Louisville WBB 2nd Round Recap Vs Gonzaga

Pregame Notes:

Good evening Card Nation, your top seeded Louisville Cardinals take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Tournament in the Wichita Region. Louisville played beautifully in their opening game of the  tournament as they trounced the 16th-seed Albany Great Danes by the score of 83-51. Louisville had 4 players scoring in double figures. The Cards were led by Hailey Van Lith with 20 points. She also added 4 rebounds. Emily Engstler added 17 points, 7 rebounds, and tied her career high with 7 steals. Kianna Smith finished with 15 points and got the Cards off to a great start on Friday. This is third time in history that the two teams have met, with the series being tied at 1 game a piece.

Starting Lineup:

Chelsie Hall (6.ppg, 3rpg)
Hailey Van Lith (20ppg, 4rpg)
Emily Engstler (17ppg, 7rpg )
Kianna Smith (15ppg, 5apg)
Olivia Cochran (10ppg, 4rpg)

1st Quarter:

Emily Engstler got the scoring started for the Cards off of an offensive rebound. The Cards played aggressive and smothering defense as they took an early 10-0 lead. UofL led 14-0 with 4:51 left in the quarter. A basket by Cochran stopped a 12-0 Gonzaga run. The Cards dominated the first half of the quarter, but Gonzaga dominated the second half of the quarter. The Cards still held on to a 18-14 lead heading into the second quarter.

2nd Quarter:

Mykasa’s mid-range jumper gave Louisville their first bucket of the quarter and a 20-14 lead. Gonzaga didn’t go away as they clawed all the way back and tied the game at 22 with 4:08 left to go in the half. Gonzaga took a brief one-point lead and the teams traded baskets for a while, but Louisville still took a 36-32 lead into intermission.

Halftime Stats At A Glance:

FG%: 14-37 (39.5%)
3PT%: 3-12 (25%)
FT%: 3-4 (75%)
Assists: 6
Turnovers: 3
Total Rebounds: 18-21
Leading Scorer: Kianna Smith

3rd Quarter:

Louisville came out of half time and played pretty well. They didn’t start off on fire like they did in the first quarter, but they were able to take advantage of their talent and push their lead back into double figures again. The Cards took a 56-44 lead heading into the final quarter of regulation.

4th Quarter:

UofL opened up a 13-point lead early in the quarter, but the Zags wouldn’t allow the Cards to break the game open. The Zags gave it everything they had, but in the end it was too much Louisville defense and too much HVL. The Cards beat Gonzaga 68-59.

Final Stats:

FG% 26-64 (40.6%)
3PT% 6-21 (28.6%)
FT% 10-13 (76.9%)
Assists: 13
Blocks: 5
Steals: 10
Turnovers: 8
Total Rebounds: 32-43
Offensive Rebounds: 15-17
Bench Points: 4

Post Game Notes and Leaders:

Louisville moves on to the Sweet 16 for the 11th time under Coach Walz with the win tonight. Emily Engstler picked up another double-double for the Cards. UofL came out on fire and really focused early on in the game, and they were able to hold on late in the half before maintaining a double-digit lead for most of the second half. Louisville again had four players score in double figures. Louisville was led in scoring by Hailey Van Lith with 21 points and 6 rebounds. Engstler and Kianna Smith chipped in with 12 points each. Engstler also added 11 boards. Olivia Cochran added 11 points as well as 5 rebounds.

Next Opponent:

Louisville awaits the winner of 12th-seeded Belmont and 4th-seeded Tennessee in Wichita, Kansas on Saturday.