Better late than never...Cards WBB finishes strong in 76-69 win over Pitt -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

8-0 Run In Final Two Minutes Pushes Cards Past Panthers

A lot of Cardinals fans I know assumed it would be a pretty easy and fun win over 0-5 in-conference Pittsburgh Sunday in the KFC YUM! Center.

Well, you know what happens when you assume. 

I hope those people were a part of the 9218 in attendance today, because they got to see a exciting, nerve-wracking at times and come-from-behind UofL WBB win. The Cards "W" propelled them into a three-way tie for second place in the ACC standings. 

Things looked a bit bleak when Pitt's Amber Brown nailed a jumper with 3:15 left in the fourth quarter to give the Panthers a 67-63 lead, but Cards guard CC Carr took a Morgan Jones pass 21 seconds later to cut the margin to one and get the Cards started on a game-ending 13-2 run. Pitt would see the lead just one more time, at 69-68 with 1:46 but Louisville would hit two of their three final shots and all three free-throws to finish the game, while Pitt would miss or have blocked their final five attempts. That occurrence happening much to the delight of Cards fans, I might add, who got VERY loud during that UofL run.  

To get to that point, though, Louisville had to find a way to overcome Pittsburgh's potentially best effort this season. It was obvious, from the get-go, that Lance White's squad wasn't here just to pay homage to the Cards 2013 class that was honored at half-time

The first quarter was pretty-evenly played until UP's Liatu King broke a 10-10 tie with two free throws after 6:55 of play. A Pitt jumper, two free throws and three-pointer all contributed to Pitt building a 18-12 lead the rest of the way, while the Cards could only manage a Nyla Harris jumper in the paint,

It had looked, from the opening tip, that the Panthers weren't going to play docile or scared. They were having a pretty easy time getting the ball inside on UofL to score and that was about to continue.

Pitt started the second quarter on a 8-2 run and Louisville found themselves on the short end of a 26-14 score with six minutes until halftime. Louisville's shots weren't falling and Walz had reached pretty deeply into the bench by then and had a lineup of Norika Konno, Carr, Van Lith Jones and Russell on the court.

The Cards began a rally of sorts at that point...four straight made free throws, and a Carr three had trimmed the Panthers lead to 28-21 with three minutes until halftime. Pitt responded with a 4-0 run, though, and Dayshanette Harris' jumper rebuilt the lead to 11 at 32-21. Louisville was able to salvage a bit of momentum, closing the half on a 5-0 run on a Dixon jumper and Konno's first three of the night. 32-26 Pitt wasn't anything to excite the Cardinals' fanbase, but, it was a start in the right direction

(Monique Reid and Shelby Harper at halftime re-union)

The halftime festivities featured a reunion of a lot of the 2013 National runner-up squad members. It was great to see Shawnta Dyer, Sherrone Vails, Sara (Hammond) Barnum, Tia Gibbs, Cortnee Walton, Monique Reid, Shelby Harper, Monny Niamke, Antonita Slaughter, Bria Smith and Megan Deines on the court again, some with kids and spouses.

(Shelby Harper and daughter) 

Only the Schimmel's and Asia Taylor were absent for the players and Taylor is currently playing in Puerto Rico, so her absence is explainable. 

(L to R: Megan Denes, Cortnee Walton and Monny Niamke)

Louisville regrouped at halftime and outscored the Panthers 50-37 in the second half. Let's look at now they did it.

 

A strong start to the third quarter benefitted the Cards and they outscored Pitt 12-6 in the first four minutes to tie things up at 38-38. The teams traded the lead back and forth a bit and found themselves tied up at 46-46 with 2:22 left in the quarter. Van Lith and Nyla Harris jumpers, plus a Van Lith three gave Louisville a 53-48 lead with 30 seconds left in the quarter and it looked like Louisville might be ready to assume control of this contest, winning the quarter 27-17 and leading 52-48. Van Lith had 11 of the Cards points in the quarter and Louisville went 5-7 from three-point range.

 

Louisville would build the lead to seven early in the fourth quarter after another Konno three made it 58-51 after a minute of play, but Pitt wasn't ready to get on the bus and leave just yet. The Panthers steadily cut into the Cardinals lead and a Maliyah Johnson layup tied things at 60-60, with 5:37 to play. .Pitt found a spurt of momentum and grabbed a four-point lead at 67-63 on a Amber Brown jumper with 3:15 left on the clock. They held the lead until the Cards closing 8-0 run we discussed earlier turned a 69-68 game into a 76-69 Cardinals win.

 

Louisville, in horse racing parlance, started the affair slowly, kept the leader in sight in the backstretch, led briefly but settled back... off the front runner's pace and then hit the top of the stretch in a battle for the lead before steadily pulling away. 

