Softball Takes Two, Indoor T&F Championships -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Get Runs When Needed; Beat Bradley and UMass

Game 1: UofL 10 - Bradley 8

Louisville's first two games in the Louisville Classic didn't go the way Coach Sandy Pearsall likely expected them to when she created the schedule for this season. In the end, the Cards came away with a pair of wins, but both took quite a bit more effort than one might think when looking at the opponents. It took consistent scoring as well as a late big inning to put away Bradley, and a heroic final half inning was necessary to get the game against UMass into extra innings.

Bradley got the first game started off strong, with the first batter of the game singling to get on base. After a foul out and a walk, another single brought the first run of the game in to score. Louisville got the run back in the bottom of the second on a Jamie Soles double, but Bradley lit up the scoreboard in the top of the third. Danielle Watson was chased after 2.2 innings having given up 6 runs. Although only three were earned, it was clear Watson didn't have her best against Bradley having already given up two walks, a wild pitch, and a hit by pitch in those first three innings. Bradley was also having no trouble seeing the ball from Watson as they piled up 6 hits.

Louisville cut the deficit to 6-3 in the bottom half when an error off the bat of Megan Hensley, who had also come in to replace Watson on the mound, scored two. An inning later, Caitlin Ferguson tied the game with a three run shot to left center. Both teams were scoreless in the fifth, as Hensley seemed to have calmed the storm from Bradley. However, in the top of the sixth, back to back home runs followed the first out of the inning and Bradley regained a two run lead. They threatened to increase it further when an error loaded the bases with only two out, but Hensley was able to coax a ground ball to third base to get out of the inning without allowing any more runs.

The Cards wasted no time in the bottom half. The first three batters reached going single, error, single to score a run. A strike out and a pop out followed and it looked like the Cards might only get one run out of it, before Soles singled in the tying run and Jenna Jordan swatted a two run double. Hensley came back out in the top of the seventh and iced the game, forcing a foul out and two strikeouts after allowing a leadoff single. Hensley finished allowing 7 hits in 4.1 innings, but only gave up the two home runs. She walked three but made up for it with six Ks. Despite the outstanding start to the season that Danielle Watson has had, Megan Hensley continues to be the same consistent thrower that she has been in the past, and it's great to be able to turn to a veteran pitcher with confidence. Louisville's offense was led by Caitlin Ferguson who scored on all three of her hits and swatted in 4 RBI and Sidney Melton who also parlayed three hits into three runs. Jamie Soles and Jenna Jordan both picked up 2 RBI apiece. 

Game 2: UofL 5 - UMass 4

Despite a rough outing against Bradley, Pearsall turned right back to Watson to start against UMass. Watson responded by pitching 8 full innings and picking up her 12th win of the season. Watson had a bit of trouble with location, walking 5 and giving up 7 hits, but she was able to strikeout 7 batters as well. Despite allowing all four runs earned, Pearsall had faith in her freshman, and left her in when things got tough in the sixth inning. In any sport, it is easy to question a coach's decision making when reading the box score. The outcome of the game has a major effect on your view of the decisions. Had Louisville been unable to come all the way back in this one, seeing Pearsall leave Watson in the game after walking two while only down one run might have been a head scratcher. However, there is nothing to say that Hensley wouldn't have also given up a three run homer had she inherited the situation. To Watson's credit, she finished the inning, and then fired back to back scoreless innings to allow Louisville to tie and win in consecutive innings. 

Louisville's bats were silent in this game until the bottom of the seventh inning. The Cards put together 7 singles over the first six innings but were unable to turn any into runs. As a pitcher, it can't exactly be the best feeling to be down one run and watch your teammates leave seven runners on base in the first five innings. It was all made up for, though, when the Cards entered their final chance at bat. Sidney Melton opened with a single and Nicole Pufahl added a double after a Ferguson flew out. Madison Cousineau walked to load the bases and a Megan Hensley single moved everyone one station. The Cards' first run was on the board and the bases were still loaded with one out. An error plated two more runs and a Kara Snyder single brought in the tying run. With runners on first and second and only one out, Alison 'Mike' Szydlowski struck out and Celene Funke popped out. New ball game.

In the eighth, with a runner placed on second, Danielle Watson calmly struck out the first two batters of the inning. The control issue came into play when she walked the next batter, with the fourth ball going wild. With runners on the corners and two outs, Watson fired another wild pitch, this one fielded and returned to the plate in time to tag out the runner from third. The Cards made short work of the bottom half. A productive groundout moved their free runner from second to third, and a single from Caitlin Ferguson won the game.

