Duck season may be on a hiatus, but that did not stop the Cardinals from taking down the #1 Oregon Ducks.
The Cardinals kept Oregon’s leading scorer, Ruthy Hebard, in check, limiting her to only 10 points. Louisville also kept Erin Boley to only 3 points.
Sabrina Ionescu and Satou Sabally went for a combined 13 – of – 38 from the field and 3 – of – 19 from beyond the arc. As a whole, Oregon went 6 – of – 34 from 3-point range.
Oregon led by 11 points at the end of the first frame, 24 – 13. Despite being down double-digits to the top team in the nation, Louisville maintained its composure. A well balanced effort pushed Louisville out on an 8 – 0 run at the beginning of the frame bringing the Cardinals within three points.
Louisville’s second leading scorer, Jazmine Jones, picked up her fourth foul with 6:25 remaining in the first half. With Jones on the bench, however, the Cardinals stayed poised, outrebounding the Ducks, 15 – 5.
The Cardinals looked to junior guard, Dana Evans, to lead the charge. Evans picked up 10 points and helped Louisville turn an 11 point deficit into a 5 point advantage at the half, 37 – 32.
The Cardinals continued their dominance out of the half to lead by as much as 12. Kylee Shook scored 7 of Louisville’s 14 points in the third frame.
Oregon started to climb back in the fourth, but could not get within striking distance.
There was a sense of frustration from the Ducks, who lacked poise in the final frame. Oregon settled for contested three-point shots that did not reflect the number one team in the country.
Louisville took out the Ducks in a 72 – 62 decision.
Top Scorers:
Louisville had four players notch double-figures: Kylee Shook led the way, earning her fourth double-double on the season with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Dana Evans added 17 points to go along with 6 assists. Elizabeth Balogun notched 11 points and Jazmine Jones picked up 10 points.
Oregon had four players in double-digits: Satou Sabally led all scorers with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Minyon Moore added 15 points. Sabrina Ionescu notched 13 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, while Ruthy Hebard added 10 points.
