Louilsville WBB flies past Boston College 86-73 -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 BALANCED SCORING LEADS UOFL TO WIN VS. EAGLES

The University of Louisville placed six players in double figures and used a 8-0 run near the middle of the third quarter to pull away from Boston College and improve their record to 8-5 and 1-1 in the ACC. 

Jadya Curry had a season high, for her, with 14 points for UofL, Taj Roberts and Olivia Cochran added 13 each, Nyla Harris and Ja'Leah Williams put up 12 points and Merissah Russell finished with 11 points in the Cards 86-73 win. . 

The Cards and Eagles were in a one -point affair with UofL leading 51-50 at the 5:40 mark of the third quarter before the Louisville run that started  with jumpers from Harris, Curry and Williams over a one minute period. A Williams layup a minute later put Louisville ahead 59-50 with 3:18 left in the quarter. . The Cards were still up 64-55 at the end of the quarter and UofL won the final quarter 22-18 for the thirteen-point win. The Cards did score the final six points of the game, all on free throws...overcoming a rough shooting  streak to end the game, where UofL did not make a basket in the final 6:24 of the game and their final 12 points came from free throws..

Louisville led 23-18 at the end of the first quarter and held a 40-35 at the halff, before the referees decided a final shot of the quarter by BC's Teya Sidberry was a three instead of a two.

 64-55 is the advantage the Cards had at the end of the third quarter. 

THE FRED REPORT

{Fred McGriff played with six different MLB squads in 18 years and had 2490 hits)

Free Throws -- Louisville went 19-26 from the free throw line...Russell hitting seven of her eight attempts. That's 73.1% and good for a CAPITAL "F". 

Rebounds -- The Cards won the battle of the boards 36-33...Cochran getting seven, to co-lead the way with "team".  What is a team rebound in college basketball?. When a ball is shot and missed from anywhere and the ball goes out of bounds without anyone touching it or getting possession, that is a team rebound. We'll award the CAPITAL "R" here. 

Effort/Execution -- Louisville shot an even 50% (31-62) from the floor and had 15 assists. No one fouled out for the Cards, they had three less turnovers than BC and led second chance points 24-11. And, they won! I'll recommend a CAPITAL "E

Defense -- The Cards scored 28 points off 23 B.C. turnovers. They had 14 steals, and held the Eagles to 48% shooting. I can see a small case "d" here..73 points is a lot to give up to a middle-tier or worse ACC foe. Louisville still needs a lot p work on defense, but it gotmthe jpb done Sunday

FINAL FRED TALLY: F-R-E-d

So,it was a game that Louisville was able to go on several sizable runs in and was able to give Boston College their first home loss of the season. The freshmen continue to impress and improve....They had 50 of Louisville's points and continue to play well on the road.

POST GAME JEFF WALZ 

paulie

SB wins 2-1 -- WBB wins 69-67 -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FRIDAYS WITH DARYL 

(weekend happy dance) 

We are officially in the final stretch towards March Madness now that were on the other side of Valentines and the NFL season.  

I was feeling like crap all week, slightly feverish and allergies so if I sound a little groggy throughout the recaps, my apologies ahead of time!!

But luckily for me we have two Cardinal wins to cover this morning so lets get into it.. 

Softball

Photo: Jared Anderson

The Diamond Cards are rolling into the 2024 season as they headed south for the Joan Joyce Classic in Florida and were able to get another W to move to 7-0 on the season after defeating host team, FAU 2-1 on Thursday evening.  

The Cardinals scored 2 runs off of 6 hits.

Gabby Holloway got the start and the win in the circle pitching for 5 innings giving up only 2 hits and 1 run while striking out 2 and walking 2.  

Senior outfielder Vanessa Miller lead at the plate for UofL going 2-3 with 2 RBIs and a stolen base.  

Next up for the Cards, they will face Seton Hall at 11:30am today  before squaring off with FAU again at 4:30pm.  

This marks Seton Hall's opening weekend. The Pirates are coming off of 42-18 campaign and won the BIG EAST regular season title in 2023.

Seton Hall was picked to finish third in Big East by the coaches.  The Pirates return 18 players return from season's team including the conference Pitcher of the Year, Kelsey Carr.   Angie Churchill enters her third season at the helm.




WBB

Photos: Jared Anderson

The Cardinals had another one go down to the wire on the road this week, this time, it went Louisville's way.   Ironically, the Eagles intentionally fouled Louisville 5 times in the last 30 some odd seconds to end the game with time expiring but the Cards didn't shoot a single free throw.   BC had fouls to give, you see. Mayb the refs go the word on the 'be very, very careful on sny "interntional" decisons'...maybe...

