WBB Falls at Duke 63-56 -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

BALOGUN'S DOUBLE/DOUBLE HELPS SINK CARDS IN DURHAM

Sometimes, things come back to bite you. 

When Jeff Walz went after Elizabeth Balogun and Liz Dixon when they decided to leave Georgia Tech, most saw it as a nice move to make the prospects of the 2019-20 Cardinals team even stronger. After all, Balogun was the reigning ACC Freshman of the Year and had averaged almost 15 points a game. But, after two years, she felt the need to move again and Kara Lawson and Duke brought her aboard. 

The first player in ACC history to play for three different ACC teams went off on her old teammates Sunday in Cameron Indoor Stadium with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Duke kept their ACC slate unblemished with the 63-56 win over Louisville, 

An 8-0 run in the fourth quarter was the deciding factor. After Louisville got a three from Olivia Cochran with 4:38 to go, the Cards had managed to trim a seven point deficit to two at 51-49 . Louisville would not score again, though, in the next three minutes and see the Duke lead grow to 59-49.  Although, the Cards would manage to get back within three with 42 seconds to go, four straight Blue Devil free throws to close out the contest (two by Balogun) allowed the Durham squad to get the "W" and go to 13-1 overall and 3-0 in the ACC so far in the 2022-23 season. 

The Cards jumped out to a 5-0 lead to begin the game, but found themselves behind 18-11 after 10 minutes. It was 32-24 at the half and the Cards went into the fourth quarter on the short end of a 43-38 score, thanks to a late Balogun three that turned a 40-38 contest to the five-point home team advantage The Cards used a 7-0 run late in the third quarter to knock a 11 point Duke lead to four, but when they needed a run to pull out a win on the road, UofL fell just short. 

Coach Walz pointed to the 12 first half turnovers by Louisville in the first half as a deciding factor in the contest in post-game remarks. The triumvirate of Van Lith, Carr and Robinson had nine of those miscues, but the Cards still managed to find their way back into the contest after being down by 14 with about four minutes left in the second quarter.  

It figured to be a tough test on the road for Louisville and the Cards certainly didn't get any assistance from the refereeing --Duke made 14 of 16 free throws and Louisville got just two -- making both

Hailey Van Lith kept the Cards in this one, despite Duke's best efforts to deny her the ball and make life rough for her when she got it. Duke did shut down Carr, though, to just eight points and UofL probably needed both of them to be at top-notch to take this one Sunday. 

Kara Lawson:  "This is a great week for us...to go to NC State and win and now to beat the team that was picked to win the league. That's a good start for us, to go 3-0 in ACC play. 

The stretch ahead doesn't get much easier for the Cards (11-5, 2-1) this week...Georgia Tech comes to town for a 8 p.m. game Thursday night...but...the Yellow Jackets did get shellacked by FSU by 41 points Sunday in Tallahassee.

THE FRED REPORT

(It was "Nightmare in N.C for the Cards) 

FREE THROWS -- The "free ones" weren't much of a factor in this one for Louisville, except for the huge discrepancy in the attempts. Olivia Cochran got one attempt and made it and so did Nyla Harris.  (Fill in your own thoughts on this ---Duke got 16 unguarded attempts to score a point and made 14). Still, 100% is better that 70%, so we'll award THE CAPITAL "F".for accuracy, if not quantity.

REBOUNDS -- 32-28 in favor of the Cards. Dixon and Cochran combined for 13. I'd normally award a CAPITAL letter here , but with the loss, we'll make it a small case "r"

EFFORT/EXECUTION -- 17 turnovers is way too many, even if it was the best defensive team in the ACC that you were playing. Seven assists on 25 baskets is low and 4-16 three-point shooting is just abysmal. 11 first quarter points wasn't the start that inspired much confidence or displayed stellar execution. No letter.

DEFENSE -- Holding Duke to 63 point isn't all that bad, but the defense collapsed at times in the second half and was substandard in the first half. Six steals is about average for the Cards. Duke did shoot 40%...but the big factor here is that the defense gave up more points than the offense scored and that equals loss. No letter

FINAL FRED REPORT --    F-r-_-_

So, it was great to see Kasa back out there and she'll only get better the more she plays, after the concussion inactivity,  but to get just nine points out of Dixon, Williams and Harris in a  combined 43 minutes is troubling. 

A tough loss, but...as Jeff Walz will tell you...you've got to be at your best any time you take the court against an ACC foe, or you're going to take an "L" or be extremely lucky to win.  Let's hope Louisville learns from this one and comes out playing better Thursday night, 

paulie

 

Louisville Set to Face Duke Sunday -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Celebrate New Year's with Games

Unlike the winter break that collegiate athletics teams usually get over the Christmas holiday (unless there's a bowl game in that time frame), New Year's Eve and Day are just more days on the calendar. Louisville men's basketball will face Kentucky today in a game that opened with a 22.5 spread and has already been bet up to UK -23.5. We don't need to talk about that one at all. Maybe Louisville will manage to cover.

