Pregame Notes:
Good afternoon CardNation and happy Superbowl Sunday. Louisville and Notre Dame will battle in Louisville’s annual Play 4 Kay Pink Game. The Cards got back to their winning ways with a victory against Boston College. This is the first meeting between Coach Walz and new Fighting Irish Coach Niele Ivey. The Cards have won 4 of the last 6. Louisville swept the series last year. Notre Dame, however, leads the all-time series 16-8.
Starting Lineup:
Dana Evans (20.2ppg, 4.2apg)
Hailey Van Lith (12.1ppg, 5.5rpg)
Kianna Smith(11.5ppg, 3.7rpg)
Mykasa Robinson (2.9rpg, 2.1apg)
Elizabeth Dixon (8.3ppg, 6rpg)
1st Quarter:
Kianna Smith scored the first 5 points for Louisville. Notre Dame and Louisville had a great pace in the quarter. Louisville however, used a 9-0 run to take the lead late in the quarter. The Cards led 21-17 at the end of the quarter.
2nd Quarter:
For as hot as Louisville ended the quarter, the exact opposite happened in the second. Louisville had a scoring drought of over 8 minutes and Notre Dame kept the game close. The lid finally came off the rim for Louisville and the Cards were able to take a 42-34 into intermission.
Halftime Stats At A Glance:
FG%: 17-39 (43.6%)
3PT%: 4-12 (33.3%)
FT%: 4-5 (80.0%)
Assists: 6
Turnovers: 7
Total Rebounds: 21-20
Leading Scorer: Dana Evans (16)
3rd Quarter:
Both teams made runs in the quarter, as they both tried to force their style of play. Louisville struggled shooting beyond the arc in the quarter, only shooting 1-5. Louisville also had some careless unforced turnovers in the quarter. Both teams played to a 16-16 tie in the third and Louisville led 58-50 going into the final quarter of regulation.
4th Quarter:
Notre Dame did all they could in the quarter to take the lead. They got timely baskets and played great defense, especially on Dana Evans. The Irish were able to cut the lead to one (65-66). Then Dana Evans happened. Dana scored the final 5 points for Louisville, including a huge 3-ball with 56.5 seconds left to go to push the lead to four. The Cards won a closely contested matchup 71-65.
Final Stats:
FG% 27-68 (39.7%)
3PT% 9-26 (34.6%)
FT% 8-12 (66.7%)
Assists: 12
Blocks: 8
Steals: 9
Turnovers: 12
Total Rebounds: 41-41
Offensive Rebounds: 12-11
Bench Points: 16
Post Game Notes and Leaders:
The Cards now improve to 19-1. Louisville beats a good Notre Dame team, despite what the record says. Louisville was led in scoring by Dana Evans with 27 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists. Kianna Smith chipped in with 16 points, 5 steals, and 4 rebounds. Louisville welcomed back Elizabeth Balogun ( 12 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 blocks) and Olivia Cochran (2 points and 11 rebounds). Mykasa Robinson added 5 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Next Opponent:
The Cards take on Georgia Tech on Thursday at 7pm in the KFC YUM Center.
