Wrapping US Swimming Championships...The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

MAKING WAVES

The US Championships swimming event in Indianapolis has wrapped up, and two Cardinals will be representing the US at the World Championships in Budapest thanks to their performances.

Former Card Kelsi Worrell will be participating in the 4x100 Freestyle Relay, as well as her signature events, the 50 Butterfly, and the 100 Fly.  Rising Junior Mallory Comerford will be swimming in her signature event, the 100 Free, as well as the 4x200 Free Relay.

Overall in the event, UofL had a number of former and current swimmers participating.  While we here at Cardinal Couple make frequent mention of Comerford and Worrell, because they fall in our focus of UofL women's athletics, and they're just dominating the sport for UofL currently, we should give a tip of the hat to the other athletes participating.

The other athletes participating were Rachel Bradford Feldman (200 Breast, 400 IM, 200 IM), Avery Braunecker (50 Free), Casey Franz (100 Back, 50 Back, 100 Free, 50 Free), Gracie Long (200 IM, 50 Free), Hannah Magnusson (50 Fly, 100 Fly), Grace Oglesby (50 Fly, 100 Fly, 200 Fly, 200 IM), Sofie Underdahl (50 Back, 100 Back, 200 Back), Lainey Visscher (50 Fly, 50 Back, 50 Free, 100 Free), Andrea Cottrell (50 Breast, 100 Breast, 200 Breast).

On the men's side, Keegan Foulke (200 Breast, 400 IM), Zach "Batman" Harting (200 Fly, 200 Free,
50 Fly, 100 Fly), Jarrett Jones (200 Fly, 400 IM), Todd Owen (200 Breast), Sam Steele (200 Free), Jonathan Zoucha (200 Breast, 200 IM), Nick Albiera - son of Head Coach Arthur Albiero, who decided to just try every event (200 Fly, 100 Free, 200 Back, 50 Fly, 100 Fly, 50 Back, 100 Back, 200 IM), and Trevor Carroll (50 Free, 100 Free, 200 Free).

The World Championships will be held in Budapest, Hungary, from July 14th through 30th, starting just two weeks from now.

We, of course, will be sure to let you know how Kelsi and Mallory do in their events when they happen.

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THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR

THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR yesterday. Joining Paulie, Worldwide and Julie the Bird Lady in studio was sportscaster Daryl Foust and we had an interview with Sara Hammond.
We had what we think was an excellent show on

Daryl epitomizes the word "busy". She call UofL sporting events on the ACC Network Extra, does video at Louisville Bats games, writes for The Crunch Zone, co-hosts Kentucky Women Talk Sports and even finds time to umpire softball. She had a rapt and fascinated studio hanging on every word yesterday as she filled us in on what she does.

Sara is adjusting to life in Jackson, TN quite well as the assistant women's basketball coach at Union
University. She filled us in on how that job came about, her duties and days, her thoughts on her team and the 2017-18 UofL WBB squad and even a great place to eat in Jackson! She's all about the" hard work" as well and gave us great insight into where she's at in her life these days.

Thanks to both for coming on board with us. It was one of those days where we wished we had a 2 hour show instead of 60 minutes. If you missed the broadcast, you can catch the replay at the link below:

LINK: THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR 7/1/17



-- JMcA

Fly Free Louisville Swimmers, Hoops and Radio -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Splish Splash

Nothing seems to be holding down UofL swimmers Kelsi Worrell, and Mallory Comerford, letting them fly free at the US National Championships in Indianapolis.

The event, featuring 7 UofL current and former swimmers is being held at the IU Natatorium on the campus of IUPUI.  The event also serves as a trial event for the World Championships which will be held in Budapest, Hungary.

Comerford won the 100m Freestyle event Tuesday evening with an American Record 52.81 seconds, the first time an American has finished in under 53 seconds.  She beat out Olympian Simone Manuel by about a quarter of a second.  Worrell touched 4th at 53.99.

Comerford also got a 4th place finish 200m Freestyle event Wednesday night.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, in addition to the 4th place finish for Worrell in the 100m Free, she absolutely blitzed the field in the 50m Butterfly, which is her signature event, beating the rest of the field by a half a second, touching in 25.69, which is only about a fifth of a second off of the American Record held by swimming great Dana Torres.