Neither game last night was the prettiest effort from the Cards. That said, they managed to come away with two victories and moved their record to 17-4 on the season. They'll have opportunities to improve on their showings last night as they'll rematch against UMass today at three, followed by the lone game against Eastern Michigan. They'll face Bradley again tomorrow at 12:30.

Softball photos courtesy of Jared Anderson.

Three Women Earn All-American Honors at Indoor T&F Championships

The Cards were led by a familiar name yesterday as Emmonnie Henderson posted her best finish at an NCAA Championship event in her final year. Henderson was named a First Team All-American when she finished second in the shot put. Teammates Holly Hankenson and Alexis Gibbons were both named to the Second Team All-American squad based on their performances yesterday as well. Hankenson finished 13th in the pentathlon event and Gibbons finished 15th in the long jump. Action continues at the championship today and is available on ESPN3.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

Paulie has returned from his trip to one of the Carolinas, and he returns to the studio today to share his experiences over the mic. No word yet on if he'll be bringing the ACC Championship trophy to Mellwood Avenue with him. Join us for the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour live at 11AM on WCHQ FM. The show is available over the radio, online at wchqfm.com, or on the WCHQ app. You can also catch a live stream of the show with video on the WCHQ 100.9 FM Facebook page.

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Tuesday Cardinal Couple

Mickey D's

As usual the readers here are on the ball, and this got mentioned in the comments yesterday, but it's worthy of a section here on its own.

Dana Evans and Loretta Kakala were selected to play in the McDonald's All-American game.  The game will be on March 29th at the United Center in Chicago.  This is, of course, one of the highest honors for high school ballers, and the two will join a cadre of other McDonald's All-Americans here at UofL.

Jeff Walz always shows support for the fan base in his post-game radio comments, so it's time to give a little back.  Evens and Kakala will be the 10th and 11th McD's All-Americans ever at UofL.  All of them came through the system under Jeff Walz.

Many of you follow basketball recruiting better than I do, but these two look exciting, with Evans a 5'6" guard (just barely fitting into the prerequisites for being an Attack Yorkie), that looks like she's going to be fun to watch.  Over 35 points, upwards of 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game in her senior season, have the makings for a fun offensive set.  Kakala is a 6'3" forward, fulfilling many CC commenters wish for some more height.

With Lindsey Duvall, who was nominated for the All-American team but wasn't selected, the incoming class will be the 4th ranked recruiting class in college basketball.  That makes six times since 2010 that UofL has had a top-10 class.

Track and Field

The indoor track and field folks had some success down in Lexington with a couple of wins and twelve top 5 finishes at the Kentucky Invitational.

Jumpers were the pinnacle for the Cards, with Damar Robinson reaching the height of the high jump competition, while Alexis Gibbons out-distanced the rest of the competition in the long jump.  Gibbons could have great things ahead of her for the Cards as this is her second straight long jump win, and she's just getting started here in her freshman year.

Cardinal Couple favorite Emmonnie Henderson claimed a 2nd place finish in shot put (no discus in indoor competition), and another name we're already heard a lot in track and field, Raven Grant, finished 3rd in the 60-yard dash.

Holly Hankenson finished 3rd in the 800-meter run, and the men's 4x400-meter; Carlos Coleman, Josh Hall, Teague Peck, and Eric Fox also claimed a 3rd place finish.

Swimming and Diving

A couple of pieces of pool news.  Also news about Andrea's.

In a solid win over Missouri, Senior Andrea Cottrell picked up five 1st place finishes which was enough for her to pick up the ACC Swimmer of the Week honor.  This is the 2nd time Cottrell has earned that honor.

In other Andrea news, Andrea Kneppers, Cardinal Alumna and representative of the Dutch National Swimming Team has decided to retire from competitive swimming.  Kneppers had a distinguished career for the Cardinals, perhaps overshadowed somewhat by Kelsi Worrell, but she contributed significantly to the advancement of the UofL swimming team.  We here at Cardinal Couple are certain that she'll do great things in whatever she pursues next.

-- JMcA

E DOMINANCE CONTINUES IN SHOT PUT IN ACC CHAMPIONSHIPS -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

HENDERSON RULES AGAIN IN SHOT PUT

If you were going to try and describe Emmonnie Henderson's success in track and field throwing events in horse racing terms...you might call her the American Pharoah of the shot put. Or the Secretariat of the discus. However you choose to describe her accomplishments in sending objects flying through the air...the term 'winner' needs to be included in the details. 

