Pregame Notes:
Good afternoon Card Nation, it’s Rivalry Day in the YUM as the University of Louisville takes on the Wolfpack of NC State. The Wolfpack are 14-5 (4-4) in conference. In years past, Louisville and NC State have battled for the top seed in the conference tournament. Last year, the Cards took a double-digit lead into the 4th quarter, but Diamond Johnson was the catalyst behind a 17-0 run by the Wolfpack that helped them not only comeback, but ultimately beat Louisville 68-59. NC State has won the last 3 games, but the Cards lead the all-time series 8-6.
Before the game, Mykasa Robinson was honored for playing in her 145th career game at Louisville, more than any other player in UofL history.
Starters:
Chrislyn Carr
Hailey Van Lith
Morgan Jones
Olivia Cochran
Liz Dixon
1st Quarter:
Chrislyn Carr’s layup finally got the scoring started for the Cards, well, at least for her. Carr scored the first 11 points for the UofL. NC State really couldn’t miss early in the quarter and had a 19-8 lead. A Mykasa fallaway jumper cut the NC State lead to 6 (19-13) heading into the 2nd quarter. The basket by Robinson was the only basket for a Louisville player not named Chrislyn Carr.
2nd Quarter:
The Cards outscored the Wolfpack by 10 points in the quarter, and their defensive pressure and execution had a lot to do with that. Louisville held NC State to 38% from the field and forced 6 turnovers in the quarter. They were able to tie the game at 28 briefly. The Cards used a 13-4 run to take a 33-31 lead heading into intermission.
Halftime Stats:
Field Goal %: 14-34 (41.2%)
3PT Field Goal %: 4-7 (57.1%)
Free Throws: 1-3 (33.3%)
Total Rebounds: 16 (6 offensive)
Turnovers: 4
Leading Scorer: Chrislyn Carr (14)
3rd Quarter:
In a quarter that had more than it’s share of ties, NC State took a 1-point lead on a free throw by Boyd. Both teams were very physical with each other, which led to a lot of called and missed fouls. The Cards trailed 47-48 heading into the final quarter.
4th Quarter:
Louisville started the quarter 0-7 from the field and not getting back in transition, which led to 48-54 deficit with 4:54 remaining. The shooting didn’t get much better as the Cards went 1-16 from the field with 3 turnovers. The Cards fall 63-51 to the Wolfpack.
Final Stats:
Field Goal %: 20-66 (30.3%)
3PT Field Goal %: 4-12 (33.3%)
Free Throws: 7-11 (63.6%)
Total Rebounds: 37 (13 offensive)
Assists: 6
Steals: 7
Blocks: 1
Bench Points: 7
Turnovers: 12
Leading Scorer: Chrislyn Carr (16)
Post Game Notes:
The Cards fall to NC State 63-51. They were led in scoring by Chrislyn Carr with 16. Carr had 14 points at the half. Olivia Cochran had 11 rebounds to lead the Cards, but she was 0-4 from the field. Louisville started the game really poorly on the defensive end, but showed improvement in the 2nd quarter. The second half for Louisville was really, really tough and ultimately spelled doom for the Cards. Louisville really struggled all game missing shots in the paint, but it got really bad in the 4th quarter.
Next Opponent:
UofL heads back on the road, as they face the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, January 26th at 6pm.
