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Friday, February 4, 2022

WBB Defeats Clemson -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 



Happy Friday to all of our awesome Cardinal Couple readers! Hopefully everyone is staying safe as we deal with some pretty unpleasant weather and road conditions.

I'm typically not a fan of Louisville Women's Basketball playing on the road because I would rather be at games in person, but yesterday was one of the few times I'm glad it was a road game.


HVL Scores Career High in Win at Clemson




Well, Clemson was ready to go for this game, at least for a while. The Tigers kept things close for a good portion of the first half and tied the score early in the second half before Louisville was able to pull away for a 93-71 win.

Delicia Washington posted a strong showing with 28 points, but most of her damage was done in the first half with 18 points. The senior, who is not known for her three-point shooting, went 5-6 from beyond the arc. Amari Robinson went well over her season average with an 18-point performance. Eight of those points came from the charity stripe for the junior guard.

Clemson shot 40.0% from the field and 38.9% from three-point range, quite a bit higher than what the Cards' were allowing on the year. A healthy chunk of their scoring came from the free throw line, where Clemson shot 20-24.




Although Clemson shot well from the floor, Louisville shot better. The Cards shot 58.2% with a flat 50% mark from deep. The 25 assists on 39 made shots is an excellent mark and the 25-14 assist-turnover ratio is something to be proud of.

It was the Hailey Van Lith show in Littlejohn Coliseum, especially in the second half. The sophomore went off for a career-high 34 points and crushed her previous best of 24 points. HVL shot a perfect 6-6 from three-point range and her six long bombs match her career best. Even more impressive, she did it all in 33 minutes.

Liz Dixon had a strong showing off the bench with 12 points on a perfect 6-6 shooting. Emily Engstler was the only other Card in double figures with 10 points. The transfer from Syracuse also posted a team-high eight rebounds. Despite a poor shooting night, Kianna Smith flirted with a double-double with eight points and eight assists.


Q1: Louisville 25, Clemson 16

FG%

11-15 73.3% UofL

7-16 43.5% Clemson

3-pt%

2-4 50% UofL

2-8 25% Clemson

Rebounding

9-5 UofL



After a slow start, it was Kianna Smith and her six assists propelling the Cards forward. Washington was perfect from the floor with 10 points and was the only Clemson player doing much early.

Q2: Clemson 23, Louisville 19

FG%

8-21 38.1% UofL

6-11 54.5% Clemson

3-pt%

1-4 25% UofL

4-5 80% Clemson

Rebounding

12-7 Louisville





This was the only quarter that the Tigers won. Washington and Robinson combined for 17 points and Clemson was red hot from three-point range. With Engstler on the bench with foul trouble and K Smith going scoreless in the second quarter due to a shooting slump Clemson was able to claw back into the game.


Q3: Louisville 29, Clemson 15

FG%

12-16 75% UofL

4-16 25% Clemson

3-pt%

4-6 66.7% UofL

0-2 0.0% Clemson

Rebounding

9-8 Clemson




After Clemson tied the game early in the third quarter, HVL decided she had had enough and went off for 16 points in this quarter alone. The Tigers struggled to score and Louisville's defense had made halftime adjustments to try and slow Clemson's shooting threats.


Q4: Louisville 20, Clemson 17

8-15 53.3% UofL

5-12 41.7% Clemson

3-pt%

3-6 50% UofL

1-3 33.3% Clemson

Rebounding

10-6 Clemson

No starter for Louisville saw more than five minutes in the final quarter as the Cards found themselves up by as much as 26 late in the game. It was a great chance for some of the bench players to see some extra minutes including Sydni Schetnan scoring her first field goal of her young Louisville career. The Cards forced Clemson into as many turnovers as made shots this quarter.


FRED Report


The late Fred Wiche posing on a day we all wish was out there today


Free Throws- Despite the discrepancy in free throw attempts (Louisville 10, Clemson 24), the Cards did next to nothing with their opportunities from the line. They shot 5-10 on the night and 50% is well below our minimum standard. No letter.

Rebounding- The Cards won the rebounding battle 35-31 with each team recording 12 offensive boards. Louisville's individual rebounding numbers are skewed a tad as the box score credits the team with six rebounds. Eight Cardinals logged two or more rebounds. Capital R.

Effort/Execution- Hailey alone deserves a capital E+ based off her performance. UofL is in the midst of a pretty tight stretch with several games so we expected to see plenty of reserves see enhanced minutes. Liz Dixon and Payton Verhulst both had strong games off the bench and even Mykasa Robinson had a surprisingly good offensive game. The Cards halted the Clemson run and hit the gas and never let up. Capital E.