Henderson took the shot put competition at the ACC Championships yesterday in Tallahassee, FL on the FSU campus yesterday with a toss of 16.55 meters/54-3.75 feet. She was the only participant on the women's side to clear 16 meters...the closest competitor managing 15.92. To break that down by the meters vs feet comparison (1 meter = 3.28 feet) her toss was over two feet better that the next best throw. It is the second year in a row she has led the field. 

She was the only Cardinal women's track and field participant to win an event at the meet. She'll enter the circle again today to hurl the discus...which is probably the better of the two events she participates in skill-wise...in search of another first place. She also won that last year at the ACC Championships. 

The dream to participate in the Olympics in Rio lives on for the Edwardsville, IL. field specialist. She knows the competition to gain a spot on the squad will be tough. She practices and is mentored on the Cardinal squad by another very good thrower...staff member Jere Summers...who also dominated the tossing events during her time at UofL as a student-athlete. 

In horse racing terms (again) they make a great entry. 

We wish "E" the best of luck as she rotates through the final day of the ACC championships and heads to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She looks to go onward and the competition should be well-warned that she is coming, she will beat you and she will go further.

Further. It fits her resume well.

__________________________________________________


RADIO REBROADCAST

In case you missed the live broadcast of THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR yesterday on WCHQ 100.9 FM...there's no need to go screaming in the streets in despair. (Sure, you could...but that might draw a little unwanted attention.)

Instead...we recommend you listen to the SoundCloud rebroadcast at the link below:

LINK: https://soundcloud.com/chradio/cardinal-couple-20160514

WE tried to borrow coach's green tie for
the broadcast but couldn't find him (or the tie)

We had a fun-filled show with Jared Anderson live via phone from an amusement park, audio from Cortnee Daley, Brittany Sims, Megan Hensley, Sandy Pearsall, Olivia Cason and a review of UofL women's sports action from last week. 

Worldwide made his first studio appearance in four weeks, Monk flubbed up the audio again, we got several sirens and airplanes in our interviews and Punkin got a treat. 

Need more info? 

Well, off to the broadcast you should go! 

paulie
xxxxx

 

UVA blows by Cards late to win 75-59 -- Monday Cardinal Couple

28-10 run sinks UofL on Wahoo Senior Day

Louisville WBB got a dose of the medicine they've been serving ACC opponents this season...Virginia blowing by the Cards in the final eight minutes to put a 75-59 drubbing on Jeff Walz's crew on Senior Day in Charlottesville, VA Sunday afternoon.

The potentially bad thing for Louisville and the rest of the ACC is that the Wahoos (17-12, 7-9) graduate just one and have a nice recruiting class coming in for 2015-16. UK transfer Sara Beth Barnette the lone loss. We had originally thought Sarah Imovbioh was leaving (and wouldn't mind seeing that 22 point, 17 rebound performance from today disappear) but she'll be a redshirt senior next year. 

Louisville led early in this one. Mariya Moore nailing an opening three a minute into the contest and Jude Schimmel's trifecta had the Cards up 8-7 five minutes in.


The homestanding Cavs went on a 6-0 run to regain the lead over a three minute stretch but the Cards did return the favor with their own 6-0 run...capped by a Dyer putback to lead 14-13 at the 9:27 mark. The teams battled evenly as the half wore down...Virginia leading 32-31 at the break. 

The Cards were having trouble containing UVA stars Faith Randolph and Imovbioh from scoring and Imovbioh owned the boards, especially on the defensive end.

Louisville saw Virginia go on a 11-3 run over the first five minutes of the final half but the Cards mustered one last rally over the next seven minutes...getting strong interior play from Emmonnie Henderson, Sara Hammond and Shawnta' Dyer.

Unfortunately, the Cards became the gang that couldn't shoot straight over the final 1/5th of the game...Louisville battling back to lead 49-47 at the 8:06 mark after a Shawnta' Dyer jumper...after being down by 43-34 with 15:56 in the half.

It got ugly for the Cards after that. UVA shot 53% in the second half and made 20-25 free throws to pull away. The Cards starters (Sherrone, Jude, Dyer, Sara and Myisha) ended up with only 31 of UofL's 59 total points. The offensive uncertainly was glaring at times.

Henderson led Louisville with 13 points in 13 minutes. In typical "E" fashion, though...she committed five fouls in that space of time and watched from the bench as UVA pulled away. Dyer joined her in double figures with 12. the Cards shot 33% (25% in the second half) and were outrebounded 39-28. 