Last night, Worrell did it again, with the 100m Fly with a time of 57.38.  In this one, Comerford, not particularly known for her Butterfly stroke, finished 3rd with 57.97.

The overall event continues through tomorrow.

Same Song, 7th Verse

Brendan McKay, the phenom 2-way player, picked up the last, and arguably most prestigious, of the
seven major player of the year awards in Baseball.  Let me clarify that, he won all of the previously announced six as well.

The Golden Spikes award was announced last night on ESPN's SportsCenter.

To many, this seemed almost like a foregone conclusion, but it wraps up the major awards in a sweep for McKay.

McKay was drafted 4th in the MLB draft by the Tampa Bay Rays and signed with a record setting 7 million dollar deal.


Your Favorite UofL WBB player

We started a poll a few days ago on who your favorite UofL WBB player is/was
during the Jeff Walz era. The response has been good so far and your current leader
is Asia Durr....with 15% of the vote. Agree? Got another? We have 15 choices and even
a "other" choice in case we don't have yours mentioned.

You can vote on the poll on "The Right Hand Side Of The Site."  Let us know.

We'll discuss it and many more things on our weekly radio show tomorrow at 11 a.m.
on THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR . Very special guests Daryl Foust and Julie
"The Bird Lady" Sullivan join Paulie and me in studio...plus Paulie's chat with Sara Hammond.

Don't miss this one! 

-- JMcA

Sara Hammond hired as assistant at Union U. -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

HAMMOND JOINS BULLDOGS STAFF

Add yet another branch to the Jeff Walz coaching tree.

Sara Hammond, who played for the Cards from 2011-15 has accepted the assistant coaching job at Union University...a Jackson, TN. school that participates in NCAA DII and Gulf South Athletics. 

Hammond, who was 13th. on the all time scoring list going into the 2016-17 season with 1249 points and the Cards leading rebounder in the 2012-13 and 2014-15 seasons, had been playing overseas in Germany with the SV Halle Lions. One of her teammates was 2016 UK graduate Janee Thompson. 

Hammond joins a squad that went 17-12 in 2016-17 and graduates five seniors. The head coach of the Bulldogs is Mark Campbell...who just finished his 18th. season at the school as skipper. 

In Sara's time at Louisville, she was known as a hard worker who controlled the paint for the Cards and was a part of the 2013 squad that defeated Baylor and went to the National Championship game. Those hard-working skills will translate over well into the coaching profession, along with Sara's vast knowledge of the game. 

Brooksie's...best barbecue and buffet in Jackson, TN

Union University is a four year, liberal arts, evangelical christian-based private university that suffered extensive damage when a tornado rolled through in 2008. It is also close to one of Paulie's favorite places to dine in Tennessee...Brooksie's Barn....off Oil Well Road outside of Jackson. 

Brooksie's was a "must stop" back in the days of driving to Memphis to watch the Cards play football and hoops against the Tigers. If you like ribs, barbecue and buffet-style dining...this is the place to go in Jackson. 

We wish Sara the best of luck with the Bulldogs...as she goes into the coaching career field. We think she'll be a great one! 


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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 

Saturday's THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR  featured Julie "The Bird Lady" Sullivan....top UofL WBB fan and was a great time down in the basement on a hill. Here the replay here:  LINK: THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR 4.8.17

We also invite you to give a listen to HANDICAPPING HEROES  as well on Crescent Hill Radio. This informative, horse-racing handicapping show features Paulie as the hosts for handicapping experts Archie Karel and Scott Harris. The guys do a great analysis of the runners and Paulie chips in with his picks as well...which you should probably ignore...

With Derby approaching, the guys are breaking down the possibilities for the first Saturday in May.  The website is HANDICAPPING HEROES and the latest show can be heard at: HANDICAPPING HEROES 4.8.17


paulie
xxxxx

No WBB Cards drafted for WNBA -- Lacrosse Falls to Syracuse--More on Jude...Friday Cardinal Couple

WNB(not)...Sara, Bria, Jude go undrafted

The hopes were good while they lasted...with (3) Louisville WBB players being mentioned at some sites as third round potential picks...but none of the 2014-15 seniors on the team heard their names called in the three rounds of the WNBA Draft Thursday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena. 

