Coach Jeff Walz and his Louisville Cardinals played the Eastern Kentucky Colonels in an intrastate battle. Louisville leads the overall series 19-8, including a 5-game winning streak. Louisville and coach are welcoming back former coach Samantha Williams, whose in her second year at the helm at EKU.
Cardinals starting lineup:
Ahlana Smith (7ppg, 2apg)
Elizabeth Balogun (4ppg, 5rpg)
Hailey Van Lith (13ppg, 8rpg)
Dana Evans (15ppg, 6apg)
Olivia Cochran (17ppg, 8rpg)
Coast. To. Coast!@haileyvll would not be denied.
💻: https://t.co/EmyqRd6fud#GoCards pic.twitter.com/8wKQxnT7MD
— Louisville WBB (@UofLWBB) November 29, 2020
Hailey Van Lith broke the seal on the game with a 3-ball. Both teams went up and down the court at a frantic pace. Louisville committed 7 turnovers as both teams combined for 13 first quarter turnovers. Nyah Green hit her first career 3. EKU did a great job of not allowing the Cards to break this game wide open in the first quarter. Louisville led 17-12 after the first quarter.
*chef's kiss*@Danaaakianaaa ➡️ @its_Olivia44
💻: https://t.co/EmyqRd6fud#GoCards pic.twitter.com/nC3GxYd7cB
— Louisville WBB (@UofLWBB) November 29, 2020
The Cards opened up the second quarter on a 9-0 run. Three-point baskets by Balogun and Van Lith, along with a 3-point play by Dana Evans, forced Coach Williams to call a timeout. UofL began to find their rhythm and proceeded to break the game open. Even with turnover problems, the Cards opened a 20-point lead. Louisville went into halftime up 43-26.
Halftime Stats:
- 41% from the field
- 35% from beyond the arc
- 72% from the free throw line
- 9 assist
- 10 turnovers
- 29-13 rebounding advantage Louisville
- 13-2 Cardinal advantage on the offensive boards
Ahlana Smith gets the scoring started for Louisville in the second half with a 3-ball off a Dana Evans pass. The Cards start to flex their muscles, their depth, and a renewed sense of ball control in the 3rd as the lead ballooned. UofL ended the third quarter with a 29 point lead, 68-39.
Defense ➡️ Offense
✅ @eli4bathball Block
✅ @ahlanasmith Assist
✅ @haileyvll Bucket💻: https://t.co/EmyqRd6fud#GoCards pic.twitter.com/pZAak3bUlE
— Louisville WBB (@UofLWBB) November 29, 2020
UofL continued to pour it on the Colonels. Louisville broke the 100 point mark with a bucket by Liz Dixon with less than 2 seconds remaining in the game. The Cards won 101-58.
UofL was led in scoring by both Dana Evans and Hailey Van Lith with 20 each. Van Lith also led both teams with 11 rebounds. Liz Dixon chipped in 8 off the bench. Dana Evans led the team with 7 assists.
Cards Stats:
- 38-83 (45.8%) FGs
- 14-36 (38.9%) 3-point FGs
- 11-15 (73.3%) Free Throws
- 23 assists
- 7 blocks
- 13 steals
- 12 turnovers
- 58-29 rebounding advantage
- 25-7 offensive rebounding advantage
- 23-14 points of turnovers
- 25-14 bench points
- 44-24 points in the paint
As of right now, due to cancellations, the Cards next game is scheduled for 12/6 vs TN-Martin at 2 pm. Although they do travel to Connecticut this week, the opponent unknown as of now.
Pressers-
Jeff Walz
Dana Evans
Hailey Van Lith