Louisville women's basketball will have a challenge of their own tomorrow when they face Duke on the road. The Blue Devils are 12-1 this year with the lone loss coming on a neutral court against Connecticut. Their wins aren't necessarily stunning, but they have beaten three teams from Big 6 conferences in out of conference play and their last game was a 14-point road win over 6th-ranked NC State on Thursday . Kara Lawson has the team playing well on both ends, as they're averaging 71.8 ppg and allowing just 49.8. While there have been a few games swinging those averages a bit, they didn't score fewer than 66 points in December and haven't allowed more than 58, which came against NC State. 

The Cards will have the tough task of facing the unfriendly confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium for this one, where Duke is undefeated this season. With both teams playing their last game on Thursday and having the same amount of rest, this one will be a straight-up matchup. Louisville is quite familiar with one key contributor on the team, as Elizabeth Balogun is second on the team in scoring despite just seven starts. She has played in all 13 games and has the fourth most minutes, though, so it's clear she is the first player off the bench. Balogun is one of eleven transfers on the Duke roster, which is almost double the number of players that originally started in Durham. With six grad transfers and two seniors, Duke is looking to make the most of this season. Louisville will have their hands full as they try to rain on the Blue Devils' parade.

The game is set to air on ACC Network Extra and tips off at noon eastern. 

No Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

As we discussed last week, we won't have a podcast this week as we take off the last day of the year. If you haven't had the chance to listen to last week's episode yet, it was an annual retrospective, so it's still plenty relevant. We should be back next week with more in the joy and excitement of UofL Women's Athletics.

Have a safe and happy New Year!

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

(PHOTOS BY JARED ANDERSON)

Basketball vs Duke Gameday - Sunday Cardinal Couple

Duke Visits the Yum!

(no...these "Dukes" are NOT the ones visiting today)

Kara Lawson brings her Blue Devils into the KFC Yum! Center today for a 3pm game.  The Cards are still sitting around that 4th or 5th place ranking, though with an absolutely chaotic slate of Thursday night games in the SEC, and specifically with Tennessee losing by 10 to Auburn, there's a possibility that Louisville could move up a spot tomorrow when the rankings come out.

That won't happen if the Cards don't get the job done today, however.

The basics first.  The Dookies come in to the game today 13-5 overall, 4-4 in conference.  That one non-conference loss was a very understandable one to what we know is a very good South Carolina team.  There are also some pretty decent wins in that set, with Iowa, Alabama, and Dayton all going down to defeat.

In conference, we're starting to see a picture painted of a thoroughly mid-level team.  A two point victory over Notre Dame is the biggest hint that there maybe a little something more to Duke than what they've shown so far.  Wins over Virginia, Miami, and Syracuse; with loses to NC State, UNC, and twice to Virginia Tech reinforces the mid-pack assessment.

So let's break it down a little bit.  Lawson has been loving the transfer portal, with nine of the 15 players on the roster having "Previous School"s listed.  That, of course, includes the two former Cardinals Elizabeth Balogun, and Nyah Green.

E has been doing pretty well in Durham, is the second highest scorer on the team behind Shayeann Day-Wilson.  She's among the top rebounders on the squad, trailing Jade Williams and Onome Akinbode-James.  She is the only player on the squad to have started all 18 games in the season thus far, so there's a high likelihood that we'll see her today.

(Green hasn't been "gold" for the Dookies this year)

Green is a different story. She's seen just eight games this season and was hit with a "violation of team policies and standards" suspension and hasn't played since 1/18 and a seven minute, no points appearance against Miami. 

The Duke lineup has been ravaged by injuries and "health and safety protocols".  Stat sheet stuffer Celeste Taylor has missed the last five games since going down with an injury in the game against Syracuse on January 9th.  No word, yet, on whether she'll be back today.

Inside threats for Duke are Jade Williams and Onome Akinbode-James, with occasional appearances by Amaya Finklea-Guity (ex Syracuse), otherwise, just about everyone on the squad can, and fairly frequently does, drop treys.

(Balogun being a factor at Duke)

Duke typically wins if they score more than 70 points, with only two of their wins (Miami and Virginia) being accomplished with less than 70 points.  This bodes well for UofL's strong defensive play, but as always, you have to put the ball in the basket to score enough points to win.

(Robin Verhulst takes the shot) 

On a human interest side note, perhaps spare a moment of thought for Robin Verhulst, mother of Cardinal freshman Payton Verhulst.  She may be dealing with some amount of split allegiances today as she played for Duke from 1989-1992.  Robin was a pretty good player for Blue Devils, racking up 11.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists as a senior.  We can see where Payton gets it.

The game today is on the flagship channel, ESPN, with Courtney Lyle and Carolyn Peck on the call.  Again, the tip is slightly later, at 3pm, due to the TV coverage.

Track and Field

(Leon with the winning combination to the "vault")

The Cards hosted the Lenny Lyles Invitational yesterday, and there were a few highlights for the women.  Gabriela Leon won the pole vault clearing 4.38 meters.  Auriane Viola, and Aliyah Welter finished 3rd and 4th.

Cardinals Brooke Weimer and Synclair Savage finished 2nd and 3rd in the Long Jump with marks of 6.03 meters, and 5.60 meters.

The other podium finish for the Cards was in the 4x400 meter relay, with a 2nd place finish of 3:45.91.  The team is Katie Martin, Kiyah Yeast, Taylor Boggess, and Taylor Herbert.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

(We don't actually wear tuxedos for the podcast...)