THE FRED REPORT

(Jared reads J Fred Muggs selected stories about the 2013 Cards WBB squad) 

FREE THROWS -- 13 for 17 is 76.5% and we just ask for 70% to award a CAPITAL "F". Morgan Jones going 5-6 gets a nod of approval from us.

REBOUNDS -- We mentioned earlier that Pitt was pretty much having their way in the paint and the 40-35 rebounding edge backs that up. Dixon had nine for the Cards and Jones eight, but we cant award a letter.

EFFORT/EXECUTION -- After a horrid shooting start (7-28 and 25%) the Cards finally found te eye to finish at 25-64 (39%). 11 turnover is more than we'd like to see but 19 assists on 25 made baskets is top notch. The Cards won the second chance points battle 14-10 and got 2 bench points (11 from Konno) but we can offer just a small-case "e'

DEFENSE -- Pitt had a higher shooting percentage 42%, outscored Louisville 32-18 in the paint and Amber Brown torched the Cards for 20 points (or 29% of her team's output, but Louisville managed to shut the Panthers down in the most crucial part of the game...the final two minutes. Louisville has to do something about stopping teams from scoring inside, though, and I can only go with a small case "d". 

FINAL FRED TALLY: F-_-e-d

The Cards go on the road for the next two, next week, and thy foes look to be a couple of very challenging ones in Virginia Tech and FSU. Both lost Sunday, though....FSU to Boston College and Virginia Tech to Miami, so "bizarro world" in the ACC escalates and thrives. Louisville is quite liable to run into a couple of teams seeking a bit of payback and wins, so let's hope the Cards don't start (or finish) slowly. .

 Ah, the joys and intricacies of the ACC, right?

(PHOTOS BY JARED ANDERSON) 

THEY SAID IT: 

HAILEY AND C.C POST GAME

JEFF WALZ POST GAME

Basketball Separated by a Decade - Sunday Cardinal Couple

Pitt Preview

Round two vs the Pitt Panthers today, this time here in Louisville.

The Panthers are oh-fer in conference so far, 0-4, with one of those coming at the hands of the Cardinals (77-53) as mentioned.  They've also lost to Syracuse and Miami, both of which are in the 2-2 traffic jam in the middle of the conference right now, as well as Wake Forest, with a conference record of 1-4.

Outside of conference, they're 7-4, but the competition hasn't been great.  The best opponents, and the four loses, are to DePaul, Maryland, Illinois, and Ball State.  Pitt wins have come against the likes of George Mason, Towson, and Loyola (MD).

Of course we have some familiarity with the names already.  Liatu King, Amber Brown, Dayshanette Harris, and Maliyah Johnson are the leading scorers, ranging from 11.4 to 8.5 points per game.  The biggest threat in our previous matchup was Taisha Exanor, off the bench with 12 points and a trio of steals.

Pitt isn't particularly well regarded in the ACC conference for Women's Basketball, and yes I do find the contrast with Volleyball somewhat amusing, where a Final Four bound team lost to Towson.  In any case, if there was a day of competition in the ACC where you could maybe sit back and take it easy, this would be it, but those days just don't exist.

Coach Walz has said rather pointedly that you can't take any teams for granted in this conference.  UNC is currently 0-3 in conference, and they're a nationally ranked team.  NC State is 2-2 in conference, and they're a top 10 ranked team.  You just can't let your guard down, regardless of how unimpressive the competition looks.

The Cards will count on Hailey Van Lith a lot, per usual:

Hailey Van Lith led the Cards last time out ( vs GT) with 24 points marking the third-straight game she has scored 20 points or more and the 10th time this season.
She is the first player to have 20 or more points in the first four conference games of the season since Angel McCoughtry in the 2006-07 season. She scored 20 or more in each of the first five BIG EAST games that season.
She is averaging 22.8 points in conference games.
Van Lith shot 50 percent from the floor after going 10-for-20. It was her third-straight game shooting 50 percent or better and the seventh time she has done it this season.
It is the second time in her career she has shot 50 percent or more in three-straight games.
She led the team with four assists, the fourth time in the last five games she has led the team in assists.

Tip is a 2pm, and the game is on ACCN on your tuner in addition to streaming.  And, of course, you always have the option of catching Nick Curran along with one of the alumnae of the 2013 Final Four team, Cortnee Walton on 93.9FM for the radio call.

2013 Celebration

Speaking of that 2013 with a freshman Cortnee Walton, they will be honored during today's game.  The surprise team of the tournament that year, knocking off Baylor, headlined by Brittany Griner on the way to a national championship game matchup with UConn in New Orleans.