In the final eight of the game, the Cards defense seemed a step slow and almost resigned to the defeat and Virginia scored time after time and grabbed the Cards missed shots. It got hard to watch, honestly. A memory one would like to forget as the regular season ends.


On an afternoon where Louisville hope to gain momentum going into the ACC Tournament on Friday, it was Virginia who climbed on the back of Uncle Mo and rode him to the wire to secure a #9 seed in the ACC Tournament and avoid a necessity to play on Wednesday. 

Louisville will have plenty of time to review and improve on this one....they'll play the final game Friday night against whoever emerges from the first and second round battles in their half of the bracket into the quarterfinals. 

Imovbioh is now what we all believe Henderson could eventually be. Randolph is a top five guard in the ACC, maybe top 10 in the nation. Yesterday, they combined to pull off their biggest win of the season...and give Louisville something to ponder as they head to Greensboro.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Softball stings Yellow Jackets series finale

Louisville softball finished their stay in Atlanta with a sweep of the Yellow Jackets Sunday afternoon. The Cards got the bats unpacked for this one, winning 15-2 in six innings.

Madi Norman (3-4) got the win for the Cards, allowing the two runs on just two hits in 3.2 innings...Maryssa Becker finishing up with 2.1 inning of shutout ball and just one hit.

The Cards loaded the bags in the first but got just one run across. They atoned for that with four in the second, Hailey Smith with a two RBI single and Becker delivering the same. 

Brittany Sims had a solo home run in the third to make it 6-1 UofL. It was her second round-tripper of the season. 

The Cards tacked on two more in the fifth when Sydney Benz drove home Becker and Nicole Puhafl to make it 8-2 .

They saved the fireworks for the end...the top of the sixth produced seven UofL runs...Becker blasting a three run homer with Kayla Soles and Smith on board and Whitney Arion sending one out that brought home Benz and Puhafl.

Louisville will open up play at home with the Louisville Classic March 6-8. Illinois State, Ball State, Massachusetts and Northwestern come to town.

paulie
xxxxx  

Cards "weather" VA Tech 69-49 -- Friday Cardinal Couple

10-0 second half run boosts Cards over VT

Despite a slow start in Blacksburg, Louisville used a 9-0 first half run and 10-0 second half run to pull away from a determined Virginia Tech squad Thursday night in Cassell Coliseum. 

On Senior Night...in sub-zero weather...the Hokies heated up the gym early and led Louisville 7-3 four minutes into the contest. Louisville had four turnovers and a lone score on a Mariya Moore three.

Jeff Walz went to the bench and inserted Arica Carter, Shawnta' Dyer and Emmonnie Henderson to jump start the sluggish visitors and the Cards responded with a 9-0 run over the next three minutes to lead 12-7 after Henderson scored inside, Moore knocked down another three and Bria Smith added a jumper. 

The Hokies weren't ready to concede the first half just yet and cut the margin to 14-12 with 11:20 remaining. The Cards responded after the media timeout, though...steadily growing the lead back and going up 23-15 after a Carter free throw at the 5:25 mark. 

The defense was solid for Louisville...finally figuring out the VT zone...but the offense wasn't playing up to par. 

Two shot clock beaters...one off a Mariya Moore three with 1:13 to go in the half and a Smith jumper with 16 seconds to play boosted the Cards lead to 34-23 at the halftime break.

Louisville shot 50% for the first twenty and had forced 12 Va. Tech turnovers while committing eight first half miscues. Moore had nine points to lead UofL on three threes and Walz got strong minutes from Smith and Shawnta' Dyer ( 8 points each) off the bench.

The second half produced another sluggish Cardinal start.

Virginia Tech whittled the Cards lead to 36-31 two minutes in after a Conyers 3 and it was 38-33 with 17:00 to go. 

Shawnta' Dyer went to work for Louisville, scoring five points in a 10-0 run over the next three minutes to give the Cards a 48-33 edge after her jumper at the 13:35 mark.

The Hokies would get no closer the rest of the way.

Louisville led 62-41 after Myisha Hines-Allen canned two free throws with five minutes left. Hammond and Henderson went to work after that...scoring the Cards final seven points for the 69-49 win. 

A good win that saw the Cards play well at times and struggle in a few spots. Louisville placed three in double figures with Dyer's 15 leading the way. Moore ended up with (4) threes and two free throws for 14 points. Smith added 12 in 27 minutes of play. 