After trailing for the majority of the game the Cards were finally able to break through late in the third quarter before managing to stay on top till time expired.  

Cards WIN  69-67

End of 1Q    17-8 BC
FG %
4-12 33.3% Cards
6-14 42.9%  BC
Reb.  9-7 BC
3-pt %
0-1 0% Cards
0-0 0%  BC

Louisville didnt score until 3 minutes into the game when they were trailing 7-2.   The Cards committed 3 turnovers before they scored a bucket.  Rickards went 3-3  and noone hit a three pointer in the quarter... ew. Moving on.. 

End of 2Q  24-15 Cards

FG %
7-13 53.8% Cards
6-16 37.5%  BC
Reb.  10-6  Cards
3-pt %
1-1 100% Cards
1-2 50%  BC

Olivia Cochran get her first FG of the evening at 1:30 left in the half.. Kiki Jefferson hits the layup to end the half and make it a brand new game.  Louisville never lead in the first half.   Nina Rickards had 12 points on 5-6 shooting. 

HALF   32 all 

End of 3Q   20-19  BC

FG %
6-16 37.5% Cards
7-14 50%  BC
Reb.  14-7 Cards 
3-pt %
0-2 0% Cards
1-5 50% BC

Sidberry picks up her 4th foul with about 6:15 on the clock and the Cards head to the free throw line for a chance to take the lead for the first time in the game but are unable to covert both and tie the game up at 39 all.  New ballgame again.  Cards forced BC to take a 3, missing it and chance to take a lead but they turn it over again for the 18th time on the evening.... BC defense stripped the ball out of Nyla Harris's hands and off her knee when Merissah Russell attempted the dish underneath.   It was that kind of night..   Cards take their first lead 2:40 left in the third quarter when Olivia Cochran hit her 2 FTs.  

End of 4Q  18-15 Cards

FG %
9-16 56.3% Cards
7-15 46.7%  BC
Reb.  8-5 Cards 
3-pt %
0-2 0% Cards
0-2 0%  BC

Cards get scoring going and takes lead 53-52 with about 8:40 on the clock left in the game. 

 UofL starts the quarter 5-5 while BC goes on their own run scoring 3 baskets in a row.  

Cards commit their 22nd turnover of the game with about 4 min left in the game.  Kiki Jefferson hits the bucket in transition to make it 65-60 Cards  with about 3:30 to go.  BC goes 1-2 at the FT line and Walz called a timeout with under 3 min left when Cards struggle to find any offense.   Cards get nothing out of it as they airball a 3 point attempt. BC gets final posseesion but cannot tiie it or take lead, thanks to "O" defense in BC paint. 

UP NEXT

# 18 Louisville vs  #12 Virginia Tech 

Sunday at 2PM

ESPN 

FRED REPORT

King Fred the Muppet

FREE THROWS -- Louisville went 16-21 at the Free Throw line which is good for 76%.   There were a few opportunities where the Cards couldve taken the lead at the FT line and werent able to.  Olivia Cochran went 5-6 on an otherwise quiet offensive night for the senior.   Ill give it a lower case f

(EDITOR NOTE...I WILL OVERRULE THIS TO A CAPITAL "F". OUR STANDARD IS...OVER 70%, YOU GET THE "CAPITAL".  

REBOUNDING --  The Cardinals dominated the boards 39-27.  UofL pulled down 13 offensive rebounds which they were able to get 14 second chance points.  Olivia Cochran again lead her team in this category pulling down 9 rebounds.  CAPITAL R

EFFORT/EXECUTION --  The Cards shot 46% from the field hitting just one 3-pointer on the evening.  The turnovers could've killed Louisville in this matchup and their top tier position in the conference.  UofL had 24 turnovers in the game, the most this season since they had 22 against Miami on NYE.  The Cards came up big in the 4th quarter when it really mattered.  lower case e

DEFENSE --  After the Eagles came out on fire and got a big lead on the Cards, Louisville was able to turn up the defense and get some stops to tie it up at half and make it a brand new game.   BC's Dontavia Waggoner lead the charge for the Eagles going 8-18 with 6 rebounds and 4 assists.  lower case d 

FINAL FRED TALLY: F_R_e_d

Let's get a big win this weekend at the Yum Center, Cards.  I have also been checking out the Softball schedule looking forward to some big conference matchups down at Ulmer Stadium when the home schedule opens.  

