Lady Cards 85 - Fla State 76 WBB

Saturday Cardinal COUPLE:

-Reid, Schimmel lead way in win over 'Noles

-Football notches seventh win, share of conference title

-WISE DAN takes Clark Handicap at Churchill

NOTE: UofL WBB game is at 4 p.m. today instead of 7 p.m. as previously mentioned.

The University of Louisville women's basketball team won on the road in
Tallahassee last night, withstanding two Florida State runs, to take a
hard fought 85-76 win over the 'Noles.

"For the first time this year, we played hard for 40 minutes." -Jeff Walz, head coach.

Shoni scored Louisville's
final five points of the first half.

Louisville started out the game in a flurry, running up a 7-0 lead on FSU when Cierra Warren scored in the paint and the Cards controlled the first ten minutes of action. Monique Reid sank two free throws to give Louisville a 15-6 advantage with 14:43 left in the first half and Reid scored from the paint to make it 27-16 with 10:50 on the clock. The Cards were still in control after Sara Hammond connected inside...giving Louisville a 35-26 edge at 5:35 in the half. From there, though...FSU went on a 14-4 run over the next four minutes and tied the contest at 39-39, thanks largely to the efforts of 6'4" center Cierra Bravard. The Cards had Reid and Warren on the bench with foul trouble and needed a spark.

Shoni Schimmel came through for UofL. After Sara Hammond scored to give the Cards a two point advantage, Schimmel scored the final five points of the half, including a buzzer beating jumper that concluded a 7-0 Cardinal run and it was 46-39 Cards at the break.

Reid was magnificent in the first half, coming off the bench to provide Louisville with 12 points in just eight minutes. Bria Smith added nine first half points and Schimmel, after nailing a game opening three, had eight for UofL. The Cards had a 18-14 edge in rebounds after twenty minutes.

The Cards started the second half in a hurry...Warren scoring first and Schimmel drilling another three and getting a steal for a layup to push the
Louisville lead to 53-41 after two minutes had ticked off the clock. That lead was still at 12 after another Shoni three at the 13:01 mark and it looked like the Cards might have FSU on their heels. The 'Noles were far from finished, though.

Bravard finished with
27 for the 'Noles

A 10-4 run drew FSU within six before Shoni found Reid with a half-court pass for two and it was 62-54 with 9:50 remaining. Florida State kept chipping away at the Cardinal advantage over the next five minutes and tied the game at 66-66 with 4:35 left. A Schimmel three broke the deadlock...but when Warren fouled out with 3:39 remaining, two free throws from FSU's Bravard made it only 71-70 Cards.

Reid and Asia Taylor went to work for UofL, though, and combined for a 7-0 UofL run to give the Lady Cards a 78-70 lead with 1:58 to go. FSU would get no closer than six the rest of the way and Louisville sank seven out of eight free throws down the stretch to preserve the win.

Louisville forced the 'Noles into 24 turnovers for the forty minutes, while creating only 17 miscues.

CARDINAL SCORING:

S.Schimmel 25 (in 40 minutes)
Reid           23 (in 24 minutes)
Smith         11
Burke           7
Hammond     6
Warren         6
Taylor          5
Dyer            2

Sherrone Vails and Antonita Slaughter both played but did not score. Shelby Harper and Jude Schimmel did not see action...but both will probably see extensive minutes Saturday night against Florida A&M, since Shoni logged 40 at the point tonight...a decision Jeff Walz said he made because of the 'Noles size and aggressiveness in the back court. Becky Burke played 37 minutes in the game.

WHAT WE LIKED ABOUT LAST NIGHT

-Louisville, faced with two opposition runs in front of an away crowd, came back and took control each time. They scored seven straight points to close out the first half after FSU tied it at 39-39 and went on a 11-3 run late in the second half after the 'Noles knotted it up at 69-69. Not folding on the road, a good sign of maturity and poise for the Lady Cards. 

-They're back! The 'Sho and Mo show' has returned and we're glad it's back on the airwaves. When Warren went to the bench in each half because of fouls, Shoni took over in the first half and both Shoni and Monique carried Louisville to the win in the second half...scoring 11 of the Cards final 14 points.