What was that 2013 team doing on January 8th of that year?  Beating Rutgers 66-57 in overtime.  Shoni Schimmel had 21 points, which to that point was a season high.  Monique Reed had 18 points, with Nita Slaughter and Bria Smith both adding 10.  And we gotta give a shout out to one of the best names ever in college basketball, playing for Rutgers was Precious Person.

It appears that nearly all of the 2013 team is in town for the celebration, including a gathering last night at the men's game.  Kim Pemberton, who was Sports Information director for the squad back then, posted a picture of them on Twitter.

Who was your favorite player from that squad?  The Schimmels, Jude and Shoni, of course were big crowd favorites, but the local players also had quite a following, Nita Slaughter, Mo Reid, Shelby Harper, Sara Hammond, and Tia Gibbs, all from Kentucky.  And, of course, Asia Taylor has long been a Cardinal Couple favorite.

Sound off in the comments and then get down to the game today against Pitt to cheer on both our current team and this 2013 squad.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

It was a good crew, and a good discussion on the CCRHP yesterday as we kicked off the 2023 podcasts.  Case was out, but Paulie, Jared, Daryl and Jeff held fort. We spent most of the time on basketball, because it's that time of year.  We recapped some of the Georgia Tech win, and we talk about what's still needed for this team to put together the quality of play that we hope for from a UofL squad.

We got a quick bit of Volleyball news in towards the end, plus a rundown of what's going on with Cards in the Pros in both Soccer and Volleyball.  Some good news and a little bit of tough news in there.

Find it at anchor.fm:

https://anchor.fm/cardinal-couple/episodes/Kicking-of-2023-with-the-Cardinal-Couple-Radio-Hour-Podcast-e1t6nhi

and at any other significant podcast directory.

-- JMcA

Volleyball Falls Just Short - Sunday Cardinal Couple

Volleyball in the National Championship

The Volleyball squad came up just short of Texas in the National Championship match, losing in three sets 25-22, 25-14, 26-24.  The size and power of Texas, a team almost completely built this year out of the transfer portal, overwhelmed the Cards, and ended the historic run of the first ACC team to reach the National Championship match.

Texas, playing an uncharacteristically quick offense, was able to win the blocking stat, 9-4 versus the Cards.  When the Louisville block did get set up, the Texas hitters were frequently just hitting over the top.  Combine four Louisville blocks with five blocking errors, and the defense at the net just wasn't there for UofL, and the blocking game has traditionally been of critical importance for UofL, so the correlation between the performance there and the match outcome isn't surprising.

The Longhorns hit .371 in the match while UofL was only able to muster .189.  Claire Chaussee led the Cards in her collegiate playing finale with 12 kills.  Other bright spots were Anna DeBeer with nine kills for .316 and Aiko Jones with eight for .304.

So the Cardinal's volleyball season comes to an end one step short of a National Championship, but the season can only be called a smashing success.  31-3 overall, 17-1 in conference, another conference championship, a National Championship appearance, three All-Americans, and nearly a whole city unified in support.

There will be spring matches, and of course there will be another season starting in August, and much of this team is set to return.  With only Claire Chaussee and Amaya Tillman exiting from the starting lineup the bulk of the rotation for the Cards will remain the same.  Nena Mbonu and Alexa Hendricks are also departing.  The team has five signees to join in the fall, plus three players that were freshmen this year that all red-shirted.  Three of the five signees play Libero or DS to fill a need in a part of the lineup for the Cards that had essentially zero depth.

We already know the next steps for some.  Claire Chaussee left as the after-match gathering that the athletic department planned for fans, staff, and the team was winding down, to go sign a contract to play professionally, probably in Italy.  Nena Mbonu will be moving back home to play her fifth year with The University of Houston.  Amaya Tillman expects to remain in Louisville and focus on her graduate studies, and promised to join me in leading the C-A-R-D-S cheer next year.

Next year's Volleyball Final Four is in Tampa, and there's a very real chance that this team could be back there again.

Basketball

After a shaky start to the season, Women's Basketball has started to put the pieces together.  Today's opportunity to demonstrate that progress is in Pittsburgh for the ACC opener.

Thankfully there will be no Courtney Buzzerio, or Valeria Vasquez-Gomez on this team.  Pitt is not generally regarded as a quality team in women's basketball, but both Pitt and Louisville will arrive at the Peterson Events Center with four losses to their credit.  Louisville does have more wins, eight vs Pitt's six.

Pitt sports two double-digit scorers.  Liatu King is a 6'0" forward scoring 11.3 points per game, and not even a single attempt at the three point shot this season.  Dayshanette Harris after having spent some of both of the last two seasons dealing with injuries, is back and scoring at a 10 point per game rate.  Roughly a third of her shots are from beyond the arc.

Two other players get close to double digits, with Maliyah Johnson at 9.4 and Amber Brown at 8.3.