As Always,

Go Cards

~Daryl 

Basketball on a Hill - Sunday Cardinal Couple

Basketball

There was a basketball game yesterday, but that's a bit outside of our normal coverage here on Cardinal Couple.  There was a good bit of fun with a Cardinal Couple favorite in anticipation of it, so an opportunity to share it.

Lucius "Too Tall" Winston with Emina Ekic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqKaDts3bf4

Yes, the Harlem Globetrotters were in town yesterday with a game at the KFC Yum! Center.  You were thinking of another game, perhaps?  In the lead-up to it, Racing Louisville attacker, and former UofL Soccer player Emina Ekic matched up with "Too Tall" in a game of Horse.  Ekic showed off some of her skills, both with her feet, and on the hardwood, demonstrating that she does have a bit of shooting range in the process.  No results are available, but presumably the Globetrotters were victorious over the Washington Generals.

But back in our wheelhouse, the Louisville women's basketball team has made the trip to Chestnut Hill, arriving safely and ducking a bit of incoming winter weather while they're at it.

The Cards and the Eagles will match up today at noon.  The Eagles are currently about mid-pack in the ACC, though with the conference season as young as it is, there's still plenty of time for some re-arranging of the standings.

At 12-4, 3-2 in conference, the Eagles aren't quite in the discussion for "Best Team in the Nation", but they are showing some respectable numbers.  Losses are to cross-town Boston University, VCU, a then undefeated UNC team, and of course, the earlier meeting of the Cards and Eagles here in Louisville.  Notable wins are in-conference with solid victories over Syracuse, Clemson, and Pitt.

In the previous matchup with Louisville, the leading scorers for the Eagles were Taylor Soule, Cameron Swartz, and Maria Gakdeng.  The Cards should also be wary of Makayla Dickens and Marnelle Garraud as high point producers, though they weren't much of a factor in the first meeting. Cameron Swartz went off for 39 a few games back at Clemson. It'd be surprising if she duplicates that today against UofL.  

BC did play the Cards competitively in the first quarter of the previous matchup, with a score of 12-11 after the first 10 minute segment.  It didn't last, though, with the Cards holding Boston College to 13 or less in each of the quarters of the game, while the UofL production climbed to 20 or more each of quarters after the first.

The paint play should be interesting, both Maria Gakdeng and Olivia Cochran are listed at 6'3", and similar builds.  Beyond that, Soule and Swartz line up at 5'11", Dickens measures up at 5'8", and Garraud at 5'7".

Garraud, Dickens, and Swartz are the only significant three point threats on the team.

The big question of the day will be the Louisville defense.  Highly touted all year, it all but vanished in the return from the Covid pause.  While the offense took a big step forward, hopefully we can finally see the Cards perform well on both ends of the court today.

The game will tip-off at noon, and is on the linear ACC Network today.  Of course, if you want to catch it via streaming, that's available as well.  ESPN's site doesn't have commentator names listed for the game, yet, so that will be a game-time discovery for us all. Nick and AJ have the call on Cards Radio  WKRD 790 AM.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

A real treat for the CCRHP yesterday, with all five of the regular crew able to come together for the show.

It was a basketball heavy show, as you might expect, though some mention was made of track and field as they pursue their indoor season, and swimming in their dual meet against Indiana.

The show is available via Youtube as normal:

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

but you can also check out the lightly edited version at:

https://anchor.fm/cardinal-couple/episodes/Like-UofL-WBB--Were-Back-e1d071c

WBB handles BC 79-49 -- HAPPY NEW YEAR ; FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 FRIDAYS WITH DARYL 

Firstly, as we wrap up 2021, I want to say thank you to the readers.  I do appreciate your comments and viewership throughout the year and sports seasons.  Without you all, why are we even typing? So thanks to you all for making Cardinal Couple what it is.  Its a pleasure to bring a closer look into the squads we love so much with you! 

Secondly, I want to wish you a Happy New Year!  It's the last day of the year and I am looking forward to new goals and new memories to be made in 2022, hopefully plenty of fond Cardinal memories are in the future. 

                        Photo: Jared Anderson

WBB wins vs Boston College 79-49

Five Cardinals scored in double figures as UofL secures it's first conference win and moves to 11-1 on the season.  Emily Engstler had an efficient night and lead all scorers with 14 points on 5-7 shooting, going 3-5 at the free throw line, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals in 17 minutes on the floor.   Hailey Van Lith logged the most minutes and went 5-10, 2-3 from 3 point land for 12 points and 3 rebounds. 