Basketball was on the minds of the trio for the CCRHP yesterday.  Jared, Paulie and I were on the call.  Daryl scored tickets to the men's basketball game against Duke, while Case is apparently still fighting home improvements.

We spent most of the podcast talking basketball, with recaps of the wins over Wake Forest and Florida State.  We also got to hear about Katy, Jared's fiance', hob-nobbing with important FSU folks on the sidelines of the game Thursday.  It's fair play, Katy is an FSU grad.

Available at it's Youtube live stream location, you can check it out at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSv0nu6PgOs

JMcA

Lax vs. UNC in ACC Tourney Today -- Justine Sowry Presser -- Balogun to Duke -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 LOUISVILLE LACROSSE TO FACE UNC IN FIRST ROUND ACC LACROSSE ACTION. 

It'll be Louisville vs. North Carolina today in the first round of the ACC Tournament. All eight teams go at it today, with the Cards and Heels taking the field at noon. 

Louisville is the #8 seed in the tourney, UNC the #1 seed...so, it'd be a pretty big surprise to the world of Lacrosse and sports in general if the Cards pull off the win. They met during the regular season, back on March 18th, when UNC traveled to Louisville, faced the Cards in Cardinal Stadium and took a 19-7 win. 

This time, the squads are in Chapel Hill, and UNC is still the #1 squad in the nation, sporting an unblemished 15-0 record.  The Cards come in ranked #19th in the nation and are 5-10 on the season. Louisville is currently on a four game losing streak and went 1-9 in ACC regular season play, defeating Virginia Tech...the #7 seed. 

Sweet Caroline ! 

The Cards will have Caroline Blalock on the pitch, she was named to the All-ACC Second team yesterday, and Bella Karstien received All-ACC Freshman team honors. 

Louisville will need top performance from those two, plus scorers Ally Hall, Hannah Morris, Nicole Perroni, Kokoro Nakazawa and a strong effort from goal-keeper Rachel Florek and the defense, if they are to get past the TarHeels. 

Good luck, Louisville Lacrosse!! 

JUSTINE SOWRY PRESSER

Louisville head Field Hockey Coach Justine Sowry held a presser yesterday to talk about the Field Hockey squad playing in the NCAA Tournament and other things yesterday. Although I was unable to take part in it, due to a prior, scheduled appointment elsewhere, our Daryl Foust took part in the Microsoft Teams Q&A session. 

Daryl's thoughts: 

"It was cool to tune into Coach's PC today. (My co-workers also got to listen in. Ha-Ha. 

I got to ask the questions we came up with and I appreciated her answers. Sowry started off her post-season media campaign with a quote I doubt a lot of others around the tournament field could mirror in "coolness" -- she mentioned that she wouldn't normally be sitting wherever she was remotely talking to us about "hockey"-- she'd be prepping for the Derby.  She did not say what that meant, or whether she actually goes to Churchill Downs for the First Saturday in May or hosts the squad  at her house for "the greatest two minutes of sports" -- and I didn't ask. But, she did say she's got HOT ROD CHARLIE (8-1) who will come out of the #9 gate hole winning the roses. 

Sowry was very easy to listen to, she had a calmness in her voice that I imagine the team can feed off as they look ahead to their first NCAA Tournament game  (Sunday, MAy 2nd against either UConn or Rider) at 3 p.m.

With as weird of a season it has been, I believe the team can find inspiration and weather whatever storm comes their way. As far as HOT ROD CHARLIE goes...be sure to check out PAULIE PICKS this Saturday to see what he thinks of the Louisiana Derby winners chances. 

You can hear Sowry's remarks at the link below: 

LINK:  Juaatine Sowry 4/27/21

BALOGUN TO DUKE

Elizabeth Balogun entered the transfer portal on April 6th. and has decided that Duke will be her destination for the upcoming 2021-22 women's basketball season. 

Balogun joins former Cardinal WBB student-athlete Nyah Green on the Blue Devils roster and will be under the direction of head coach Kara Lawson. 

Balogun never really lived up to the promise that being ACC Freshman of the Year brings. At Louisville, she was hot and cold from the three-point range and  never really looked totally comfortable play "Walz Ball" to me.  One thought that she might step up into a leadership role after the graduation of Jones, Shook, Dunham and Diop -- but it never developed.  

Her 2019-2020 numbers were 28 games played and 26 starts. She saw an average of 24.1 minutes a game, averaged 8.1 pts., and 4.6 rebounds.

Her 2020-21 numbers were 29 games played with just 16 starts. She saw an average of 19.6 minutes a game, averaged 5.8 pts., and 3.8 rebounds. 

It's a good fit for Balogun. She should get the playing time she seeks. Kianna Smith emerged as a preferable choice in the lineup and Balogun's time shrunk. Her length will be missed and those occasions when she was hitting the three. But, players want what players want and, will go search for it. In Balogun's case, it's a new coach to the ACC and college basketball that has tons of playing experience. Kara Lawson is drawing some good talent because of her playing acheivements and work on ESPN and other platforms. How that will translate out into coaching should be interesting.  

