Pregame Notes:
Good night CardNation. Coach Walz and the University of Louisville look to remain undefeated as they take on a talented North Carolina team. The Cards are coming off an incredibly difficult win vs a very game Miami team, 79-76. The Cards won the last meeting against North Carolina, with a final score of 74-67. Louisville leads the all-time series 7-3.
Starting Lineup:
Dana Evans (19.9ppg, 4.5apg)
Hailey Van Lith (12.4ppg, 6rpg)
Elizabeth Balogun (6.5ppg, 1.8bpg, 4.3rpg)
Olivia Cochran (11.9ppg, 6.4rpg)
Elizabeth Dixon (8.3ppg, 6.1rpg)
1st Quarter:
Dana Evans got the scoring started for Louisville with a tough basket in the paint. The Cards started off red hot, opening up a 12-2 lead early in the quarter. The two teams traded baskets for awhile, but at the media timeout the Cards led 21-9. Louisville shot 4-7 from beyond the arc, including three from Hailey Van Lith. UofL led 30-16 after one.
2nd Quarter:
Louisville opened up an 18-point lead (38-20) with a little under 6 mins remaining in the half. At the media timeout, the Cards led 41-25. UofL had four double figure scorers. Olivia Cochran ended the half with a 3 at the buzzer. The Cards led by 25 points (55-30) heading into intermission.
Halftime Stats At A Glance:
FG%: 21-37 (56.8%)
3PT%: 8-14 (57.1%)
FT%: 5-5 (100.0%)
Assists: 11
Turnovers: 1
Total Rebounds: 20-13
Leading Scorer: Olivia Cochran(14)
3rd Quarter:
Dana Evans got the scoring started for Louisville in the second half, and the great 3-point shooting effort continued for the Cards. The defensive intensity picked up a bit for the Cards, and they led 62-35 at the midway point of the 3rd quarter. UofL briefly held a 32-point lead in the quarter, despite allowing North Carolina to get in a rhythm late. The Cards took a 71-46 lead into the final quarter.
4th Quarter:
The Cards started the quarter very lackluster and the Tar Heels we were able to go on a 12-0 run early in the quarter. The Tar Heels cut the lead to 11 before Liz Dixon converted on a 3-point play. Louisville went over 5 mins without a point. The Tar Heels were able to cut the lead to 8, but wouldn’t get any closer. Louisville beat North Carolina 79-68.
Final Stats:
FG% 30-64 (46.9%)
3PT% 12-26 (46.2%)
FT% 7-8 (87.5%)
Assists: 16
Blocks: 4
Steals: 4
Turnovers: 6
Total Rebounds: 34-35
Offensive Rebounds: 8-8
Bench Points: 33-15
Post Game Notes and Leaders:
Louisville improves to 16-0. Louisville broke this game wide open in the third quarter, but the Tar Heels showed a lot of grit and determination in the fourth and made this game a little closer than Louisville wanted. Louisville did have six players score more than 10 points in a game again. Olivia Cochran led Louisville with 17 points and 7 rebounds. Elizabeth Balogun chipped in with 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Dana Evans, Liz Dixon, and Kianna Smith added 13 points each.
Next Opponent:
The Cards next game was scheduled with 2nd-ranked NC State, but with tonight’s loss to Virginia Tech, the Wolfpack will most likely lose the number 2 ranking. The matchup with the Wolfpack is on February 1st in the YUM at 7pm.