                                             Photo: Jared Anderson

End of 1Q 12-11 Cards
FG %
3-15 20% Cards
4-9 36.4% BC
Reb. 10-7 BC
3-pt %
0-4 0% Cards
0-3 0% BC

Niether squad was able to land a three pointer in the first quarter which made for a very dry offensive battle to open the game. The Cards' starters struggled to get their feet under them while BC Taylor Soule went 3-4 and had 7 of the Eagles' 11 total points.  BC also had 8 turnovers in the first 10 minutes of play but the Cards only had 5 points off of them.  Coach Walz said he did not think the Cards had any rust after the holiday break because they had a great shoot around earlier in the day.                                                         

                                                                            Photo: Jared Anderson

                                

End of 2Q 23-13 Cards

FG %
10-16 62.5% Cards

4-11 36.4% BC
Reb. 10-6 Cards
3-pt %
3-6 50% Cards
0-3 0% BC
                                                        
Louisville bigs (Olivia Cochran and Emily Engstler) went 6-6 from the field to pull the Cards to a sturdy lead over the Eagles as the team shot 63% from the field in the quarter.  The defense held BC to 0-6 from three point land which was the difference maker in the first half.  

HALF 35-24

End of 3Q 24-13 Cards

FG %
8-16 50% Cards
5-12 41.7% BC
Reb. 13-7 Cards
3-pt %
1-1 100% Cards
1-2 50% BC

Engstler continued her campaign to get drafted in the WNBA by going 2-2 from the field, 3-4 at the free throw line, adding an assist and grabbing 4 rebounds in 6 minutes on the floor in the quarter. 

        

                   Photo: Jared Anderson

End of 4Q 20-12 Cards

FG %
9-17 52.9% Cards
4-16 25% BC
Reb. 10 All
3-pt %
1-4 25% Cards
1-7 14.3% BC

                        Photo: Jared Anderson

Starters were pulled and the bench really got to see some quality playing time. Payton Verhulst tied a career-high 12 points while Liz Dixon and Olivia Cochran had chipped in 10 of their own. 

                                                         Photo: Jared Anderson

UP NEXT

Louisville vs #16 Georgia Tech Sunday at 12 p.m. in Atlanta, GA

FRED REPORT


FREE THROWS -- The Cards managed 14-21 at the charity stripe.  Olivia Cochran made all 4 of her shots at the line.  21 total attempts as a team is alot more than they've attempted in recent weeks so we will give them credit for getting to the line more but making just 66.7% of them does not meet our required 70% minimum so Ill give it a lower case f

REBOUNDING -- UofL outrebounded BC 40-33 but the game's leading rebounder was BC 6-3 Freshman center, Maria Gakdeng with 9 boards.   The teams tied in second chance points with 12 a piece.  lower case r

EFFORT/EXECUTION -- As a team, the Cards shot 47% and 33% from three point land.  They connected for 17 assists on 30 shot attempts..  With Engstler leading the squad with 4 of them and HVL, Kianna Smith and Chelsie Hall combining for only 3, I would like to see the distribution numbers a little higher for this team that allegedly does not have just one star player to rely on.  Capital E

DEFENSE -  The Cards held BC to a season low 49 points.  As one of the team's leading scorers, Taylor Soule managed to keep BC in the game in the first quarter but was locked down after that short lived burst.  After going 3-4 to open the game, she went 1-3 from the field for the rest of the game.  Louisville forced BC into 21 turnovers where they matched BC in second chance points at 12.  Capital D

FINAL FRED TALLY: f_r_E_D

                                                                Photo: Jared Anderson

Again, a Happy New Year to you and yours!! I hope you make it a safe one this evening if you do get out and about.  Tell your people you love them and you will hear from me in 2022!

Cardinal Couple Radio - The gang will continue to enjoy the holiday with a break from radio this weekend but back to regularly scheduled programming next week! 

As always 

Go Cards! 

~Daryl 

Louisville WBB bounces back and sweeps Boston College 97-68 -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

DESPITE MINUS TWO, CARDS PULL THROUGH

Good FRIDAY morning Cardinal fans  

Louisville traveled up to Boston College Thursday night looking to bounce back from Monday nights first loss of the season. I was actually able to make it out to the Yum! Center for that game with a friend of Cardinal Couple, Cindy!  It was our first time back at the Yum since last season and our first as fans only in many many years.  A pretty frustrating night for the Cards then but the team was able to put another tick in the win column in a convincing fashion on Thursday night. 

As for last night, not long before the game tipped off, we learned that two pretty regular starters would be out for the Cards in the matchup with the Eagles.

