Pregame Notes:
Good afternoon CardNation. Coach Walz and the Louisville Cardinals look to continue their hot start as they take on a very good FSU team. The 4-1 Seminoles have won 4 of the last 5 against UofL, including the ACC semifinals last year. Louisville trails the all-time series 14-18.
Starting Lineup:
Dana Evans (20.1ppg, 4.0apg)
Hailey Van Lith (12.6ppg, 6.5rpg)
Mykasa Robinson (2.2apg, 3.4rpg)
Elizabeth Balogun (5.5ppg, 2bpg, 4.3rpg)
Olivia Cochran (12.5ppg, 7rpg)
1st Quarter:
The Cards and Seminoles played to a draw in the first quarter, with both scoring 17 points. The Cards turned the ball over 5 times in the quarter and helped FSU erase the 5-point lead UofL held in the quarter. Both teams looked good in the first, and FSU didn’t look like their last game was New Year’s Eve.
2nd Quarter:
UofL scored on back-to-back-to-back 3s and opened the lead back to 8 midway through the quarter. Louisville picked up the defensive pressure and their shots started to fall. The Cards were able to run the lead to 11 on a number of occasions. UofL ended the quarter on a beautifully executed play, that resulted in an open 3-pointer from Hailey Van Lith. The Cards took a 12-point lead into intermission.
Halftime Stats At A Glance:
FG%: 17-26 (65.4%)
3PT%: 6-9 (66.7%)
FT%: 3-4 (75.0%)
Assists: 11
Turnovers: 6
Total Rebounds:15-14
Leading Scorer: Kianna Smith (11)
3rd Quarter:
UofL came out sharp to start the quarter. The Cards continued their hot shooting in the 3rd, as they maintained the 12-point lead for the first half of the quarter. The second half of the quarter the Cards began to break the game open, and took a 19-point lead into the final quarter. Cards led 64-45.
4th Quarter:
Louisville continued to extend their lead early in the quarter as they opened up a 73-47 lead. The Cards were able to get some minutes for the bench players, as they blew out Florida State 84-56
Final Stats:
FG% 32-59 (54.1%)
3PT% 11-23 (47.8%)
FT% 9-10 (90.0%)
Assists: 22
Blocks: 5
Steals: 4
Turnovers: 11
Total Rebounds: 38-25
Offensive Rebounds: 9-5
Bench Points: 35-3
Post Game Notes and Leaders:
The Stanford Cardinal fell today in overtime 77-72. Louisville will likely be the number 1 ranked team in the country in the next poll. The Cards improve to 12-0 on the season. Louisville had 5 players scoring in double figures. Liz Dixon had a double-double off the bench with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Kianna Smith had 16 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. Hailey Van Lith added 15 points. Dana Evans finished with 12 points and 8 assists.
Next Opponent:
Louisville takes the floor again on Thursday at home against Syracuse. The game tips at 9 pm on ESPN2. UofL will likely be ranked the no.1 team in the country for the first time in program history when they hit the floor.
