Monday Cardinal Couple -- Vandals arrested. Louisville 88 - Idaho 42

MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- Cards flow against Idaho in 46 point win

- Contest results status update

- Day Two thoughts

- Softball pounds Rutgers 11-3

Anytime Louisville starts a game 0-7 from field...one has to worry a bit. This was Idaho, though...not UConn and once the early game miscues abated, the Potato State visitors got mashed, boiled and fried by the #3 team in the nation.

Sunday afternoon in chilly Iowa City, Iowa finally warmed up for UofL, though...and the Cards place five in double figures to advance to Tuesday night action.

With the potato salad finished, the Cards (31-4) await the entree. A local dish, Hawkeye, is being served Tues. night.

Down 6-2 four minutes into the game, Louisville went on a 10-0 run...keyed by a Jude Schimmel corner three... to take the lead for good and extended that to 24-13 with eight minutes left in the first half. Shoni and Jude had 13 of the Cardinal points and Idaho was experiencing "Schimmeling" first hand.

An Asia Taylor layup gave the Cards a 36-21 lead with 3:50 to go in the first half and the Cards held the Vandals scoreless the rest of the way to take a 40-21 advantage into the Carver-Hawkeye dressing room.

No let down occurred for Jeff Walz's crew in the final twenty. A-Tayy canned a jumper to bulge the lead to 50-26 five minutes into the final period. With 9:45 left and the starters on the bench, Emmonnie Henderson drained a jumper to increase the lead to 34 points at 67-33.


"E" would hit another nice jumper to get the Cards to the 80-point mark with 4:25 showing on the scoreboard. The Cards rolled in eight more points the rest of the way...Starr Breedlove getting on the board...and UofL goes to round two to face a Iowa squad that downed a determined Marist bunch by 18.  

Sara Hammond led the balanced Cardinal attack with 16 points. Jude added 14, Asia 13, Nita Slaughter 13 and Shoni finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.  

Louisville dominated the boards, kept the Vandal three-point attack at bay, maintained the intensity throughout the game and displayed a lock-down defense that gave Idaho fits.

Jeff Walz has never lost a first round NCAA game as a head coach. The only way he could have lost this one would have been by taking the team to Mickey's Irish Grill at halftime and not returning to the arena. Or making the girls were potato sacks over their heads while on the court.

Idaho goes from the WAC to the Big Sky next year. They are also headed home on Sunday afternoon...the victims of a group of gals with unfinished business on their minds.

One game away from a home court advantage in the regionals. Warm up, Louisville...the Cards are flying back to rule the roost. It'll be a bird battle 48 hours from now...a decided home advantage for the Big 10 Hawkeyes unless Native American nation descends on the state with four letters.

Unfinished business. Round two. A group of midwestern farmers daughters versus the high-flying Cardinal up next.

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With the first round in the books...here's how the Cardinal Couple Pick 'Em shakes out:

28-4   Paulie, Joe Hill
26-6   Charlyse, Blue Lou
25-7   Curtis F., Gary W.
24-8   David Watson, Willie Cat Fan, Jeff McAdams, Jennifer B. Sonja,
23-9   Vivian
22-10  Kenny S.
21-11  A Cardinal Chimp
19-13  Matt M. for Gov.
18-14  The Other One

Good luck!

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So after Day 2...we give a prom queen wave goodbye to Georgia, Gonzaga and Robert Morris. His buddy James Madison is still dancing. Middle Tennessee and Ebony Rowe head back to Murfreesboro and (New) Albany treks back across the Sherman Minton Bridge. The Army surrenders and Marist returns to academic pursuits. 

32 teams that look to advance beginning today. Can't wait to see the LSU v. WVU, Syracuse v. UK and Fla. State v. Stanford games! Six SEC teams still in the hunt. Play well...Doug Bruno, Q, Lindsay and give us upsets!

Over on the guys side...Wichita State (squared) heads back to Shockerville. Kentucky vs. Louisville in Indy.

Oh, yeah....The Madness of March is in full bloom. Bring it.

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Louiville Softball slugged out a 11-3 win over Rutgers Sunday in Ulmer Stadium.

Kelsi Jones, 3 for 3 and three runs scored. Brittany Duncan 2 for 3 with three RBI's. Katie Keller 2 for 3 and three trips around the bags.

Autumn McDuffie delivered the game-closer with a sixth inning, two-out, two-RBI double. Starter Caralisa Connell went 3.1 innings and Maryssa Becker gets the "W"...allowing one hit and one unearned run in 2.2 innings of relief.

The Cards go to 18-11 with the win.




paulie
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