All good things must come to an end. For the No. 2 Louisville Cardinals, its 20 game win streak was snapped by the No. 12 Florida State Seminoles.
It was not a particularly great game played by either teams. The Seminoles only shot 28% on the evening, well below its 48% season average. While the Cardinals struggled in the second half, scoring only 17 points.
“It wasn’t an offensive juggernaut by any stretch,” Florida State head coach Sue Semaru said. “If you would’ve told me we scored 50 points and won, I would have thought you were crazy.”
In the first period, it all but looked like another easy Louisville victory. The Cardinals came out strong on an 8 – 0 run. Florida State was held scoreless for the first five minutes of the contest. Louisville finished the first period with a 22 – 9 advantage.
However, Florida State locked in. Slowly the Seminoles chipped away at the Cardinals lead. Shakayla Thomas showed up big for Florida State grabbing six points and pulling down five rebounds. In fact, much of the Seminoles success came from crashing the glass.
At the half, the Cardinals still held a 32 – 26 advantage.
Louisville came out flat in the second half. Florida State’s defense cut off Asia Durr. The junior, who averages 20 points per game, was held to only seven points in the first half and zero points in the third period.
The Cardinals and the Seminoles were tied heading in to the final period.
However, Florida State’s AJ Alix knocked down a go-ahead triple with 1:04 remaining sealing the deal for the Seminoles.
Florida State knocked Louisville out, 50 – 49.
“They are a great team and we had a great night.” Coach Semrau said.
The Seminoles controlled the boards, outrebounding Louisville, 52 – 42. The Cardinals struggled on the offensive glass, pulling down only 11 rebounds to Florida State’s 32 defensive rebounds. The Seminoles had 20 offensive boards, earning 18 second chance points.
“They were relentless,” Myisha Hines-Allen said of Florida State’s dominance on the glass. “All of them crashed the boards and went hard. It wasn’t just one player that went for the rebound. It was a team effort on their part.”
Asia Durr ended the matchup with 11 hard earned points. Florida State effectively rendered Durr useless for the second and third periods. The junior scored a quick seven points in the first period and did not see her shot go through the net again until midway through the final period. Durr, who is connecting on nearly 50% from the field on the season, shot only 24% (5-of-21) on the game.
High Scorers:
Louisville had two players notch double-figures: Myisha Hines-Allen paced the Cardinals and earned her ninth double-double on the season (38th career double-double) with 13-points and 15-rebounds. Asia Durr added 11 points on 5-of-21 shooting.
For the Seminoles, two players grabbed double-digits: Shakayla Thomas earned a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Iamni Wright added 10 points.
Next Up:
The No. 2 Louisville Cardinals travel to Miami to face the Miami Hurricanes on Thursday, January 25th for an 11 AM matchup.