We wish Elizabeth the best of fortunes at Duke and hope she has a great career there -- except when the Cards face the Blue Devils. 

Have a wonderful Wednesday! 

paulie

Cats vs. Cards in SB tonight -- Pastor Named ACC FH Co-Player of Week -- Balogun? -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL CPUPLE

 

CATS AND CARDS IN SOFTBALL TONIGHT AT ULMER

The Louisville and Kentucky softball squads go to battle tonight in Ulmer Stadium at 7 p.m. this evening. It'll be shown on ACCNX and a limited free walk-up tickets wiil be made available for those who want to attend. The berm, of course, is open --we've heard about some restrictions and distancing policies being implemented out there as well. 

Of note, in pregame ceremonies, the Cards will honor 2020 senior Caitlin Ferguson. The former Cards shortstop will go through her delayed senior Night honors at 6:45 p.m. Caitlin played in 175 games in her time at Louisville, scoring 89 runs and driving in 94. She started at short all four years she played at Louisville, and was on the 2017 ACC All-Freshmen team and 2018 All-Southeastern Regional second team.  

The Cards are 13-15 coming into tonight's contest and have won three of their last four games. Louisville rediscovered the bats at Pittsburgh and exploded for 29 runs in the four game series against Panther pitching. A big part of that has been from Carrmyn Greenwood, who leads the team with a .437 batting average....which is second-highest in the ACC.  Taylor Roby has been hitting the ball well also and leads UofL with 29 runs-batted-in. She's also pounded nine home runs this season, tops on the squad.  

Makayla Hurst is currently on a seven-game hitting streak for Louisville. 

Looking at the Cats, they come in as the #10 ranked team in the USA Today/NFCA poll. 

UK has built a 27-6 record and most recently took one out of three at Tennessee.  UK has seven players averaging .300 or better at the plate and Kayla Kowalik carries an impressive .482 average. Erin Coffel is the long ball threat for the Wildcats -- she's sent 14 Spaldings over the fence this season.

Louisville won the last time these two met 8-7. Taylor Roby belted a one-out single in the bottom of the seventh inning that scored Celene Funke for the "W". 

PASTOR NAMED ACC CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Mercedes "Meche" Pastor has been named the ACC Co-Player Of the Week.

It's the fourth time she's gotten the honor in the 2020-21 Field Hockey season. Pastor was responsible for the only goal -- in overtime -- in Louisville's 1-0 win over Syracuse on Sunday at Trager Stadium. 

Pastor leads the Cards in goals scored this season with 11 and has knocked in five game winners for the 12-4 Cards. 

Also, Louisville Field Hockey has moved up a couple of spots to #3 in the NFHCA rankings this week, behind North Carolina and Iowa. The ACC continues their strong showing in the rankings, with four of the top 10 and seven of the top 20 in the weekly rankings.  

Louisville Field Hockey takes to the road nest -- to play #15 Duke on Saturday 

BALOGUN

Elizabeth came to Louisville as a 
transfer from Ga.Tech with Liz Dixon

At the time of this article (early Wednesday morning) there has been no official UofL WBB announcement on whether Elizabeth Balogun has entered the transfer portal or not. Balogun has released nothing on social media, either. 

I know that several sites and publications are reporting she's in the transfer portal. That might be. I also remember several sites reporting Jeff Walz was leaving Louisville last year. Give me the, facts, just the facts, as Joe Friday used to say...

I've received a lot of inquiries about this from our readers and have made inquiries within the program to get a confirmation or denial of the Balogun transfer/portal status but have received nothing official yet from Louisville WBB. . 

A source close to the program indicated to me that she would "most likely be leaving" but we deal with the facts and official statements when it comes to player movement here at Cardinal Couple, so we won't come out and confirm her status until we hear something from her or Walz or the program. 

Balogun was 24-75 from the floor in the 2020-21 season for Louisville (a 32% rate from the floor) and appeared in 29 games for the Cards, starting 16 of them.

Balogun led Louisville in blocks with 43 for the season and had a season high of 14 points twice -- against Miami (FL) and Clemson. 

When, and if,  further and official information becomes available on her future, we'll bring it to you here at Cardinal Couple. 

                                         *******************

(On a personal note, I received my second COVID 19 vaccination on Tuesday. i used the drive-thru operation UofL is running off Brook Street downtown and have received the Pfizer doses.  No side effects except a slightly sore left arm and I went to bed early last night -- that might have been because I was tired of watching UK Baseball pound Louisville pitching on TV) If an old fart like me can go through it, you can too.) 

I've never been one for flu shots, but, I would encourage you to get this shot. The more people that get vaccinated, the less cases there will be. If you want to talk to me about the procedure, feel free to shoot me an e-mail at:  

cardinalcouple@twc.com 

It doesn't hurt, and that was especially important to me, because I HATE needles,  so go get the shots. 

