Pregame Notes:
Good evening Card Nation from the beautiful and warm island of Nassau, Bahamas. The Louisville Cardinals have the last game of the 1st day in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, they take on the 3-0 Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Cards are also 3-0, with wins over Cincinnati, IUPUI, and a tough road win over Belmont. UofL is being led in scoring by Hailey Van Lith with 21.7 ppg. They defeated Gonzaga last year in the round of 32, 68-59 and hold a slim 2-1 series lead on Gonzaga, with the teams being 1-1 on a neutral site.
Starters:
Chrislyn Carr
Hailey Van Lith
Morgan Jones
Olivia Cochran
Liz Dixon
1st Quarter:
Olivia Cochran put the Cards up 4 early. Gonzaga answered with an 8-0 run of their own. The Cards looked sloppy on offense all quarter and turned the ball over at a high rate with 10. It didn’t help that the Cards picked up 2 technical fouls. UofL trailed 21-12 after the first quarter.
2nd Quarter:
Hailey Van Lith led the Cards on an 8-2 run, as Louisville chipped away at the Gonzaga lead. Louisville took better care of the ball, and forced Gonzaga into 10 turnovers in the quarter. The Cards came all the way back to take a brief 26-25 lead. They ended up trailing 29-28 at the intermission.
Halftime Stats:
Field Goal %: 12-26 (46%)
3PT Field Goal %: 1-3 (33.3%)
Free Throws: 3-4 (75%)
Total Rebounds: 14 (5 offensive)
Turnovers: 15
Leading Scorer: Mykasa Robinson (8)
3rd Quarter:
Free throws by HVL gave the Cards a 30-29 before the start of the quarter because of a technical foul on Gonzaga as the players were exiting the floor. UofL struggled to score once again in the quarter and Gonzaga took advantage with some easy breakaway layups and hit a couple 3s to regain and extend their lead. The Cards trailed 42-45 heading into the final quarter.
4th Quarter:
The Cards and Zags battled all game. Gonzaga had a 5-point lead, but Carr rattled off 5 straight points to tie the game with 4:31 remaining. Nyla Harris put the Cards up 2 with under a minute left, but free throws from Gonzaga tied the game at 61. Both teams had chances to win it, but they came up empty. At the end of regulation; Cards 61, Bulldogs 61.
Overtime:
Gonzaga raced out to a quick 6-point lead and Louisville was never able to make it a game after that. The Cards suffer their first loss on the young season, 79-67 to Gonzaga.
Final Stats:
Field Goal %: 27-69 (39.1%)
3PT Field Goal %: 3-16 (18.8%)
Free Throws: 10-16 (62.5%)
Total Rebounds: 31 (12 offensive)
Assists: 11
Steals: 15
Blocks: 6
Bench Points: 24
Turnovers: 20
Leading Scorer: Hailey Van Lith (18)
Post Game Notes:
The Cards fall to 3-1 after losing to Gonzaga . UofL was led in scoring by Hailey Van Lith with 18. They struggled to find any efficiency from beyond the arc or in the paint. For a good portion of the game, Gonzaga was able to get into their sets and execute on offense when it mattered most. Morgan Jones (12) and Mykasa Robinson (10) rounded out the double digit scoring for Cards.
Next Opponent:
The Cards will take on Texas at 7:30 pm, November 20th in the Battle 4 Atlantis.