As expected, Jewell Loyd, Amanda Zahui B and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis were the top three picks, but as the third round wore on during the ESPN3 coverage...it started to become clear that the Cards had the possibility of being shut out this year. 


When Arizona State guard Promise Amukamora (a candidate for Worldwide's all-name team) was named as the Phoenix Mercury's third round pick...all 36 slots had been filled and there was no Asia Taylor nor Antonita Slaughter pleasant surprises like in 2014. 

It happens. Sara, Bria and Jude are all considering the possibility of playing overseas and we hope they get the shot. 

For now...though...there will be only Angel, Asia and Shoni to follow in the WNBA. 

Who would have figured Dayton would end up with two picks (Ally Malott and Andrea Hoover) and foes that the Cards handled whenever they played them (Sam Logic, Reshawnda Gray and Brittany Boyd) would get selected and no Cards got picked? 


It is what it is. The 2018 and 2019 WNBA Draft could be chalk full of Cards getting their names announced. 

Speaking of announcing, the coverage really dropped off after it switched from ESPN 2 to ESPN 3. Yes, the Lauren Hill tribute was great and a tear-jerker...but did we really need to see players try to say "Peter Piper picked a piece of Carolyn Peck" or Rebecca Lobo discuss shot blocking with Kiah Stokes when picks were being announced? 

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LACROSSE TAKES ANOTHER LOSS

Louisville Lacrosse ended the home slate of the 2015 season with a 16-8 loss to Syracuse Thursday afternoon at the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium. 

A game that seemed to follow a common thread consistant with the LAX Cards of late:

-Cards stay close early
-Opponent goes on big run
-Louisville loses by almost double digits

It was 4-4 midway in the first session when the Orange went to work...scoring 10 of the next 11 goals to lead 14-5 halfway through the second half.

There is no doubt the LAX Cards miss Faye Brust. But...the defense seems to have slipped a notch as well. It is the best competition in college Lacrosse, of course...but the un-checked runs and romps by Virginia, North Carolina and now Syracuse aren't pretty to watch unless you're wearing Carolina Blue or Syracuse Orange. The team seems to have slipped a few notches since nearly knocking off #3 Boston College over a month ago.

Cortnee Daley scored thrice for the Cards and Hannah Koloski and Kelli Gerding twice.

The Cards end the conference and regular season at Notre Dame Sunday. The Cards are 9-6 overall and 1-5 in ACC play. The Irish are 9-6 as well...3-3 in conference and own a victory over Syracuse in overtime.

The Cards have lost three out of their last four. Despite the recent tailspin...one has to go back to the talent level that exists in the ACC and how good it is. In a few aspects, this current UofL Lacrosse team is as good as the undefeated AAC squad from last year but the competition curve has gone way up. Losing Brust was a mortal wound to the team. She was the leading scorer and a team captain. Her swagger is missed.

Maybe that coaches' pre-season poll that picked Louisville to finish seventh wasn't so far off after all...

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JUDE SCHIMMEL HAS BEEN CHANGED BY CHANGE

(we continue the lead up to the Louisville stop for the Jude Schimmel book singing on Sunday with this unique look into "22"):

 “I want to positively impact other Native

 Americans so that they can live the 
life they want to achieve and fulfill the

 dreams that they have,” said Schimmel. 
“I went through and witnessed similar

 struggles that many Native Americans go 
through and want to share that with others.

 I want my story to show that there 
can be great success found both on the

reservation and off the reservation.” 
 
 “Dreamcatcher” shares Schimmel’s story of growing up on a reservation, and 
what it took to succeed in the “real world” outside of reservation life. Jude 
shares many of the lessons her parents instilled in her, as well as many she 
learned along the way. She presents these in a unique way, using some of her 
favorite inspirational quotes and personal stories. She also makes it a priority 
to help everyone gain a better understanding of Native Americans, and the 
oppression that still exists amongst these special people today. 

 
 


Jude Schimmel is expected to continue

 her basketball career in the 
professional ranks this summer and 

is projected to be drafted in the upcoming 
WNBA Draft in mid-April. Jude Schimmel

 is the younger sister of Shoni Schimmel - 
the eighth overall pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft by the Atlanta Dream and the 
first rookie to ever be the MVP of the

 WNBA All-Star game. The 2015 season will 
be her second in the league. 
 