-Asia Taylor, with five clutch free throws down the stretch when Louisville had to have them. Her defensive work last night caused several turnovers and tied possessions also. She's becoming a spark off the bench like Mo and it couldn't happen to a harder working and more deserving player. Make 'em pay, A-Tayy!!

THINGS TO IMPROVE ON:

-Defensive stops in the paint. FSU's Bravard pretty much had her way against Warren, Vails, Dyer and Taylor inside last night and finished with 27 points. She may be one of the best post players Louisville will see this year...but she won't be the last tall and athletic one they'll face. Gotta limit the bigs...

-Preventing the opponent's runs. Twice last night, Louisville had 12 point leads and had FSU on the verge of getting blown out. Both times the 'Noles
came back to tie it. Developing a stronger "killer attitude" wouldn't hurt at all.

-Fouls. With Reid and Warren getting in early foul trouble, it put two of the Cards best scoring weapons on ice. When Warren fouled out, it left Louisville scrambling to find someone to shut down Bravard. Sure, calls aren't always going to go your way on the road...but solid defense without fouling would only benefit UofL.

A quick turnaround for UofL...the girls face FAMU at 4 p.m. today. The Rattlerettes lost a close one to Nebraska Friday, so they'll be tired also..but still dangerous.

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Nice work by Teddy Bridgewater and the Football Cards, ending the regular season with a 34-24 win down in Tampa over USF. First victory ever there for Louisville. The Cards have a share of the BIG EAST championship now, and with West Virginia roaring back to defeat Pitt last night...the Cards could get the BCS bid with a little luck. They need Cincinnati to lose...and without starting quartereback Zach Collaros, that's entirely possible. 

"A lot of Cardinal fans are counting on
you to beat Cincy! Are you able?"

Seven wins for UofL this year...including beating Kentucky, West Virginia and South Florida. And, this is a very young Cardinal football team. If Teddy Bridgewater isn't the best freshman quarterback in college football, show me a better one.  

Louisville needs Syracuse to defeat Cincinnati today in the Orange Dome. Game is at noon on the BIG EAST Network...if you want to see it.

(Was a Mountaineer fan last night, and a Orange fan today. This time of year brings out some pretty strange scenarios. I even found myself humming along with the WVU fans last night when they sang the traditional post-game "Country Roads" by John Denver. I seriously need help....Sonja kept me from burning any couches)

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Sonja at Churchill with buddies
Norma and Alan.

WISE DAN roared down the Churchill Downs stretch under the guidance of first time jockey John Velazquez and defeated 12 rivals in the $500,000 Clark Handicap yesterday at Churchill Downs. He was the second betting choice and returned $11 to win for trainer Charles Lopresti.

He was part of a successful Pick 4 for CARDINAL COUPLE...defeating longshot Mission Impazible and favorite Flat Out.

Wonderful day at the Twin Spires yesterday for CARDINAL COUPLE. Joined by Bread Boy in the Turf Club and meeting up later with Tommy Boy, we had excellent food, great racing luck and a fun Friday afternoon watching the horses.

Our bartending buddy Jo-Ann

Churchill does it right on the big days, but one has to wonder what they're trying to accomplish by ending the Twin Spires Club in February 2012. The announcement of TSC Elite is a slap in the face to the occasional bettors who can't afford wagering $25,000 a year to qualify as members.

It's the average race track attendee, who might not be there every day...but still bumps up attendance and wagering numbers...that is getting the muddy end of the bridle here. Several people we talked to yesterday are upset that the track will begin to charge admission for those who can't throw down 1/4th. of $100,000 a year at the historic oval.

It'll affect attendance, concession stand sales and drive some across the bridge to Indiana off-track facilities...where food and beverage is cheaper, admission is free and there are separate smoking facilities indoors.  

The Downs already is faced with the absence of casino-style wagering on the facilities and purses for racing are diminished because of this lack of extra purse money. Now they want to sock it to the little guy.

Sonja and Jo-Ann

Reconsider, Churchill. Even though the Friday Night under the Lights promotions are popular....turning your back on the common man will result in sparse attendance on days where major events aren't happening.

You're competing for entertainment dollars in a economy where those are steadily diminishing. Jacking up your prices and assuming an elitist policy probably isn't the brightest concept you've ever come up with...