Defense- Yeah, giving up 71 points isn't good. Letting a player go off for 28 points also isn't good. Nor is allowing an opposing team to shoot 40%. But, UofL forced Clemson into 17 turnovers and was able to make halftime adjustments to quiet down Clemson's offense. The Tiger's top two scorers were only able to muster up a combined 15 points in the second half. Due to a strong second half, Louisville did enough to earn a lowercase d.


_-R-E-d isn't horrible but there is plenty of room for improvement.




Louisville improves to 20-2 on the year (yay, 20 wins!) and 10-1 in the ACC. The one loss keeps them in the running for the ACC regular season title. Meanwhile, Clemson drops to 7-15 on the year with a 1-10 conference mark.

The Cards stay on the road for one more game when they visit Syracuse this Sunday at noon. Earlier this season, Louisville defeated Syracuse 84-71 in a shootout.


Happy Friday and Go Cards!

Jared

9 comments:

  1. HVL HVL HVL !!! BREAK OUT GAME WOW.
    GOOD WIN GO CARDS!
    PS LIZ DIXON & OLIVIA COCHRAN coming on big time.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Van Lith effort we've all been expecting and how much fun it was to see.

    Clemson has two bonfire All ACC performers in Washington and Robinson but no one that will make an All-defensive squad. The Cards could have easily put triple digits on the Tigers if Walz hadn't unloaded the bench for most of the fourth.

    But Hailey...a game she'll always remember and one that the fans will remember for a very long time. That was an Angel, an Asia a Dana-like performance.

    Nick O

    ReplyDelete
  3. Funny how the Cards let Clemson climb back in it and then just slammed the door in their face and knocked them down the stairs.

    If Hailey doesn't get ACC Player of the Week, there's a whole lot of funny going on out there.

    I hate the Bally network and those two "announcers" (I use the ter lightly) promised they'd be back for the ACC Tournament. Oh joy, oh boy...I ended up listening to Nick and AJ for most of the fourth quarter. They are sooooo good and we're so fortunate to have them.

    Be careful today on the roads!!! The major highways and I-64 are getting better, but I hit it at 5:30 this morning and it was an ice skating rink out there. If you can, stay home. Especially if you don't drive well once, snow and sleet.

    Blue Lou

    ReplyDelete
  4. All hail Hailey! We beat a doormat (sorry Arthur) and I expected no less.

    We definitely can't play that way against Notre Dame down the road, though. They will beat us if we do. And, I definitely want two wins over team. Just to shut up Muffet the #$%&@ if nothing else. I'm sure Ivey's a nice person, but, we must put the Irish down.

    Give me Bally Sports anytime. They don't have "announcers" with obvious team loyalties and blaring preferential prejudices. The ACC needs to do better.

    Stay safe out there.

    Curtis "Be Kind" Franklin

    ReplyDelete
  5. Stuffy Muffy.
    Couldn't stand it, HAD to throw shade.
    Said Hailey didn't hit any "tough" shots.
    Guess what, Muffy, she didn't miss easy ones, either.
    Most efficient 34 points I've ever seen, personally.
    On top of that, GLOATED over Miles with a HUGE smile, but also showed a bit of senility with the statement that Miles would have been "sitting on the bench next to me" had that behind the back pass failed.
    Guess she's still coaching in her mind.
    I will admit ND will give us all we want, we better bring back that intense defense we started the season playing.
    Seems like the offense has surpassed the defense in recent games, the assist to made baskets ratio has been a thing of beauty, but letting opposing players get career highs...not so pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hello Friends !
    Arthur Here !

    Hailey Van Lith, have yourself a game! Boy was she on fire and so much fun to watch! She had the Cardinals rolling and fired up and Amanda shaking her head.

    I thought Delicia and Amari played well for us and I was fired up when we tied it up in the fourth.

    Then. Boom. Y'all quit playing around.

    So glad to see the Cards live. Love their pre- game routines and drills. So loose and relaxed. They carry themselves with the confidence of a top three team.

    Hey, heard y'all getting a bunch of nasty weather. Y'all be safe and great win. I left smiling, which confused some of our fans who don't know how much I like the UofL WBB squad.

    Your Friend
    #1 Clemson Fan
    Arthur
    Greer, SC

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Arthur, always good to hear from you. I thought that Clemson played hard all the way. They were just outgunned.

      Delete
  7. Imho
    I know poeple say you don't need Burger girls I disagree.sometime you get a bad burger no pickles please.

    Merv

    ReplyDelete
  8. Charlie Creme's Bracketology has 8 ACC schools in the NCAA Tournament and Miami as one of the first four out. I have to disagree, bsed on the way Miami played the Cards.

    ReplyDelete

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