Henderson turned in one of her best performances of the season with nine points and strong board play at both ends of the court. Hammond finished with eight, Hines-Allen six, Carter three and Jude two. Walz played them all...Vails started but went scoreless and Freeman saw late action with no points. 

The Cards are the best defensive team in the ACC...in terms of opponent's point production...as they proved again tonight. 10-15 second half free throw shooting solidified the fact that Louisville is the worst free throw shooting team in the conference. Strong inside offensively, not much a threat from beyond the arc. 

Strengths and weaknesses...but a stellar 23-3 overall and 11-2 record in the ACC. 

Smith appears to be getting a little further out of the "self imposed" doghouse she's in...Walz mentioning she's been getting in extra shooting practice and finally understands "how to work hard after four years". We hope it continues...the off-the-bench role has worked two games in a row now.

Henderson keeps getting stronger in offensive recognition and performance but is still a defensive liability. It prevents her getting more minutes...since Walz is hesitant playing her and Hines-Allen together because of lack of defense when the two are on the court at the same time. 

A 20-point win on the road on the opponent's senior night isn't anything to gripe about too much. Solid off-the-bench bench performances from Smith, "E" and Dyer is very encouraging. 

We'll see if it can be maintained in the Cards next outing...a 'Big Monday' test at Notre Dame.

SIDEBARS

-- Did anyone else besides me notice that VT coach Dennis Wolff looks like "Mike" from the TV shows 'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul'?

I was wondering I'd see Walt and Jessie in the stands eating Los Pollos Hermanos chicken...

-- What's up with that annoying bell that kept going off during the ESPN 3 broadcast? Was it someone's phone? Or was someone ringing a cowbell next to the announcers?

-- Walz's postgame with ESPN3 color analyst Mack McCarthy got scrapped after 15 seconds because of no audio. If you're going to interview, make sure the microphone is on...


-- Louisville is assured one of the "double bye" or top four spots in the upcoming ACC Tournament with NC State's win over Miami Thursday night. 

-- ESPN3 play-by-play announcer Danny Nokes has a whiney voice...especially when the Cards messed up or the Hokies made a big shot. It got annoying. If the delay hadn't been so bad between TV & radio, I would've bailed on ESPN3 audio. Maybe I'm spoiled by the smooth call of Matt Andrews and A.J. game after game. This "Hokie homer" mirrors the team he covers...


  

paulie
xxx 

Wednesday Cardinal Couple -- Cardinals win in Florida

WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


Louisville Women’s Basketball made another trip to sunny Florida escaping a cold, wet, and icy ,wintry day.  The team travelling to UCF to close out the home and away, trying to sweep the Knights in their lone year in the American. 

The starting five for the Cardinals were Tia Gibbs, Shoni Schimmel, Sara Hammond, Antonita Slaughter and Asia Taylor.    Bria Smith did not play due to knee pain.  The Cardinals did not need Smith, thus letting her rest the knee for the Sunday game against Uconn (presumably).  

 

At times the team was moving the ball well and pounding the ball inside with Sara Hammond and Asia Taylor and Emmonnie Henderson, growing more confident with every game.  The Cards then went in to slumber mode, seemingly checking out for extended periods during the half. 

Emmonnie Henderson came off the bench with some immediate defensive prowess creating a steal and hit two beautiful shots impacting the game immediately offensively.   Henderson had a great half of play providing a solid performance.   Henderson was leading scorer for the Cards in the first half with 10 points and 2 rebounds for the freshman in 8 minutes of play.  I continue to be more and more impressed with “ E”. 

Megan Deines also came off the bench and made an immediate impact as well.  Strong defense, pulling down rebounds, and back-to-back “and one’s” kept Deines in the game as Shoni Schimmel hit the bench with early fouls.  Deines had an impressive stat line with 5 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in 11 minutes.   This is a very strong performance from Deines, and welcomed with Smith watching this one from the sidelines. 

The halftime stats have the Cardinals outrebounded by the Knights by two.

The Cardinals had 11 assists on 18 field goals.  Overall it was a good half of play with good ball movement, and a very strong performance by the post players.  The Cards lead at that half, 44-33. 

The second half opened with the same five.   The Cardinals started strong with a strong defensive effort creating several turnovers and going on a 7-2 run to lift the Cards to the greatest lead at 16 with 14 minutes to go in the game.  With 13+ minutes left in the game Shoni hit a three, scoring in double digits for the 22^nd consecutive game, her best streak ever.  The BOOM appeared to be in full effect. 

Then, the air went out of the Cardinals sail, and the mental lapse was in full effect.