Elizabeth Balogun was away from the team training with the Nigerian national team down in Atlanta. Olivia Cochran got 'dinged up' with a sprained knee in practice on Wednesday.  So, it was Mykasa's 6th start of the season and it ended up being Dana Evans 13th 20+ point game on this season. Evans finished with 23 points on 8-19 shooting, three of them from behind the arc, four rebounds, five assists and no turnovers. 

Around the ACC

Georgia Tech avoids upset in a 71-69 win against Clemson                                                           Syracuse rolls over Wake Forest 85-78 
Virginia Tech pounds Pitt 74-55
FSU 61 sticks it to UNC 61-51. 

RECAP: Louisville WBB vs. BC Eagles 97 - 68 

With four minutes off the clock, Kianna Smith lead with 5 pts, the Cards were shooting 5-7 for 71% with 2-4 coming from three-point range, one for Dana and one for Smith.  Not long after, Dana swished her second 3-pt attempt, Kianna Smith knocks one down again just a minute after that.  The score was 18-15.

BC was hanging in there shooting 60% from both the field and beyond the arc..

Eagles guard Makayla Dickens scoring 8 of the team's points making 3 of 4 of her shot attempts, two of them from three. The Cards had 4 assists on 8 made buckets at the time.  The score was 20-15 both teams were going back and forth offensively.  BC was four of their last four and the Cards were four of their last five. 

Dana came out of the game for a rest with a minute left in the quarter.  Evans had just stolen the ball and the Cards found themselves at the FT line when Dana came out.  Merissah Russell made her two FTs to make it 26-19.  BC finished the quarter with two threes and Haley Van Lith managed a three point play of her own. 

End of 1Q 29-25 Cards 
FG %
10-16 63% Cards
10-15 67% BC
Reb.  7-5 Cards 
3-pt %
4-8 50% Cards
5-8 62.5% BC

Coach Walz began the same lineup that finished the quarter... Ahlana Smith, Norika Konno, Liz Dixon, Mykasa and  Kianna Smith lineup.  First three minutes off the clock in the 2nd quarter, BC was winning 5-4 and was 6-9 from beyond 3 for the game.  Dana and HVL came back in.  Makayla Dickens tied it up at 33 landing her fourth three of the game, HVL responded.  The Cards were winning the rebounding battle 13-8.. 7-2 offensive rebounds.

The Cards went on an 8-0 run after it was tied up.  By then, BC was winning shooting better than UofL with 54% to 52% from the field and 58% to 50% from 3-point range.  But the Cards had converted at the FT line making 6 made of 8 attempts, none had been attempted yet for the Eagles.  With two minutes left in the quarter, Dana grabbed her own the offensive rebound and had the backwards put back underneath, and a layup on the fast break on the following possession to lead the Cards to a 14-0 run and a 47-33 lead. 

End of 2Q 21-13 Cards 
FG %
9-19 47.4% Cards
5-14 35.7% BC
Reb. 14-6 Cards
3-pt %
2-3 66.7% Cards
3-5 60% BC

HALF Cards 50-38

After coming back from the halftime break, the Cards committed two turnovers in the first minute back in back to back possessions. Halfway into the quarter HVL managed three of Cards six turnovers.  Kasa was leading the team with 7 rebounds.  Dana was 7-14, 3-5 beyond three with 19 points, three rebounds, three assists and no turnovers. With four minutes left in third quarter BC had managed only one trip to the FT line and came up empty on the attempts.  The Cards were winning the rebounding battle 28-15. Dana, HVL and Kianna were hitting from beyond three for the Cards... making seven of the teams 15 attempts.  The Eagles finished the quarter making one of their last nine, where the Cards went four for five.  Dana was 4-4 at the FT line in the quarter. 

End of 3Q 22-16 Cards 
FG %
8-13 61.5% Cards
6-20 30% BC
Reb. 12-11 Cards
3-pt %
2-6 33.3% Cards
1-3 33.3% BC

The Cards opened the final quarter with another turnover to match BC with 11 for the game. Offensively, they went on 6-0 run to open the quarter.  By this time, the deep bench was getting more minutes than in recent weeks.  Merissah Russell and Ramani Parker saw seven minutes each in the 4th.  HVL finished with five turnovers, at least one each quarter. The Cards finished the game shooting 6-8, going on a 9-0 run over the last 3:30 minutes, BC shooting 0-5 and didn't score in final 3:47.