 The Mission, Ore., native was a member of Louisville’s winningest class in 
program history, posting 112 career victories, including four 20-win seasons and 
one 30-win campaign (33-5 in 2013-14). Schimmel reached four NCAA Tournaments, 
including an appearance in the Final Four (2012-13), Elite Eight (2013-14), and 
NCAA Sweet 16 (2014-15). The previous school record of 107 career wins was held 
by her sister, Shoni Schimmel’s graduating class. 

 Having been embraced by the Louisville, Ky.,

 community while playing for the 
Louisville Cardinals and an instant draw to

 Native American fans throughout the 
country, Schimmel has used her platform as

 a collegiate student-athlete to share 
her story of drive and determination. 

 She finished her career at Louisville ranked in the top 10 in program history 
in career assists while piling up over 700

 career points in 135 games, including 
15 in the NCAA Tournament. 

 Alongside her sister, the duo may be best known on the court for a historic 
run to the NCAA Championship game in 2013 that included a shocking 82-81 upset 
of top-ranked Baylor and Brittney Griner in the Sweet 16 and win over 
traditional power Tennessee in the Elite 8. 

 


Recently named a Nike N7 Ambassador, Schimmel visited the 

White House in early April as she continues to work towards sharing the struggles of the Native American community and find ways to improve opportunity for Native American youth in the 566 federally recognized tribes in 35 states nationwide in such areas as education and

 healthcare. Overall, there are over 2.1 million Native 
Americans under the age of 24 in the nation, with over 32 percent

 under the age of 18 living in poverty and nearly 30 percent lacking

health insurance coverage. 

Suicide, the second leading cause of death for Native Americans

 aged 15 to 24 is 2.5 times more likely among these individuals 

than the national average. 

Educational opportunities are also a struggle for the Native American community 
with just 50 percent graduating from high school and 13.3% earning an 
undergraduate degree. 

 Jude will also be starting a foundation with part of the proceeds going 
towards supporting Native American causes.

paulie
xxxxx

The dynasty of dance...Sara, Bria and Jude...No radio today...--Saturday CARDINAL COUPLE

UOFL LADYBIRDS DANCE TEAM, CHEER SQUAD TAKE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

As my esteemed (or steamed) colleague Worldwide pointed out to me recently, when dynasties in sports are mentioned...we should always take a look at what the UofL Dance Squad aka "The LadyBirds" have done.

They just won their 13th title in college dance team competition at Daytona Beach. 

Thirteen. That's more than Geno, UK, or Phil Jackson. 

Under the direction of Todd Sharp and Sheryl Knight, the squad is the epitome of title holders. Performing at UofL Athletic events...yes, we all watch spellbound when the LadyBirds take the floor or field. They are involved in a myriad of other activities as well. Visits to hospitals, holiday shopping trips with underprivileged childrens and many other civic and social functions in our community. 

Dazzling in dance, dedicated to community development and distributing high marks in the academic world...they practice as hard and dedicate themselves to the Louisville experience just as fully as a Sara Hammond, Katie George or Kaylin Morissette. 


"L's up" for the Ladybirds and also the UofL All-Girl Cheer Squad...who also took first place in Daytona Beach.

Check the LadyBirds out at the link below:



LADYBIRDS PERFORM IN KFC YUM! CENTER  

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SARA, BRIA, JUDE GETTING WNBA MENTION

DraftSite.com is a site that tracks and prognosticates on who will be names called at the WNBA Draft on April 16th in the Mohegan Sun Arena. They update the site almost every day, from what I understand. Thanks to a reader comment the other day, we know now that Sara Hammond, Jude Schimmel and Bria Smith are getting some attention and looks as potential WNBA players. 

Draftsite has Sara Hammond projected as the first pick in the third round and headed to Tulsa. Pick 32 in the third round is Bria Smith by Washington. The last pick (#36) is Jude Schimmel and Phoenix the destination. 

Very impressive for three Cards again this year to be getting mention after three last year were drafted. Asia Taylor was the last pick last year by the Minnesota Lynx and made the team. 

Other projections of interest:

-WKU's Chastity Gooch is #34 and projected to Atlanta.

-Ally Malott (the Dayton Destroyer) is #7 and LA is the guess

-Reshanda Gray and Brittany Boyd, the two Cal players that could never beat the Cards, are in the top 12.