The game today is on the ACC Network at 2pm.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

It was volleyball heavy on the CCRHP yesterday, as you might imagine.  Case, Jared, Paulie, and myself were on the call an hour earlier than usual to avoid football scheduling.  Combine that with my presence in Central Time Zone, and just general sleep deprivation from being in Omaha for Volleyball festivities, you'll have to forgive me if I was occasionally incoherent.

All in all it was a great show, with a bit of basketball discussion in the end.  Check it out at anchor.fm at https://anchor.fm/cardinal-couple/episodes/Volleyball-in-the-National-Championship-e1scvv0 or, as always, at any other significant podcast directory.

-- JMcA

WBB pulls away from Pitt 66-55 -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FRIDAYS WITH DARYL 

Welcome, weekend.. and the end of February.  

WBB

"You got class tomorrow? Yep, 9 a.m. Oyyyy"

Louisville WBB continues to give us something to believe in, as they went on the road and secured a second victory against the Pittsburgh Panthers this year and moving them to 24-3, 15-2 in the ACC.  March Madness is alive and well for #Cardnation for the 2022 season.   The Cards look to hit their stride and close out the season strong this weekend.  

Emily Engstler continues her draft campaign leading all scorers and rebounders with 17 points and 15 rebounds  including 3 blocks and 2 steals.  Hailey Van Lith met her average with 13 points but it was on 4-12 shooting from the field 2-4 from 3-point range and 3-4 at the FT line.  It was a low scoring ball-game for the Cards and by a smaller margin than the first meeting between the two teams. 

End of 1Q 19-13 Cards

FG %
8-19 42.1% Cards
5-17 29.4% Pitt
Reb.  15-9 Pitt 
3-pt %
1-4 25% Cards
3-4 75% Pitt

The Cards got to a slow start offensively, going almost 4 minutes without a field goal. HVL had 6 of her total points in the first quarter while Engstler went 2-7 in 7 minutes on the floor.   Pitt's 3 threes and rebounding advantage really stand out on the stat sheet.  The Cards saw a solid roster rotation with Mykasa Robinson, Ahlana Smith, Liz Dixon and Payton Verhulst getting 3 solid 1Q minutes each.  A.Smith went 2-2 in her time on the floor.  

End of 2Q 12-12 

FG %
4-14 28.6% Cards
5-13 38.5% Pitt
Reb. 11-8 Pitt
3-pt %
0-4 0% Cards
0-3 0% Pitt

 It was an offensive struggle bus for both squads in the second quarter as neither team found a bucket for the first 5 minutes and neither landed a 3 pointer in the quarter.  But two fast break layups by HVL and Chelsie Hall would put the Cards up 10 on Pitt and looking like they had established some dominance before Pitt put the starters back in to stop the bleeding.  Pitt went on a 6-2 run to make it a two possession game to close out the quarter and the Cards would have to make some adjustments at halftime to stave off the Panthers. 

HALF  31-25 Cards 

End of 3Q  17-16 Cards

FG %
8-19 42.1% Cards
6-16 37.5% Pitt
Reb. 12-12
3-pt %
0-3 0% Cards
2-2 100% Pitt

The Panthers came out of the break to tie it up 31 all on 3 Pitt baskets before Engstler and Olivia Cochran would sway the lead back Louisville's way.  The Panthers would not go away.  They tied it up again at 35-35 and Emily said (Michael Scott voice) No No No and made another layup before the media timeout. Coach Walz decided to switch it up again and put Unit 2 (A.Smith, Verhulst and Dixon) in for some fresh legs and to wake up the offense.  It worked, as the Cards went on a 13-6 run in the final 5 minutes.  Engstler had 6 points and 5 rebounds and played all 10 minutes of the quarter.  48-41 Cards with 10 minute to play.

End of 4Q  18-14 Cards

FG %
7-15 46.7% Cards
3-17 17.6% Pitt
Reb. 15-12 Pitt 
3-pt %
1-5 20% Cards
0-4 0% Pitt 

The Cards shot better than 46% from the field but just 1-5 from three point land while Pitt secured 8 of their poinst at the line in the quarter.  Engstler was called for a foul on an obviously all ball blocked shot.  It was beautiful.  The official stat sheet says 4 fouls and 3 blocked shots but the Cardinal Couple stat sheet says its 4 blocked shots only 3 fouls.  And just when you thought Pitt was going to go away, they again made it a little interesting when they pulled it within 6 with just under 2 minutes left in the game.  But again, Emily would come in to secure the jump-ball on a tie up and score for the Cards when they needed it most and UofL gets the dub in the Steel City.  The starters accounted for 15 of the 18 quarter points and spent the most minutes on the floor in the quarter. 

FINAL 66-55 CARDS WIN! 