End of 4Q 25-14 Cards 
FG %
10-17 58.8% Cards
6-14 42.9% BC
Reb. 10-5 Cards 
3-pt %
2-6 33.3% Cards
0-2 0% BC

FINAL 97-61 CARDS WIN 

FRED REPORT 

"Lamont, I watched the entire Boston
game and didn't hear "More than A Feeling"
once !! 

F-Free Throws Dana lead the team going 4-4 from the line and the team was a solid 13-16 on the night.  At one point in the match, the FTs were the difference maker in the scoring which goes to show how important it can be on the stat sheet.  The team was an efficient 81% from the line which is better than the 70% requirement for a CAPITAL F 

R-Rebounding Even without Olivia on the floor, the Cards dominated the boards 43-27, doubling the defensive rebound column 26-14.  Stop me if you've heard this before, Robinson lead the rebounding effort with 8, Konno with 7, Dixon with 6 and Parker with 5. Consider me impressed.. CAPITAL R

E-Effort/Efficiency From the opening tip, the squad was ready to rumble.  The team was able to get inside and score, they were hitting from 3 point range and outrebounding the Eagles despite a solid opening quarter effort from BC.  The Cards secured the 26-10 second chance points advantage over their opponent.  Dana had 5 of the teams 15 assists on 37 made buckets. UofL had 32 points come off the bench.  It was a really fun game to watch for Louisville basketball fans.  CAPITAL E 

D- Defense BC was averaging seven 3-pointers a game coming into this one.. they had that many in the first half, but managed just two over the final 20 minutes of play.  They were 9-18 on the evening, good for 50% from 3-point land and 27-63 good for 43% from the floor.  UofL managed to turn BC over 16 times on the night giving the Cards 21 points.  I think this defensive effort has warranted a lower case d, it will need some polishing in the coming weeks. Walz wants the Cards to "toughen up"

FINAL FRED SCORE  F-R-E-d 

                                      Looking AHEAD

* ALERT ALERT *

DANA EVANS PLAYS AT THE YUM CENTER TWO MORE TIMES

**** Sunday vs ND (Pink Out Game) ****

**** Thursday vs Georgia Tech  (Senior Night) **** 

We will be back on the airwaves tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. for another episode of the Cardinal Couple Radio  Hour Podcast, I believe another full house on deck.  Have a great start to your weekend, Louisville fans! 

Go Cards 

~Daryl 

Previewing Boston College -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 Cards Travel to Boston College

The pressure is off. Coming off their first speed bump of the season, Louisville women's basketball travels to Chestnut Hill tonight to take on Boston College. Louisville is fresh off a 74-60 loss to #4 NC State on Monday night. It ended the Cards' 16-game winning streak to start the season.

Boston College hasn't been able to say the same with their successes this year. The Eagles sit below the .500 mark with a 5-7 record. All seven of those losses came in conference play while their sole conference victory was a three-point victory against Notre Dame. 

Louisville took the previous match this season 89-70 in the KFC YUM! Center back on Jan 14th. If you'll remember, Dana Evans had 24 points for  the Cards and Louisville was 11-13 from the charity stripe. 

For Boston College, since that victory over Notre Dame, the Eagles lost to Wake Forest, Louisville, and then Notre Dame got their revenge on Jan. 17. The games against Clemson, Pitt, and Florida State were postponed/cancelled due to COVID-19 protocol. This is the first game for the Eagles in 18 days.

All five of the wins for Boston College have come at home at Conte Forum.

The Eagles rank nearly dead last in the ACC in points per game (69.6, 11th) and points allowed per game (69.3, 12th). Taylor Soule has been their top scorer at 15.3 points per game. Cameron Swartz and Makayla Dickens both average 12.4 ppg for their other top scorers. 

Boston College averages 37 rebounds per game. 40% of their rebounds have been on the offensive end.

Surprisingly, the Eagles lead the conference in opponent turnovers per game with 19.6. They also lead the conference with 9.83 steals per game and a +3.25 turnover margin.

If Louisville can avoid costly turnovers, they have the upper leg in this game. With the pressure of an undefeated season gone and the likely chance of the #1 ranking being held by someone else come Monday, the Cards can get back to playing Louisville basketball.

We haven't seen Louisville play a true full four quarters since first earning the top spot in the polls. Three of the four wins came down to the final minute. The Cards looked panicked and out of sorts at times during their five games as the #1 team.

The target is gone. The stress is gone. I fully expect to see UofL look like they did early in the season. Hopefully, this game can be out of reach by halftime. We didn't do Cardinal Couple predictions for this game but I'll throw out an 82-60 score for this.