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!

paulie

Louisville Knocks Off Rust Against NKU; Bellarmine Next -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Use Late 3rd Quarter Surge to Sink Norse

After nearly a month out of action, Louisville fans couldn't have expected to see the most crisp return to the court for the Cards. Refreshed legs, sure, but the players couldn't have been terribly worn out after just five games anyway. Whatever you expected, it probably wasn't that Louisville would struggle so much in their return to the floor against a 4-4 NKU team that had yet to win a non-conference game. As their schedule currently stands, NKU now looks to finish the season 0-5 in non-conference. However, they're currently tied with IUPUI and Milwaukee atop the Horizon league and will play a double header against IUPUI for the conference lead next weekend.

To NKU's credit, they had a hand in the way the game went yesterday. The outcome was not just the result of Louisville's long layoff. The Norse shot the ball pretty well, were very active on the glass, and harassed Louisville defensively. After a scrappy first quarter, NKU hung on to win the second quarter by a pair and held the deficit to just two at the half. Louisville would have liked to have been in much more control, but NKU would not give up.

The third quarter saw the Norse take their largest lead of the game when they used an 8-0 run to open up a five point gap with five minutes remaining in the quarter. I quipped in our group chat asking if Louisville's offense had any plans of showing up yesterday, as the score at the time was just 41-36 with just 15 minutes to play. Right on cue, Louisville rattled off a 17-2 run, capped by a 14-0 finish, to lead by ten at the end of the third quarter. The Cards looked in complete control, with Dana Evans coming alive and the Norse looking completely lost.

That wasn't the end for NKU, though. Back-to-back empty possessions for Louisville, both followed by fouls on layups that NKU converted (they shot 13-14 from the line and 9-9 in the fourth quarter) made it just a four-point game once again. The Cards stretched the lead back to eight, but the Norse just kept holding on. With just under eight minutes remaining, Lindsey Duvall converted yet another 3-point play for the NKU, cutting the lead to just three. Louisville floated that back up to 11, and the lead hovered at 7-9 points for the next six minutes. With 52 seconds remaining, Tayah Irvin scored NKU's final points to cut the lead to five. From there, Louisville would close out the game with free throws to win by 10. 

The Norse were led by Lindsey Duvall, who was comfortable in her return to the Yum! Center and was eager to show why she got the opportunity to play there in the first place. She finished with 20 points on 7-14 shooting while going 3-5 from beyond the arc. Duvall also added seven rebounds and two assists to go along with just two turnovers. Grayson Rose also reached double-digits, with an 11 point game, and Ivy Turner flirted with a triple-double. She shot just 3-15 from the floor, but finished with 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. 

On the home side of the floor, Louisville put five players in double-digits. The Cards were led by Dana Evans, who finished with 20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Olivia Cochran, Kianna Smith, Hailey Van Lith, and Liz Dixon were the other players in double digits. While E. Balogun struggled from the floor, shooting just 1-6 and finishing with two points, she had eight rebounds, five assists, four blocks, and two steals to show why she remains on the floor even when the shooting touch isn't there. Kianna Smith added 10 rebounds to her 11 points to pick up her first double-double as a Cardinal. 

The CASE Report

Looking at the final score and having watched the game, I don't have high hopes for Louisville's performance in these metrics. However, they won, which is ultimately what matters. That said, let's take a look.

C-Care: Any time Louisville scores significantly below their average, you would expect that to be a result of some carelessness with the ball. While Louisville did turn it over 13 times, that's far fewer than it felt like in the game flow. It's also fewer than the 18 they forced out of NKU. That said, NKU really struggles to turnover their opponent, forcing just 13.33 per game, good for 291st in the country. Louisville's 13 is far greater than 60% of that average, so it's a lowercase 'c'.

A-Assists: The Cards did manage to move the ball pretty well, finishing the game with 18 assists. That's on 30 made baskets, so good for a 60% assist rate, though HVL would have liked a few more of her passes to have been finished in the basket. Unfortunately, they didn't quite double up their turnovers, and finished with a 1.38 ATO. I know, my thresholds are cruel. Lowercase 'a'.

S-Steals: Straightforward category here. Louisville finished with 11 steals, a tally that is greater than the 7.5 steal threshold and the 6 steals that NKU managed. Uppercase 'S'.

E-Efficiency: I know what you're thinking. Louisville didn't turn the ball over that much and NKU wanted to run the floor with them, so they must have been terrible from the floor to score so few points. Nope. Louisville actually finished with 41.7% shooting, although the 18.2% from three was rough. Taking that out, Louisville shot 52% from two-point land, which isn't world beating but is pretty good. The Cards also shot 76.9% from the free-throw line. It was worse than NKU, but it'll do. Uppercase 'E'.

So there you have it. Louisville was actually not that bad statistically, finishing at c-a-S-E. Having watched the whole game, I can't tell you what kept Louisville from dominating, other than NKU's scrappiness. Louisville won the battles for turnovers, rebounding (though only by 4), second chance points, fast break points, and points off turnovers. Credit to the Norse for sticking around in this one. It is likely to keep Louisville on their toes, particularly against teams they would consider lesser opponents. 

Cards Welcome Bellarmine in First D-1 Matchup Between Schools

On that note, another opponent that Louisville should have no trouble with will head to the visitor's locker room today. At noon, Louisville and Bellarmine will tip-off in what will be the first matchup between Louisville and Bellarmine in any sport since the Knights joined Division 1. While history would have leaned toward that distinction going to the men's basketball programs, I'm sure Jeff Walz is happy to make the connection, especially as today's game will put Louisville more than halfway to the 13 required games to become eligible for the NCAA tournament.