The outcome of this game was never in question.  However, they made it harder that it had to be.  The Cardinals win it 74-59.   It is hard to nitpick against a team that is 23-1, winning its 16^th in a row, setting a school record.  However, with UConn looming on the horizon, the tournament a short distance in the future, there is certainly room to grow. 

The biggest take away from the second half, for me, was the lack of a killer instinct to put the game away.  Coach Walz has been talking about it all season, and it was evident again tonight.   The Cards started the second half strong, up by as much as 20 points, the team takes their foot off the gas pedal and let the Knights claw back in to the game. 

Missed layups, unnecessary fouling that put the Knights at the line time after time, silly turnovers.  Mental lapses?  Over confidence?  I am not sure, and I know Coach Walz is trying to understand it.   The Cardinals have been their own worst enemies late in games when up by double digits.

The long stretches of mental lapses and not putting the game away when having the opportunity has not hurt the Cardinals, yet.  That is about to change with the upcoming meetings against Connecticut and the rematch with Rutgers at the YUM Center later this month.    With stiffer competition, and every team playing to live another day in March, play like this could knock the team out of the tourney early. 

Up next for the Cardinals is Connecticut on Sunday.  Lapses against Uconn, like the one’s thus far this season, will have the Cardinals coming home with a very, very lopsided loss.  I know this team is talented, and is able to compete.  We will learn on Sunday just how tough this team is, and just how much more work is to do before March hits. 

jenny o’bryan

Wednesday Cardinal Couple -- Cardinals dominate in Muncie 105-67

WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- Louisville rolls by Ball State by 38


The #7 Louisville Cardinals had another dominant performance Tuesday night that was highlighted by great passing and a tough defensive effort.  The Cards ran away with this one early, and finished with the win against Ball State 105-67.  This brings the Cardinals to a 11-1 record on the season. 

Listening to the game on the radio with Matt Andrews and Adrienne Johnson with the call, they were in agreement the first half was the best 20 minutes of play of the season.  Sara Hammond hit the court on fire and had 11 of the first 17 points for the Cardinals, in the first 5 minutes of the game. 

Jude Schimmel found her offense, and seemed to regain her confidence scoring early, and often.  Aside from the points she put up, she was passing the ball beautifully, notching assists and had several steals and deflections in the first 20 minutes.      

In the first half, all the Cards played, and they all scored.  The half ended with a bit of a scare with Asia Taylor going down.  Taylor was able to walk off the court on her own, apparently taking a tough shot (perhaps an elbow) to the stomach. 
 

The Cards went in to halftime with a 60-29 lead, a season high in first half scoring.   Hammond led all scorers with 11 points.  The Cardinals had 16 assists on 25 field goals, 20 rebounds, 1 block and 8 steals in the half. 

The Louisville squad served up a dominant half with precise passing, unselfish play and taking care of the ball.   The focus of the second half was to keep up the dominant performance playing a full 40 minutes of play going full throttle. 

The second half opened much slower for the Louisville Cards.  It took a few minutes in to the second half for the team to get going.  The Ball State team seemed to make some adjustments at the half.  Not too long though, and the Cardinals were back making big plays. 

The second half saw a lot of time for Deines, Niamke, Henderson, Walton and Jude.  It was highlighted by too many hand checks by the Louisville Cardinals.   While this contest was never in doubt, I would have liked to see a cleaner performance by the “second half” team.  That being said, the Cards won handily.  28 assists tonight!

Jude Schimmel was named the player of the game with 14 points and 4 assists.  She had a great game and it was good to see her get out of her offensive slump.  

The Cardinals hit the century mark for the fourth time this season, a program record.  Additionally, twice this season they have had back-to-back 100-point games, another first for the program.  

Shoni led the way in scoring with 17. Tia Gibbs added 15, Jude produced 14 and Sara Hammond rounded out the double figure scorers for UofL with 13. 

The outcome of this game was never in doubt.  This was a very good game against an outclassed Ball State team.  The first real test for the Cardinals, without Antonita Slaughter, happens at home on Saturday against a very good Colorado team.   This top 11 match up will be a good measuring stick the rest of the way for the Cardinals.  This was a loss last season for Louisville on the road, again with a key player out of that game, with Hammond not making the trip. 

How will our Cardinals respond against stiffer competition?  Get to the YUM on Saturday for a 1 PM tip to find out.   Get there early with the kids to help Louie celebrate his birthday.  It should be a good, competitive game.  We will see you there! 

-jennyobryan