UP NEXT

Louisville vs Notre Dame 

Sunday 12 p.m.

ESPN II

FRED REPORT

Fred Potvin, who played for
Pitt from 2013 to 2015

FREE THROWS --  10-19 52.6% at the line is atrocious.  This is just not a winning formula and does not meet our required 70% success.. no letter again this week from me. 

REBOUNDING --   53-41 Pitt advantage.  Engstler lead all rebounders with 15 while Pitt's Liatu King had 10.  As much as I hope it doesn't, I am afraid this stat category will catch up to the Cards at the wrong time.  The guards will HAVE to get more from its starters to have any chance against tournament opponents.  no letter   

EFFORT/EXECUTION -- Not gonna lie, it was not a thing of beauty for the Cards but it was a win.  Engstler stole the show for the Cards but I think we saw a healthy rotation for this squad as we head into the final weeks of play.  I liked the minute distribution and offensive spark from Ahlana Smith and Liz Dixon against Pittsburgh.  CAPITAL E 

DEFENSE --  Pitt only had 19 buckets for the evening and 16 FT attempts..  UofL had 9 steals and 8 blocks but all too familiar though, Pitt dominated the glass to lead the rebounding category against the Cards but only had 13 second chance points.  This game just felt like a 'going through the motions' type of match but with a lot of jump-balls. lower case d

FINAL FRED TALLY:    _ _E_d

Cardinal Couple Radio - Awaiting to hear the word from Paulie if he is going out to the lacrosse stadium this Saturday or if were all on for radio, minus Jared ... who WILL be taking selfies at the noon draw control for LouLAX and Virginia Tech.  Stay tuned! 

 

 

As always 

Go Cards! 

~Daryl 

 

WBB storms past Pittsburgh 81-39; FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 FRIDAYS WITH DARYL 

I hope the winter storms that rolled through the state did not cause issues for anyone yesterday or this morning.   It definitely impacted the crowd for the Cards WBB game at the Yum! on Thursday evening.  Between schools sending kids home early & businesses following their lead, to that blue team in Lexington straight up advising fans to stay home to avoid the weather delays... a wild day for the state's preparation for this winter storm.  

Either way, I do hope you were able to have a warm and safe evening, hopefully you were able to catch the Cards on the ACC Network vs Pittsburgh.  If you missed it, here are some notes and numbers from the match. 

Louisville WBB win 81-39 vs Pittsburgh

All 10 players scored for Cards as the team was lead by Hailey Van Lith and Emily Engstler with 12, Olivia Cochran had 11 and Chelsie Hall and Payton Verhulst chipped in 10 points a piece.  It was Engstler's 4th double-double of the season.  Mykasa Robinson and Norika Konno did not appear in this one due to COVID protocals.   The last time the Panther's played a game was back on December 22, 2021. 

End of 1Q 19-8 Cards

FG %
7-21 33.3% Cards
3-12 25% Pitt
Reb. 13-10 Cards 
3-pt %
1-5 20% Cards
1-2 50% Pitt

                                 Photos today by Jared Anderson

 

The Cardinals had some snow on the gears to open another game this season.   Starting by losing the opening tip, the first two possessions for UofL were turnovers, Kianna Smith let it slip into the defense and Olivia Cochran traveled.  The Cards' defense held strong to make up for it.  But offensive woes continued for the better part of the opening quarter for both squads.  Hailey Van Lith attempted the 3 and Kianna attempting the second chance points but both came up empty.   Both squads were 0-8 before Kianna gets the game's first points just around the 7 minute mark.  Despite not filling the stat sheet, HVL finds important ways to bring this squad to its victories..  HVL drew 3 fouls on Pitt in the first 4 minutes of the game.  But scoring droughts would plague the first 10 minutes as the two teams combined 1-13 in the first 5 minutes.  After frustratingly having 2-3 shots bounce all around the rim for Emily Engstler, she scored 4 quick points with a steal in-between.  The Cards put together an 8-0 run to push the lead to 14-4.  The Cards found an offensive spark in Engstler when she nailed the 3 pointer with 2 seconds left the in the quarter.                             

End of 2Q   21- 5 Cards

FG %
9-21 42.9% Cards
2-9 22.2% Pitt
Reb.  11-8 Pitt
3-pt %
3-7 42.9% Cards
0-2 0% Pitt

Engstler opened the second quarter like she finished the first, hitting a 3 point jumper to make the lead 22-8 for Louisville.   A series of defensive stops for the Panthers and the Cards attempting the second chance shot, Payton Verhulst finds her first points and perhaps.. the glimpse of whats to come from the freshman guard?  Stay tuned...  with the assist from Ahlana Smith, PV hits the 3 for the Cards to push the lead 25-8 with 8 minutes left in the half.   Meanwhile, Engstler is loading the stat sheet halfway through the quarter already in double digit scoring with 10 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals.  The Cards would then go on a scoring drought for more than 3 minutes going 0-6 in that time.   Chelsie Hall breaks the ice with a jumper to 29-11 with 4:20 left in the half.   The Louisville defense had only allowed Pittsburgh to take 4-18 shot attempts by this point and forced a scoring drought of more than 3 minutes, including 4 turnovers, to close out the second quarter.