-The top three projections? Jewell Loyd, Amanda Zahui B and Kaleena Mosqueda Lewis.

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HEY, MA...IS THE RADIO BROKE? 


There will be no CARDINAL COUPLE HOUR broadcast on WCHQ 100.9 FM or on the internet today.

Crescent Hill Radio is broadcasting the Mighty Kindness Festival live from the Waterfront so we got bumped. 

Play us or trade us.

(just kidding...we are happy to be associated with CHR. Paulie and Sonja may even wander down there today and check out the all-day music fest by the Ohio River)

paulie
xxxxx

NO FOOLIN'... IT'S APRIL -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDINAL COUPLE PARODY

It has become a tradition here at CARDINAL COUPLE to present an April Fool's Parody column each year. Some years, we have gotten a bit of flack over this because readers did not read this disclaimer we have posted below:


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>The first article in today's column IS A  PARODY. The articles below the parody are not parodies. We hope you'll bear with our sophomoric humor on April Fools' Day for a few paragraphs<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

CARDS LEAVING ACC FOR BIG 12

In a surprising move, the University of Louisville announced late last night that they will be leaving the ACC after one year of membership and joining the BIG 12 Conference. Since most of the UofL Athletic staff is at a post-basketball season luau and monster-truck fest on Sanibel Island to celebrate spring break...unauthorized spokesman Timmy the Intern released the following statement he swears he got from an influential University official: 

" The University of Louisville is pleased to announced that they will become one of two new members of the BIG 12 Conference. This move will take place August 1st, so that we can get our football schedule changed in time and Petrino won't throw a diva tantrum. We will be bringing cross-town institute of higher knowledge Bellarmine University with us...so we'll have at least one away game that isn't 1000 miles away. 

I have spent long hours wondering...actually lost sleep over the fact that the BIG 12 has only 10 members. The math didn't work out for me...so I called Muggsey over at BU on the hill and said..."Hey, let's do something crazy, let's join the BIG 12!"



We met over at Shenanigan's, hoisted a few and it was a done deal. BU is going to have to get a football team together pretty quickly, but that's small potatoes...we're BIG 12 now, baby!

I kind of like this "difference conference each year" scenario. I get new shirts with different logos. I called my buddy Charlie in Austin to break the good news and he darn near choked on a beef barbeque rib. Yeah, we're gonna have to switch a few sports around...we'll be dumping lacrosse, field hockey and rowing...but we'll be adding riding, roping and shooting! It's the cowboy way.

Most of the coaches I've told this to have asked me if I have gone @@#$%&*! crazy. I thought Pitino was gonna throw me off that second floor balcony he has over there at his palace. Walz is fine with it. He sheds Notre Dame and Florida State..who he can't beat anyway...and adds his old pals Kim Mulkey and Sheri Coale into the mix. Walz doesn't care who he plays anyway...as long as they don't wear blue and have a snarlin' Wildcat on their jersey. 

BIG 12, here we come. Saddle up, buckaroos! "

( THIS ARTICLE ABOVE IS A APRIL FOOL'S PARODY. NEITHER LOUISVILLE NOR BELLARMINE ARE JOINING THE BIG 12.  THE REGULAR CARDINAL COUPLE COLUMN IS BELOW) 

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CARDS DOWN AMERICAN 20-6 IN LACROSSE

Louisville got a season high six goals from Cortnee Daley and scored the first seven goals in a rout of American University yesterday in Washington D.C. 20-6.

The Cards got the party started early in typical quick-scoring fashion when Daley got an assist and fed Faye Brust for a score just 30 seconds into the contest. The Cards scored six more times over the next 12 minutes and took a 14-3 lead into the locker room at halftime. 

The Cards also scored the first two goals of the final half and won going away...freshman Jillian Balog tallied her first two scores of the season in the final 90 seconds of play. 

Things get a bit tougher for the LAX girls next. #2 UNC comes to the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium for a 1 p.m. Saturday draw. 

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SOFTBALL FACES UK TONIGHT

The #13 UK Wildcats come to Ulmer Stadium tonight for a 6 p.m. game against the Cardinal Softball squad. 

UK comes in after knocking off previous #1 LSU twice in a three game weekend matchup. The Cards are riding a six game winning streak.

