Pregame Notes:
Again, Happy New Year Card Nation from the staff at CSZ. Louisville looked to remain undefeated in league and overall play, as they faced a talented Virginia Tech team at Cassell Coliseum. Louisville looked to slow down the league’s highest scoring duo (Aisha Sheppard and Elizabeth Kitley) as they tried to hand the Hokies their third consecutive loss.
Starting Lineup:
Dana Evans (20.6ppg, 4.5apg)
Hailey Van Lith (13ppg, 6.3rpg)
Kianna Smith (13.7ppg, 5rpg)
Elizabeth Balogun (4.4ppg, 2.3bpg, 4.1rpg)
Olivia Cochran (13.1ppg, 7.4rpg)
1st Quarter:
Virginia Tech scored the first basket of the game, but freshman Olivia Cochran followed with two consecutive buckets of her own. Louisville looked sharp and aggressive early. The Cards were able to be smoother than the Hookies early and often as Louisville jumped out to a 12-point lead. Louisville led 25-13 at the end of the first quarter.
2nd Quarter:
The Louisville bench continued to make their contributions, as they scored 17 points in the half. Louisville opened up a lead as big as 16 points in the quarter, but Virginia Tech was able to cut the lead down to 9 (42-33) before intermission.
Halftime Stats At A Glance:
FG%: 18-36 (50.0%)
3PT%: 4-10 (40.0%)
FT%: 2-3 (66.7%)
Assists: 8
Turnovers: 4
Total Rebounds: 20-16
Leading Scorer: Dana Evans (10)
3rd Quarter:
Virgina Tech came out the more aggressive team in the half and really started to turn up the heat on Louisville. The Hokies were able to capitalize on a number of Louisville miscues in the quarter as they cut the lead to 3. The Cards just couldn’t find their footing in the quarter as Virgina Tech was able to take the lead at 51-50. Louisville was able to regain the lead and took a 54-53 lead into the final quarter. The Cards had 10 turnovers in the quarter.
4th Quarter:
After the Cards didn’t have a 3-ball in the third, Kianna Smith started the quarter off with a 3-ball of her own. The Cards started the quarter on a quick 5-0 run forcing a Hokie timeout. The questionable one-sided whistles continued in the fourth as the Cards just couldn’t break this game wide open. Virginia Tech briefly took a 64-63 lead, but Dana Evans took the lead back with a tough bucket in the paint. Evans came up clutch late for Louisville and freshman Hailey Van Lith stepped to the line to calmly hit two free throws that sealed Louisville’s 71-67 victory.
Final Stats:
FG% 30-62 (48.4%)
3PT% 5-17 (29.4%)
FT% 6-7 (85.7%)
Assists: 10
Blocks: 4
Steals: 8
Turnovers: 15
Total Rebounds: 33-34
Offensive Rebounds: 7-10
Bench Points: 21
Post Game Notes and Leaders:
The Cards improved to 9-0. The fourth quarter was a seesaw battle for the two teams. Dana Evans made clutch plays on both ends of the floor. She led all scorers with 22 points and added 3 assists and 3 steals. Freshman Hailey Van Lith had 15 points and led the team in rebounds with 7.
Next Opponent:
The next scheduled game for the moment is a January 10th matchup vs Clemson at noon.