HALF  40-13 Cards

End of 3Q  23-12 cards 

FG %
6-13 46.2% Cards
5-18 27.8% Pitt
Reb. 12-9 Pitt
3-pt %
2-5 40% Cards
1-4 25% Pitt

Both squads decided to get the offense going quicker in the second half, scoring 5 points each in the first 2:09 minutes.   After that, Emily decided to take command of the floor blocking a shot, stealing the ball and recovering a rebound defensively all in a matter of 27 seconds.  A minute later, Engstler and Hall would both steal it again as the Cards forced 4 Pitt turnovers in the first 3 minutes of the third quarter.   Coach Walz would then give Engstler a break but the pressure does not slow up there, Pitt turns the ball over a fifth times, 4 of them steals with 4:35 on the clock and a media timeout.   The Cards found themselves at the free throw line alot more in this quarter than they did in the first half, remaining efficient when they got there,  going 9-10.   Olivia lead the charge going 5-6 on her FTs.   In her 7 minutes on the floor in the quarter, in my opinion, it was the Payton Verhulst show, as we got to see what I hope is a bright future for Payton's in red and black!  

Within 30 seconds of being inserted into the lineup, Verhulst snags the defensive board and registers the assist.  With 4 minutes left in the quarter, Verhulst gets the block and secures it, giving the offense another chance to score.  Then, with 1:52 left, she pulls down the huge rebound under the basket then forces Pitt's Brown to travel followed by a 3 of her own with 1:15 to extend the Cards lead 63-25.  The 6-1 guard from Kansas got big praise from commentator Debbie Antonelli after the run - commenting that when Payton gets settled into the college life and finds the weight room some more, she could become a serious star. 

End of 4Q 18-14 Cards 

FG %
6-15 40% Cards
4-15 26.7% Pitt
Reb. 13-10 Cards
3-pt %
2-4 50% Cards
0-1 0% Pitt

(Caption this...)

Picking up where she left off, Verhulst found herself at the FT line shooting 2 to open the offense for the Cards.  Not long after, around the mid 8 minute mark, Coach Walz moved to put some starters back out on the floor even with the Cards at a comfortable 40 point lead.  Regardless of the score, it has been covered before that Coach Walz always has a plan.  The move to bring starters back in for just a handful of minutes left in the game and a huge lead on Pitt was a coaching moment for him and the squad that will be the backbone of the post season.  Especially with the rust the squad has come out with in recent weeks.

Walz was wise to use the quality minutes for some extra shots to 'get the score to 70' (which has been a stressor for the coaching staff as a winning formula).  HVL did just that when she swished a 3 pointer to make it 70-28 Cards with 6:28 left in the game and Walz pulled the starters for the rest of the way.  Before Thursday night, the Cards were 7-0 season on the season, 21-0 last season and 49-0 over last 3 seasons when they score 70+ points.   At this point of the game, the Cards lineup looked like Ramani Parker, A. Smith, Merissah Russell, Hall and Payton on the floor.  The Cards struggled to find a rhythm offensively, not scoring until Russell hit a three with 3:40 left.   As a team, the Cards finished going 4-4 from the field to make it a 81-39 final score in downtown Louisville.  

UP NEXT

Louisville at Miami Sunday at 12:00 p.m. 

FRED REPORT

(Jared's supervisor...Freddy Farm Bureau)

FREE THROWS --  The Cards found themselves at the line plenty of times Thursday evening.  When they got there, they were very efficient going 17-18 on the evening.  Cochran lead the Cards, going 5-6 on free throws all in the third quarter.  The Cards excelled at the line going 94% which far exceeds are required 70% minimum. CAPITAL F 

REBOUNDING -- Somehow, Pitt managed to stay even with the Cards when pulling down the boards at 43 all.  Pitt's 6-4 Center Rita Igbokwe corralled 14 on her own.  The Cards' leading rebounder was Emily Engstler with 10.  The Cards lost the offensive rebound challenge, which limited the second chance opportunity to score.  lower case r

EFFORT/EXECUTION --  The game did not leave its viewers with many complaints if you're a Louisville fan.  When the offense started stalely, Emily Engstler revved the engine.   When her team needed a bucket, she made one.  When they needed the ball back offensively, she took it.  When a situation needed a dissatisfied expression, she took the technical foul.   29 points came off the bench, despite the Cards being down their first two off the bench (Robinson and Konno) and had 24 points in the paint. CAPITAL E