Free "Red Out" T-Shirts to the first 250 fans and Louisville softball trading Cards will be given out also.

(I'll trade my Kayla Soles and toss in Jordan McNary for your Maryssa Becker...)

Louisville leads the overall series 18-16, but UK has won the last three meetings. 

Admission is $5 for this one...but the outfield berm is free as usual. It's supposed to be a beautiful spring evening, join us at the ol' ballpark and cheer on Pearsall's Pulverizers! 

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MOORE HONORED WITH AP ALL-AMERICAN HONORABLE MENTION

Freshman Mariya Moore has picked up another basketball platitude...being selected to the Associated Press All-American selections as an honorable mention. She is one of only five true freshmen to receive this recognition this year. 

Moore was previously named to the Blue Ribbon and Coaches' All-ACC second team and the freshman team. 

Moore had 25 games this season with double-figure point production and led the Cards in scoring with 13.4 points per game. She'll have an active summer as well, rejoining her teammates on the 2015 FIBA U-19 squad as they pursue the World Championships in Chekhov, Russia from July 18-26.

Louisville seniors Sara Hammond, Bria Smith and Shawnta' Dyer will also be doing a bit of travelling....headed to Tampa, FL to participate in a international travelling team combine that will tour Asia.  

paulie
xxxxx

LOUISVILLE DOWNS UNC 77-75 IN OVERTIME IN ACC QUARTERFINALS -- Saturday Cardinal Couple

FREE THROWS LEAD CARDS TO WIN

When looking at the UofL WBB 2014-15 season so far, it wouldn't be that far of a stretch to call this one:

The Game

The Cards roared back from a 10-point second half deficit, had victory pulled out from under the rug on them at the end of regulation and sank free throws (yes, you read that right) in overtime to take a wild and exciting 77-75 win over North Carolina last night in ACC Quarterfinal action at the Greensboro Coliseum last night. 

Sara Hammond described it as "being on adrenalin" for 45 minutes as the Cards sent All-ACC performers Alisha Gray and Stephanie Mavunga to the bench and Sylvia Hatchell to the sidelines by sinking 7-11 free throws in overtime for the win. Keep the meds coming for "00"..she had 20 points for the Cards and their final seven in regulation. 

It may have been just a quarterfinal conference tournament game...but it had the feel of an NCAA Regional Final. Even Fox Sports South announcer Deb Antonelli (who was blatantly an UNC "homer") started spouting Dick Vitale non-sequiturs.

The squads exchanged runs in the first half..Louisville unable to hit the ocean with a tennis ball early...but put together a 12-2 run to go up eight. UNC slugged right back and the Cards found themselves up 32-31 at the intermission. 

UNC was missing wide open putback and second chance shots and the Cards were throwing the ball to anyone but their own teammates...but the action was fast an furious and Louisville was keeping Mavunga fairly quiet in the paint

The first ten minutes of the second half were nightmarish for Walz's crew...UNC finding a second gear and racing out to a 54-44 advantage with 9:24 remaining. 

" At that situation you've got two ways to go." Walz would comment after the game. "and that's get buried and beat by about 18 or 20 or come back and make a game of it."

The Cards chose the latter and a 15-2 Louisville run over the next five minutes propelled the Cards into a 59-56 lead after a Shawnta' Dyer score inside with 4:30 to play. 

It turned into the Sara Hammond show for the Cards for the rest of regulation. She scored the Cards final seven points of the half, utilizing her 3 on 3 skills from last summer...going to the hoop and scoring or getting fouled.


The Cards looked to be the winners with seven seconds left...Hammond hitting two clutch free throws to make it 66-63. 

Hatchell inserted freshman Jamie Cherry into the game, to give her an extra three-point threat and she rose above Shawnta' Dyer to nail an improbable 40 footer from center court as time expired to send the contest to extra sessions. 

I almost fell off the couch. It was Cherry's first points of the contest. 

UNC, buoyed by the miracle, led early in overtime but the TarHeels were "foul happy" and the Cards were converting. It came down to the final minute. 

Louisville trailed 73-72 after a Brittany Roundtree layup with 48 seconds to play but the Cards raced down the court and Dyer hit one of those patented hook shots nine second later to make it 74-73 UofL.

