The 7th-ranked Louisville Cardinals erased a 13-point deficit to defeat the Duke Blue Devils in a 60 – 55 decision.
The first quarter was anything, but pretty for the Cardinals. Louisville shot 36% from the field, while the Blue Devils hit 64%.
Duke jumped out to a 16 – 5 lead behind a quick 10 – 0 run. The Blue Devils would take a 13 point lead midway through the first before the Cardinals cut it to 10.
Jazmine Jones had 10 of Louisville’s 12 points in the first. The senior had a record evening in scoring as she set a new career-high with 26 points.
”It was a game where we had to grind,” head coach Jeff Walz said. ”Jaz stepped up and knocked down pull-up jump shots. She played really, really well, and that’s what we’re going to need now. We’re going to need that consistency.”
The Cardinals outscored the Blue Devils 13 – 9 in the second frame, but Duke held a 31 – 25 advantage into the half.
Out of the half, Jones picked up 8 quick points that pushed Louisville out on an 8 – 0 run. Liz Dixon tied up the game at 39 on a jump shot.
Dana Evans – Louisville’s leading scorer – hit her first bucket at the end of the third. However, the junior came alive in the fourth, amassing 8 points. Evans knocked down a triple to put Louisville up 49 – 47. The Blue Devils would not lead again.
The Cardinals, led by Jazmine Jones, defeated Duke, 60 – 55.