DEFENSE --  The Cards forced 35 turnovers.. 25 of them were from Pitt starters and 19 turnovers were steals.   UofL had 32 points off of the turnovers.  At one point, Merissah Russell was taking the charge under the basket, putting the ball back in Louisville's hands.  By halftime, the Panthers had attempted only half of the Cards shot attempts with 21 and totaled 24 turnovers.  CAPITAL D 

FINAL FRED TALLY: F_r_E_D

Cardinal Couple Radio - The gang takes to the air tomorrow at 11 a.m. Join us for the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast. A lot to talk about after three weeks... 

 As always
Go Cards! 

~Daryl 

 

Louisville WBB victorious in Pittsburgh 82-58; FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDS GET TO 20 WINS IN PITTSBURGH

We got a game-day, Cards fans.  I hope you're staying warm and safe out there if you have to be out.  After a week in between matchups for UofL, looking to close out the regular season strongly, Louisville WBB wins on the road at Pittsburgh propelled by a 28-13 third quarter rout. 

Dana Evans scored 29 points, 21 of them in the second half and has scored a tleast 20 points 16 of Louisville's 21 games played this season. Mykasa Robinson had 6 points on 2-3 shooting from field, along with 5 assists, 5 steals, 9 rebounds and went 2-3 from the FT line.  The Panthers were lead by Gabbie Green.  She was averaging 5.5 pts coming into the game and had 20 points on 5-8 from beyond 3. 

RECAP: Louisville WBB (20-1, 13-1) vs Pitt Panthers 82-58

The Cards allowed 3 offensive rebounds in Pitt's second possession but they were 0-6 in first 1:30. Pitt's second leading scorer Dayshanette Harris came out of game 2 min into it with a knee injury. Olivia Cochran picked up 2 fouls less about 30 seconds within the other about 3 minutes in. Liz Dixon got the scoring going for the Cards, she went 2-2 for 4 pts 0-1 FT line to start.  Losing rebound battle 6-4 first 3 min off the clock. 

The Cards defense only allowed 2 points up until the 5:25 min mark when it was 8-2 Cards. Mykasa had 2 steals 5 min off clock and took a charge for the Pitt TO. She also got to the line where she went 1-2.  The team was 1-3 for 33.3% at FT line in the first quarter. Liz Dixon went 5-5 for 10 points and 2 rebounds.  Kianna Smith 0-3 from behind the arc.  Hailey Van Lith contributed 3 reb 3 assists and a clock through her first eight minutes on the floor. 

End of 1Q 17-9 Cards
FG %
8-17 47% Cards
4-21 19% Pitt
Reb.  16-12 Pitt
3-pt %
0-4 0% Cards
1-5 20% Pitt

Back to back 3 point jumpers made by Green in less than a minute made it 19-15 Cards lead. With Cochran on the bench with a couple fouls, we saw a Ramani Parker sighting early in the second quarter.  She was headed to the free throw line not long after entering the game and went 2-2. With 3 minutes off the clock Pitt was winning the quarter 8-4. HVL got her first bucket about halfway through the 2Q.  

Everett secured her first bucket with 4 min left till halftime. With 2:39 Green hits her fourth 3-pointer to tie it 27 all. UofL was 0-6 from 3 point land for the game by this point. Pitt had landed 3 threes in the quarter and the Cards were losing the offensive rebounding battle 15-6.  The Cards finished on a 6-0 run and the refs waved off what I think should've been counted as the Cards first 3 point bucket on a last .1 of a second chuck by Dana Evans 15 feet behind 3 point line but the Cards ended up 0-7 from beyond 3 point arc.  Pitt finished the final 2:39 scoreless and UofL was 6-6 at the FT line for the quarter.

End of 2Q 18-16 Pitt 
FG %
5-13 38.5% Cards
6-19 31.6% Pitt
Reb. 11-11 
3-pt %
0-3 0% Cards
3-6 50% Pitt

HALF 33-27 Cards

 Dana hit the first 3 of the game for Louisville with 7 minutes left on clock in the third quarter. Dixon scored her first points since the first quarter with 5:45 offensive rebound off a Kianna Smith miss for the put back underneath. Dana Evans was 3-4 from the field with 4:19 still left on clock and Pitt scoreless for almost 3 minutes after that until they got to the line.  The Cards pushed the lead to 18 making it 57-39 with 1:56 left in the 3Q. Cards lead by 21 at 61-40. Dana lead the team with 13 points 4-6 and 4-4 at the FT line. Mykasa secured two buckets, a free throw, four rebounds and two assists in the quarter. 18 of the Cards 28 points were in the paint. 