With Monday's game against Morehead State postponed, the Knights will lace them up in the Yum! Center for their final game before beginning ASUN play. It hasn't been the greatest debut season for Bellarmine, as they enter today's matchup 0-4. In their games against Ball State, Western Kentucky, Western Illinois, and Evansville, the Knights have been outscored 331-210. Interestingly, they've scored more points and allowed fewer in each successive game. Their best performance came against Evansville on December 29th, when they lost 72-62 on the road. 

The Knights are led in volume scoring by Lauren Deel, who has averaged 10.5 points in all four of their games. However, Breia Torrens is likely to surpass Deel soon, as she has averaged 16 points in the Knights' two most recent games, the only two in which she's played. 

Louisville should be able to control the pace of this one and score at will. Bellarmine is allowing their opponents to shoot 50% from the floor this season, while managing only 30% themselves. I expect Dana and HVL will both get back to the deadly duo we'd seen in the first portion of this season today. The game tips off at noon on the ACC Network Extra.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

Paulie and Jared will be at the Yum! Center for this one, but Jeff, Daryl, and I will bring you this week's Cardinal Couple Radio Hour right up until tip-off. We'll talk about Louisville's long hiatus finally coming to an end and take a look at the upcoming schedule (will Louisville finally play UNC?). Tune in to the Cardinal Couple YouTube Channel at 11AM, or check out the replay when the show ends. You can also subscribe to the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour podcast and have the joy and excitement of UofL women's athletics pushed straight to your device. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Lacrosse wins at Vandy -- Shook Honored -- other WBB News -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

INTERVIEWS AND PRESSERS FROM WEDNESDAY

LACROSSE WEEKLY WITH TEETER AND SHANAHAN

JEFF WALZ PRESSER


LACROSSE HOLDS OFF HOME-STANDING VANDY 15-13

The University of Louisville Lacrosse squad improved to 3-2 yesterday with a 15-13 win at Vanderbilt. A game of runs, a late-contest surge by the Commodores and strong start to the second half for Louisville. It all added up to an exciting but a bit nervous afternoon for this Louisville Lacrosse fan. 

Key for the Cards LAX squad was Shayla Scanlan's four scores. Three of them came in the second half and her final "find the net" throw gave Louisville a bit of security with 1:12 on the clock, turning a 14-13 game into the final margin. Also big was Brenna Shanahan's six assists, 

Louisville started a bit slow, surrendering the first two goals of the game, but went on a 3-0 run that gave them the lead just five minutes into the action. Two of the three goals were from freshman Allegra Catalano. Vandy responded with a similar run, firing in three straight to hold a 5-3 advantage with 17:33 until the half. 

The runs had begun and they weren't going to stop. 

Scanlan's first score and a follow up goal from --one of the Blalock sisters -- (Caroline), knotted it back up at 5-5. 

Your turn, anchor droppers.

Vandy followed with two scores in a minute and it was seven minutes before the next "drop the stick and celebrate" event took  place. With 1:45 to play in opening half action, Cards leading scorer Ally Hall connected for her first score and with a minute left in the half Paige Richbourg evened it up at 7-7. The half ended that way -- tied. 

A strong Cardinal start to the final 30 minutes ensued. Louisville outscored the 'Dores 4-1 in the opening nine minutes. Goals from Richbourg, Hall, Scanlan and Hannah Morris boosted the Cards into a 11-8 edge. Morris and Blalock built the lead to 13-9 with their second scores of the afternoon. Four minutes later, with 7:37 to play, Scanlan found success with her third goal, which gave the Cards a lead that looked insurmountable at 14-10. 

But, it was run time, again. This time, it was the home team. 

14-10 turned into 14-13 over the next five minutes. It was time for head coach Scott Teeter and the visiting Cards to talk about it. A timeout resulted in a drawn-up play, and the play produced a score from Scanlan...with just 1:12 remaining in the contest. 

It was the final goal of the game and the Cards had survived the Vandy run for the 15-13 victory. Five Cards finished with two goals each, Scanlan four and goalkeeper Rachel Florek had another big day with 14 saves. 

I'll visit Scott Teeter for another one of our Wednesday "Talks with Teeter" and post it at the top of today's site later today.

We'll also probably have a student-athlete, I let Coach decide who he wants to bring in...he has several good choices available today


SHOOK SELECTED AS SEMIFINALIST. 

When you think of Kylee Shook, you think of the blocked shots. You think about her strong rebounding skills. You also think of how she shuts down prominent opposing center's like "Big Smile" Cunane and Janelle Bailey. Yes, you also think of the three-point shooting skills (at least I do), but we'll stick with her defense. It's the defense, after all, that has her as one of ten semi-finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award. 

The lone ACC nominee for the award. So, she's pretty much assured winning the honor in the ACC, right? Knowing the ACC, they'll probably go in a completely different direction...but it takes nothing away from what Kylee had done this season . 

Shook is UofL’s all-time leader with 217 career blocks. She recorded six blocks at UT Martin to become UofL’s all-time leader, surpassing Angel McCoughtry (2006-09) who had 162.

