UofL WBB Recap: Cards Fall To Buckeyes In ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Pregame Notes:

Good evening Card Nation, your 18th-ranked Louisville Cardinals take on the 4th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Louisville is coming off an impressive 100-37 victory over Longwood. They were without Hailey Van Lith for that game. Ohio State, meanwhile, is coming off a pair of 105-point performances, both blowout wins. Louisville currently holds a 2-1 series lead over the Buckeyes.

Starters:

Chrislyn Carr

Hailey Van Lith

Mykasa Robinson

Morgan Jones

Olivia Cochran

1st Quarter:

The Cards started the game with two straight turnovers on consecutive possessions, but a beautiful post fade away jumper by Olivia Cochran gave the Cards the 2-1 lead. UofL attacked the OSU press and forced multiple turnovers on their way to an early 12-3 lead. Louisville, however, started turning the ball over and OSU made a few tough shots to trim the Louisville lead to 1 (14-15). The Cards went on a mini-run of their own to take a 25-18 lead into the 2nd quarter.

2nd Quarter:

Louisville blitzed the Buckeyes early in the quarter, opening up their biggest lead of 14 on two occasions. However, they could not hit the shots they needed to extend their lead as the Buckeyes chipped away at the lead. Both teams traded buckets and 4-0 runs as Louisville took a 45-37 lead into intermission.

Halftime Stats:

Field Goal %: 18-36 (50%)

3PT Field Goal %: 3-11 (27.3%)

Free Throws: 6-6 (100%)

Total Rebounds: 19 (6 offensive)

Turnovers: 9

Leading Scorer: Hailey VanLith (14)

3rd Quarter:

A mid-range jumper by Chrislyn Carr gave UofL a 10-point lead. Again, Louisville had their chances to extend their lead and put a halt to the OSU runs, but couldn’t. The Buckeyes used a 15-2 run to tie the game at 52. Louisville was able to temporarily regain the lead before the Buckeyes opened up a 4-point lead. The Cards trailed 65-63 heading into the final quarter.

4th Quarter:

Louisville tied the game early in the quarter, but unfortunately that was as close as it got after that. Louisville couldn’t find their footing in the quarter as OSU pressed on makes and misses. The Buckeyes showed why they are a top 5 team, as they ran away from the Cards 96-77.

Final Stats:

Field Goal %: 30-69 (43.5%)

3PT Field Goal %: 6-21 (28.6%)

Free Throws: 11-13 (84.6%)

Total Rebounds: 37 (14 offensive)

Assists: 13

Steals: 5

Blocks: 3

Bench Points: 11

Turnovers: 24

Leading Scorer: Hailey Van Lith (20)

Post Game Notes:

Louisville falls to 5-3 on the season. The Cards were led in scoring by HVL with 20. Morgan Jones and Chrislyn Carr were the only other Cards in double figures scoring-wise with 15 and 14 respectively. UofL struggled to solve the Buckeye press most of the second half, even though the did a really great job against the press in the 1st quarter. They struggled to get any sustained offense in the second half, as OSU scored 24 points off of turnovers. Louisville also struggled on the defensive end as OSU shot almost 60% from the field, including 53.3% from beyond the arc. The Cards turned the ball over 24 times, including 15 times in the 2nd half.

Next Opponent:

The Cards hit the road to take on Middle Tennessee State, December 4th at 5 pm in the Murphy Center.