End of 3Q 28-13 cards 
FG %
11-18 61% Cards
4-12 33.3% Pitt
Reb. 11-6 cards
3-pt %
1-3 33.3% Cards
2-4 50% Pitt

HVL hits a jumper from the FT line and Balogun scores on a fast break before back to back threes by Jayla Everett ,as she started to warm up to make it 65-51. Pitt was 11-4 in the quarter with 4:53 left in the game. Dana Evans then went on to score the next 8 points for UofL before exiting the game for the evening finishing 11-20 from the field, 3-5 from 3-point land a perfect 4-4 at the free throw line. Everett was 3-5 for 8 points in the quarter.

End of 4Q 21-18 Cards 
FG %
9-17 52.9% Cards
7-14 50% Pitt
Reb. 10-7 Cards 
3-pt %
2-6 33.3% Cards
2-4 50% Pitt

FINAL 82-58 LOUISVILLE WINS!! 

 

Coach Walz post-game:

Coach admits there were 'glimpses of good and glimpses of bad' in this one.  That there were 'tough stretches but overall did some good things' thanks to a really good second half.  Also mentioned how he thought Mykasa had a fabulous night contributing 5 assists, 5 steals 9 rebounds and no turnovers.  

Coach Walz also added on to the Dana Evans players of the year campaign with her 21 point second half effort and how she been able to consistently do this especially in the month of February. 

WALZ'S FULL REMARKS CAN BE HEARD HERE:  JEFF WALZ POST-GAME PITT.

 

FRED REPORT 

In honor of Pitt, we bring you former
Pitt WBB great Fred Potvin ! 

F-Free Throws Lead by Dana's perfect four attempts at the line, the team went 13-15 on the evening for a strong 87% effort. In comparison, Pitt went 8-17 for 47% from the line. 87% is better than the 70% requirement for a CAPITAL F

R-Rebounding The Cards were outrebounded by Pitt 27-23 in the first half losing the offensive rebound battle 15-6. The team bounced back in the second half to win the battle on the boards 21-13 and ended up winning the night 44-40 against the Panthers. Robinson lead the rebounding efforts with 9 for UofL. CAPITAL R

E-Effort/Efficiency It's always enjoyable to watch the show Dana Evans puts on for basketball fans, the way she can take over any game but I also wanted to shout out Mykasa Robinson on her performance. She cuts into every lane, dives for every loose ball and takes almost every charge opportunity thrusted at her. It really is a pleasure to watch if you're a fan of competition. CAPITAL E

D- Defense UofL forced 20 Pitt turnovers in the game. Mykasa had 5 steals herself, Pittsburgh had 3 total. Pittsburgh shot 32% from the field landing 8 from beyond 3. Pitt landed 25% of their 40 shot attempts in the first half while making one more and attempting 14 less in the second half good for a 42.3% second half effort. The Panthers scored 11 points less than their season average so I give it a solid CAPITAL D

 

FINAL Fred Report :  F-R-E-D 

 LACROSSE DOWNS COLORADO 12-9 

Getting four goals from Ally Hall and a superb defensive effort in goalkeep by Rachel Florek, Louisville got their first win of the 2021 Lacrosse season with a 12-9 win over #24 Colorado yesterday at the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium. 

The contest was an back=and forth affair early on, Louisville trading leads with the Buffs until UofL went on a 4-1 run to end the half and take a 8-4 lead. Hall had three of her goals in the first half and an assist. The Cards were having trouble winning draw controls, but were stopping Colorado after they gained possession. 

Louisville (1-1) increased the lead to 10-4 early in the second half after scores from Hall and Caroline Blalock, and the rout appeared to be on -- but a succession of yellow cards on the Cards allowed Colorado to play a "man up" and respond with four straight second half goals to make it 10-8 with 17:35 left in the second half. Three of the Colorado scores came from Sadie Grozier. 

The Cards were able to rally, though, and Blalock and Alex McNicholas went back-to-back over the next six minutes to push the Louisville lead out to 12-8. Colorado managed just one score the rest of the way, and Louisville "iced" a hard-fought 12-9 win. 

Scott Teeter was pleased with the win: 

"I thought we got off to an excellent start and we had answers whenever Colorado had a push -- we answered right back. Colorado is a great team, they are nationally ranked for a reason. We found a way to win, though, and we need to build off this." 

Teeter, goalkeeper Rachel Florek and attacker Ally Hall joined our own Paulie for these post-game remarks in the link below: 

TEETER, HALL AND FLOREK POST-GAME COLORADO

Have a great start to your weekend, we will catch you all the airwaves Saturday morning for another episode of the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast.  

As always, Go Cards!
- Daryl