You can catch this 8:00 p.m., tip-off on ACC Network. As always, Nick Curran and AJ call an excellent game on 790-AM WKRD.

NGWSD

National Girls and Women in Sports Day was yesterday. This was the 35th annual NGWSD. UofL has been a huge advocate for the presence of women and those who identify as women in their athletics program. They have spared no expense for the women's teams with top notch facilities and support. I think we are all proud to be a part of a school that leads the way in women's athletics.

We here at Cardinal Couple strive to bring you the Joy and Excitement of UofL Women's Sports. Instead of celebrating this wonderful holiday one day per year we try to bring it to you 365 days per year (366 every four years).

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

Louisville WBB beats BC 89-70; other news from the program -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Welcome to the weekend, readers.  Two FRED reports for me in a row!  I feel lucky! 

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST

"Here we go with more schedule changes" 

As we look forward to the downslope of the month of January, when basketball really starts to heat up, a second major program has decided to pull the plug on it's season... fellow ACC domino, Virginia, announced they would be cancelling the remainder of their season joining Duke as the only ACC teams to do so.  Yes, UVA and Duke were both the bottom two teams in the conference standings when they called it quits but the Cavaliers (0-5, 0-2 ACC) also hadn't played since Dec 13 and cited "health and safety concerns":

"In addition to having six games postponed or canceled due to COVID-19 protocols, injuries had also depleted the team's roster, hampering the program's ability to practice and play."

One less sport for this guy to have to worry
about showing up for in Charlottesville

Nine ACC WBB programs have paused or been effected by the pandemic so far this season.  As for the Cards, we know very well how badly this team desires to play and show why they're the #2 team in the country. 

"Oh, look! The Eagles DID show up!" 

The Louisville women played their sixth matchup since returning from their own December pause, welcoming now -- officially -- (since UVA dropped out) the ACCs last place in the standings Boston College Eagles to the Yum! Center Thursday night.  Here's how it went... 

Louisville (11-0, 4-0) vs Boston College (5-6, 1-6)

UofL got the win 89-70

In the first quarter the Cards came out firing, 10-18 from the floor, 5-9 from 3 point range (both good for 55.6%) and managed 26 total points in the quarter. 

Elizabeth Balogun and Kianna Smith had four of the six threes.  In the second quarter Louisville's offense slowed down immensely, managing just 16 points but the defense held up in its absence allowing BC only 12 points for the quarter.  The Cards would take a 42-28 lead into the half. Olivia Cochran had 9 points in 10 min of play at the break.

 

The third quarter was a different story as BC managed a 28-26 advantage over UofL.  So, the offense had returned but the defense took a nap.  A lot of that could be chalked up to the exit of Hailey Van Lith for about six minutes of play as she dislocated a finger on the right hand after committing a turnover and a foul just a few minutes into the quarter.  But most importantly, she did return and the pain did not seem to do much to affect her game last night. She finished with 13 points (5-9, 2-3 from 3pt) 5 rebounds and 4 assists. She's left-handed, so the dislocation didn't affect her shot too much, and, one can almost hear Jeff Walz saying, in his somewhat sarcastic, teasing manner: 

"You've got two hands, right? Get back out there." 

Hailey may have the injured finger but
it's obvious she can still fly through the air

The training staff had a busy evening unfortunately as we would see an ankle sprain to Kianna Smith a couple minutes into the fourth quarter.

Coach Walz says he hopes the two can nurse these injuries and return to the floor quickly by Sunday.  Kianna finished the game vs BC with 13 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Dana Evans (with a new set of lashes) finished with 24 points going 9-16, 3-5 from beyond.  She had 12 points in the third quarter, getting seven points and a steal in about a minute span at one point. 

Coach Walz said in the post game press conference that despite scoring 89 points, he thinks it was an off night offensively which just goes to show just how talented he thinks this team is.  

THE FRED REPORT

Cards dancin' like Fred Astaire 
to 11-0. ACC beware! 

F- Free throws The Cards finished 11-13 (84.6%) from the charity stripe. Olivia had 6-8 of them for UofL. BC had only 8-10 on the night. I'd say that's a solid showing at the line while also not fouling the opponent and giving them the opportunity. CAPITAL F

R - Rebounds At the half, UofL was outrebounded 18-17, Coach Walz said the team's 'gotta get better keeping guards off the glass'. The team finished with the 32-31 nod, Olivia and Liz Dixon finishing with 7 each. I'll assign a lowercase " r"

E - Effort/Execution The team matched the Eagles with 13 turnovers in the game. If we must have them, we would like to see that number get down to single digits. UofL also allowed BC's guard Cameron Swartz to tie for the lead in total points (17) and lead the team in rebounds with nine. This performance warrants a lowercase "e"

D- Defense In the first half the Cards held BC to 35% shooting from the field, 36% beyond the arc but allowed 52% from the field in the second half and again just 36% from three point range. It was that third quarter that the Cards gave up 28 to the Eagles that had us all scratching our heads a little bit... another lowercase letter"d" is the verdict.