She has 80 blocks this year, which is the most in Louisville single season history. She had three blocks at Syracuse to eclipse Yuliya Tokoya’s 59 blocks in 2006-07 for the single-season record.

Shook leads the ACC and ranks 11th in the NCAA with 2.9 blocks per game and is averaging 3.1 blocks per game in ACC play, which leads the league by over half a block and is 1.3 blocks per game better than the third-best blocks per game average.

She is nearly averaging a double-double on the season with 9.6 points per game and 8.0 rebounds. Her 8.0 rebounds per game rank seventh in the ACC.

STATUS PENDING...

Word out of the Louisville WBB circles is that it is day-by-day on whether Dana Evans and Elizabeth Balogun will get the start against Boston College Thursday night. Both are recovering and receiving treatment for sprained ankles suffered in the Cards win at Georgia Tech last Thursday. 

Let's face it, you have a conference championship and NCAA Tournament coming up. Louisville is assured of a #1 seed in the ACC Tournament in Greensboro and why take the chance of playing either Dana or "E", if they're not 100% ready-to-go.

You don't want a re-sprain or any aggravation for either student-athlete. 

Yes, wins = seeding in the NCAA Tournament and I get that. I have to go with the premise, however, that you want your players who help deliver wins available when you need them in the tournament. Healthy. Ankles healed.  

We'll see what Coach Walz's thoughts are on this today at his weekly Wednesday presser today. I'll post the audio at the top of the page later today. 

Check back tomorrow, as Jared gets you ready for the Thursday night, 6 p.m. contest against Baldwin's Boston College Eagles. It's Angel McCoughtry "bobble-head" night and 1,000 of those will be available to the first 1,000 fans in attendance. Doors open at five. 


Have a wonderous, not-too-wet Wednesday! 



paulie
xxxxx

Strong First Half Sends WBB Cards past UVA 71-56 -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

22-4 RUN OVER 10 MINUTES LEADS TO CARDS 19TH WIN

The University of Louisville women's basketball team used a 10-minute stretch that ended the first quarter and extended into the second quarter to outscore Virginia 22-4 and put away the Cavs last night in the KFC YUM! Center before 7776 fans. 

With 5:31 left in opening period action, Louisville found themselves in a bit of a struggle against the foe from Charlottesville. The score was 13-11 and despite Kylee Shook recording the Cards first five points, the Cavs were hanging close to Louisville. 

A media timeout and Jeff Walz inserting Yacine Diop and Liz Dixon into the lineup, though, worked wonders for the Cardinals production. UofL went on a 12-2 closing run to end the quarter, two Dana Evans threes and four points from Diop propelled Louisville to a 25-13 advantage as time expired in the opening session.

Another great start for Louisville and 71% shooting in those first ten minutes from the Cards had this one pretty much looking to be "in the bag" for a UofL "W". 

The hot streak continued as the second quarter began. 

Norika making a list and checking it twice? 

Bionca Dunham ran off three baskets in a row, and after an Evans layup with 6:26 until half, UofL had increased the lead to 35-15. The Cards defense was getting the stops and ended up forcing eight UVA turnovers. Shook already had three blocks in the books and the Cards ended the half ahead 39-22 after a Kasa Robinson jumper. Despite Louisville only hitting two shots out of their final 12 in the last six minutes, they managed to win the quarter 14-9 and were shooting 50% (16-32). They had also managed to hold Virginia to just 33% shooting for the half. 

Evans and Shook had combined for five first half three pointers, the Cards were winning the points in paint battle 18-8, had 11 points off turnovers (compared to UVA's 5) and were out-rebounding the smaller foe 20-16. Walz had already played the nine players available for the game (Jess Laemmle and Molly Lockhart were out with the flu) and it looked like UofL had the Hoos boarding the bus early to navigate I-65 traffic. 39-22 was the score, it probably could have been much higher if the Cardinals hadn't stumbled and sputter a bit as the quarter wore down. 

It didn't quite turn out to be a romp, though, in the final twenty minutes.  

UVA came out determined to get back into the contest and, after Louisville went on an early 4-0 run to start the quarter and build their largest lead of the game at 43-22 after Jaz Jones got in the scoring column, the Cavs struck back. 

43-22 became 43-30 in the space of three minutes. Balanced Virginia scoring and the Cards five missed shots and three turnovers had turned the momentum and lead to a 8-0, four minute Cavalier run. Robinson connected on two free throws with 4:16 to go and Diop followed suit with two more charity tosses two minutes later to give UofL a 46-33 lead.

The Cards played VA pretty evenly to close out the third quarter thanks to Jaz.  Her 5-0 quarter-ending run included an old-fashioned three point play and two free throws, but a late Shemera Williams three pulled the Virginia  squad within 12 as the quarter ended with the score board showing 51-39 Louisville. 

The Cards made just three of 11 shot attempts in those 10 minutes, Virginia had scored six points off turnovers and won the quarter 17-12. What would the final period bring? 

