wolfpack tightened up on defense, not allowing Louisville to get a good look. NC State held Louisville scoreless while sprinting on a 9-0 run to take a 42-34 lead.
The Wolfpack would take a 10 point advantage in the third, but the Cardinals clawed their way back behind triples from Moore and Asia Durr. At the end of three, Louisville was able to cut into NC State’s lead, 52-45.
The Cardinals tightened up in the final period outscoring NC State, 16-9.Durr racked up 11 points in the final 10 minutes as she went 6-of-8 from the charity stripe to go along with a triple and a layup.
Despite fighting back, at the end of regulation, the score was tied at 61.
NC State was fired up in overtime. The Wolfpack shot 62%, hitting 5-of-8 from the field. With 10 seconds remaining, the contest was tied at 70.
Miah Spencer banked a jump shot as time expired, giving the Wolfpack a 72-70 victory.
The Cardinals had three players grab double-figures: Asia Durr paced Louisville with 22 points, 10 of which she picked up on at the charity stripe. Mariya Moore racked up 20 points and 8 boards, while Briahanna Jackson added 11 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.
For the Wolfpack, Miah Spencer picked up 22 points on 11-of-17 shooting, including the game winner as time expired. Dominique Wilson racked up 15 points, and Akela Maize tallied 11 points and 5 rebounds.
The Cardinals finished the game connecting on 22-of-68 (32.4%) from the field, 7-of-24 (29.2%) from beyond the arc. Louisville controlled the offensive glass, pulling down 17 boards.
While the Wolfpack hit 29-of-58 from the field for 50% shooting. NC State controlled the paint, outscoring Louisville 40-20.
Last Time Out
Louisville defeated the Clemson Tigers, 68 – 46, in its opening game of the ACC Tournament. The Cardinals’ defense held the Tigers to only 29% shooting from the field.
The Cardinals were led by Myisha Hines-Allen and Asia Durr who each tallied 17-points. Hines-Allen went 7-of-10 from the field and pulled down six boards. Durr knocked down all three of Louisville’s three-point shots.
Freshman Jazmine Jones came off the bench to add 12-points in her ACC Tournament debut. Jones went 3-of-6 from the field and racked up five boards to go along with three steals.
Louisville’s defense has continued to evolve this season as the Cardinals have held their last five opponents to less than 59-points.
Leading Scorers
The “Big Three” continues to lead the Cardinals in scoring: Asia Durr is pacing Louisville averaging 18.3 points per game. Durr leads the Cardinals in three-pointer shooting, knocking down 93 triples on the season. Myisha Hines-Allen is nearly averaging a double-double racking up 13.6 points per game and 9 rebounds per game. Hines-Allen has collected a team-high 193 defensive boards. Mariya Moore is rounding out Louisville’s top scorers tallying 12.4 points per game. Moore leads the Cardinals in assists, dishing out 147 on the season.
For the Wolfpack, Dominique Wilson is averaging a team-best 13.2 points per game. Wilson has collected 44 steals on the season. Miah Spencer is racking up 12 points per game, while dishing out a team-high 145 assists on the season. Chelsea Nelson rounds out the top scorers for NC State averaging 11.1 points per game. Nelson is shooting 55% from the field, leading the team on the glass (6.4 rebounds per game) and leading the team in blocks, swatting away 22 on the season.
Louisville’s Keys to Success
Head Coach Jeff Walz spoke on the NC State matchup after the victory over Clemson yesterday.
Coach Walz told the media, “we’re going to have to score more points. That’s our number one thing.”
He added, “We’re going to have to do a good job defensively of keeping them in front of us. Their guards are excellent at attacking the rim, and then as soon as you have to help, they kick for shooters. So we’ve got to be able to defend one-on- one and not let them get by us…”
The Matchup
The Cardinals and the Wolfpack tip off at 11AM on Fox Sports South.
Extra Links
Louisville vs Clemson Highlights
Louisville’s Post Game Press Conference