Final Fred Report: F-r-e-d


(THANKS TO JARED ANDERSON FOR THE GAME PHOTOS. HE REALLY GETS SOME GREAT SHOTS, DOESN'T HE?)





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MORE CARDINAL WOMENS ATHLETIC NEWS


The sporting world gave Jared enough to write about yesterday so we wanted to make sure to report some other news out of the Cardinal programs a couple days ago... some good and some sad.


SOFTBALL

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville athletic department is mourning the loss of former softball standout Melissa Jacobo who passed away on January 11, 2021.

"I am deeply saddened by the news of Melissa Jacobo's passing," said UofL head softball coach Holly Aprile. "While I did not coach her, I do know that she was an integral part of our program's history and helped lay the foundation for what we are today. She will always be part of the Cardinal Softball family and we send our deepest condolences to her family and friends."

Jacobo, who played for the Cardinals from 2000 through 2002, was a member of the program's inaugural team. The Whittier, California native made an immediate impact as Louisville's starting third baseman. In the first game of her collegiate career, Jacobo recorded UofL's first double and is still among the single-season leaders with 20 doubles in the 2001 campaign.

In 2002, Jacobo connected on Louisville's first grand slam in a 12-3 win against Drake. She consistently stood among the team's leaders in batting average, doubles, home runs, slugging percentage and walks throughout her career as she helped lead the Cardinals to 103 wins in the first three years of the program. In all, she started 170 games and posted a career batting average of .339 with 42 doubles, 14 home runs and 99 RBIs.

"When we were preparing for a team take the field for the first time in school history, we knew that we needed student-athletes who could help us to be immediately competitive and Melissa fit that bill perfectly," said former UofL softball head coach Sandy Pearsall who coached Jacobo during her collegiate career. "Her play at third base was always solid and she was one of the most consistent and powerful hitters that I have seen. She loved the game of softball and she loved Louisville. Beyond that, Melissa was a genuinely good and caring person with a big heart and a big smile. She will truly be missed by many."

Jacobo became the first Louisville player to earn National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-South Region first team honors in 2001. Additionally, she was a two-time All-Conference USA first-team selection, earning all-tournament honors in 2001 and was twice named the C-USA Hitter of the Week.


VOLLEYBALL





Louisville native Merideth Jewell has been promoted on the University of Louisville volleyball staff to volunteer coach.

"We are excited to promote our graduate manager Meredith Jewell," said Dani Busboom Kelly, UofL head coach. "She has done an outstanding job as a graduate manager and we are all looking forward to her being in a coaching role with fewer limitations. I truly believe she is one of the best up and coming coaches in the country and I can't wait to hear her voice and watch her interactions with our team in practice and matches."

Jewell has been acting as the graduate manager, handling the film duties for the Cardinals.

She played high school volleyball at Mercy and was named the Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year and earned Miss Kentucky Volleyball honors after winning 2014 Kentucky state championship and a 2014 club national championship.

After graduation, Jewell began her collegiate career at Morehead State where she was named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, and All-OVC honors, while ranking No. 17 in the nation in totally attacks. As a sophomore, she was First Team All-Ohio Valley Conference and ranked No. 41 in the nation in kills and No. 12 in total attacks.

After transferring to Kentucky, as a junior, she appeared in 27 matches as the Wildcats made the postseason, where she played in every NCAA match and earned All-SEC Academic honors. As a senior, she made three starts and was a part of Kentucky's undefeated run through the SEC regular season slate. She was named All-SEC Academic that year as well.

She graduated from UK in May of 2019 with a degree in Integrated Strategic Communication with a minor in Coaching. She earned a master's degree from the University of Louisville, graduating in 2020 with a masters in sports administration.


COMING UP





The Cards highly anticipated matchup with NC State for the top spot of the ACC has has been put on hold and Florida State will return from its pause to replace it at the Yum! Center on Sunday afternoon. Barring no drastic news between now and then, it'll be the first game back for the 'Noles.


Catch us on the podcast tomorrow morning to talk about it all, Cardnation.


-Daryl