Fortunately, the Cards did not suffer a fourth-quarter collapse like they did at UNC Sunday. Dana, Jaz and Elizabeth Balogun made sure of that. The trio combined for 17 of Louisville's 20 final quarter points. Louisville got off to a slow start in the fourth, but, UVA couldn't do much either. Just seven points scored in the first two minutes, the Cards getting two of them on a pair of Jones free throws. UVA narrowed it to 11 after a Jocelyn Willoughby jumper that made it 55-44, but UofL responded with a 5-0 run, started by a Balogun three and capped off by an Evans layup to create a 16-point, 60-44 lead with 5:58 to play. 

UVA head coach Tina Thompson maybe reminiscing
about her stellar playing career? 

UVA would get no closer than 13 the rest of the way. An Evans jumper made it 67-47 at the four-minute mark. Three Cardinal free throws in a excessive, late whistle blowing contest between the officials, set the tally at 71-53.

Freshman Shemera Williams, who had a nice outing against the Cards with 20 points off the bench in just 22 minutes ended the scoring with a late three.

Louisville had captured their eighth straight ACC win with the 71-56 final. 


FRED REPORT

Fred G. Sanford , the "G" stands for Gun, Balogun,
He would have enjoyed last night's win 

FREE THROWS --  24 fouls called in the final 20 minutes of this outing, compared to just 13 in the first half. The Cards went to the line and shot for an acceptable 75% on 15-20 marksmanship. Diop and Jones went 9 for 12, Dana only got two chances but made them both.  75% works for all parties concerned, much better than the Hoos 10-18, 55.6%, and we have no problem extending a CAPITAL "F" for knocking down the ones where no one is guarding you. 

REBOUNDS -- How about "E" !! She dominated the defensive end of the court with 10 grabs and ended up with 12 grabs overall to lead all players. Louisville won the battle-of-the-boards 40-33. Kylee added seven rebounds and the CAPITAL "R" goes out for a gutsy performance against a battling UVA squad that was employing a four guard offense most of the game. Credit to Jocelyn Willoughby, whose 11 rebounds complemented her 17 points. Get to know the name, readers, she'll be earning money in the WNBA next year. 

EFFICIENCY/EXECUTION -- For stretches in this one, the Cards looked like the #3 squad in the nation. Sixteen turnovers still a bit high, but they passed the ball well most of the game (13 assists on 25 made baskets) shot an acceptable 44% from the floor and proved the best in the paint 28-20. That third quarter lapse, though, will dictate that a small case "e" is the designation here. All nine Cards that played had at least one turnover. 

DEFENSE -- UVA came into the game last in ACC scoring with just 59 points and Louisville defense did what most expected them to do, allowing just 56. Kylee Shook the "wow" factor last night with six blocked shots and Dana and Jaz created three steals each. Only 36% shooting for the Cavaliers and a mere 21% in the second quarter. After deliberation,  I'll extend a CAPTIAL "D" for holding the foe under their already lacking season point production and creating a game where only two Cavs were effective from the floor. 


FINAL FRED TALLY:   F-R-e-D


THEY SAID IT: 

Post game comments below: 

VIRGINIA HEAD COACH TINA THOMPSON

DANA EVANS AND KYLEE SHOOK

JEFF WALZ


SOOOOO...

Louisville came home and did what they were expected to do, beat a sub .500 ACC foe by double digits. UofL held Virginia to below their season average with mostly spectacular defense and double figure scoring performances from Dana, Jaz and Kylee. 

Jaz had a rough first half but responded with all of her 13 points in the second session. Kylee was "on" early and ended with 10 points in just 25 minutes. Dana...maybe I've gotten a bit spoiled or jaded by her consistent, every game magic....led all scorers with 21 points and logged a team-high 35 minutes. It's what she does, regular as rain in Louisville. 

I'll point out the very effective games Bionca Dunham and Yacine Diop had last night. "B" is the blue collar, punch the clock and go to the job --  working class hero on this squad. One rebound may raise a few eyebrows, but she did total eight points and was creating havoc for the Cavs when they had the ball. YA-YA came off the bench, helped spur the early, dominating run and, despite the four fouls, once again showed that she will always give you 100% plus when she's on the court. Her defense and overall hustle were key last night.

Let's hope the flu bug stays away from the rest of the roster and the Cards go into Sunday ready to rumble against Pitt. If not, Jeff Walz is bringing in over 1500 Girl Scouts in on the Sabbath to bolster the noise level and I would imagine there will be a few Thin Mints available for fan-base dining pleasure.

Maybe a couple GSA attendees will get playing time if the Cards can run up a sizable lead against the visiting Pitt Panthers. NC St. doubled the score on them last night 88-44. 

According to Coach Walz, if you freeze them, they become fat-free (FDA opinion on this pending). Bring cash, y'all. 

Also, it was good to see my good friend Bobbie and her son in attendance last night. Talk about huge Cardinal fans, they traveled down from way up north for this one.

Finally, former Cardinal staffer Jimmy Yu was at the game, performing his duties as UVA's assistant WBB operations director. I had a quick chat with him before the contest, he's a rising star in the profession and a great guy overall. We're going to need to do a feature on him during the slow months of Summer 2020. 

PHOTOS AND POST GAME INTERVIEWS BY JARED ANDERSON. WE'RE SPOILED BY HIS EXCELLENT WORK.


paulie
xxxxx