UNC couldn't convert on the ensuing possession and fouled Mariya Moore...who calmly sank two free throws to give the Cards a 76-73 advantage with 16 seconds to play.

Sonja was howling at the TV for Louisville to play defense and I headed to the back porch to listen to the rest on the radio. Deb's UNC platitudes were getting on my nerves. 

Cherry drove the lane and shot three times...grabbing her second miss and sticking it back in to draw UNC within one. Sylvia Hatchell would say after the game that she wanted the ball kicked out for a three attempt. The freshman didn't listen. UNC fouled Myisha Hines-Allen before the clock started and Louisville could get the ball in with 4.6 seconds to play.

Hines-Allen converted one of two and you knew what the Tar Heels were going to do. This time, though...Cherry's shot went wide left of the rim...launched from almost the identical spot she hit from earlier...and the Cards had earned a hard fought 77-75 win over #16 Carolina. 

Survive and advance...take a deep breath and smile.

Louisville advances to the semis to face #2 seed Florida State...who did pretty much anything they wanted in a 82-43 walloping of upstart Virginia Tech. This one goes around 2:30 p.m. today on ESPNU. Prior to it, the Dookies and Irish slug it out in the other semifinal matchup...starting at noon.

Fatigue for the Cards today? Yeah, probably...but there's no time for tiredness at this stage of the season. Jude logged 42 of the 45 minutes available last night and five more Cards saw 25+ minutes in Louisville's 25th win of the season

The Cards will be looking for a little payback today...losing the regular season conference matchup in Tallahassee earlier this year. 

If the intensity in this one matches what went down last night...I may need a tranquilizer...not Sara's adrenalin.  

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Softball today at Ulmer cancelled. The squads (minus Massachusetts) will complete Sunday and Monday in the Louisville Classic. 

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Lacrosse will have a go at it today at the UofL Lacrosse Stadium...facing William and Mary @ 1 p.m. 

Louisville owns an overall record of 4-0 record and is ranked 12th in the nation by the IWLCA poll and 14th in the Inside Lacrosse Poll. The Cardinals are 3-0 at home this season with wins over Cincinnati, Canisius, and Duquesne. As a team, UL is averaging 15.75 goals per game and allowing just 5.0 goals per contest. Additionally, the Cardinals rank third in the nation in draw controls, averaging 17.25. Kaylin Morissette ranks second in the nation in draw controls, averaging 11.25 per game. She also leads the team with 18 points (16 goals and two assists), 45 draw controls and 12 ground balls, while Faye Brust (14 goals and two assists) and Cortnee Daley (12 goals and four assists) have totaled 16 points apiece.


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We'll be doing radio today on WCHQ 100.9 FM and on the internet at crescenthillradio.com The broadcast starts at 11 a.m. and we may talk just a little hoops...

We bring Sam Draut ( hereafter known as Sam the Radio Intern) in to join us. First assignment? Hot tea for Jeff and coffee for me. Plus pastries. Walking the radio station dog. Doing oil changes on Worldwide and my vehicles. Shovelling snow. 

Yep, we got us an intern. (Evil chuckle and wink)  



paulie
xxxxx

Sending the Seniors out in style...Louisville 77 - Boston College 60 -- Friday Cardinal Couple

Five hit for double figures in Cards win

Cards signing autographs after the game

The Louisville women's basketball team survived a three-point barrage from visiting Boston College and said goodbye to five seniors in the home finale for the Cards Thursday night. 10488 braved arctic-like weather in Louisville to see Bria Smith, Sherrone Vails, Shawnta' Dyer, Jude Schimmel and Sara Hammond...the Cards never in serious trouble against a trifecta-happy BC squad that attempted 26 and made 12.

Photo by Charlie Springer - UofL Card Game

They shot threes with the same voracity that Paulie hits the media buffet...and six different Eagles cashed in from the deep. BC attempted 47 shots in the game and 12 of the 22 baskets made were outside the arc.

After a pre-game ceremony honoring the seniors and their families (Jude's contingent numbered 18...) Jeff Walz started all five final year players and they jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first two minutes after six straight Dyer points and a Smith putback of a Hammond shot. 


The Eagles countered with two straight threes by Nicole Boudreau to get within two...but it would be the closest they would get for the remainder of the game.


Walz kept the seniors on the court for the first six minutes before sending the freshmen Moore and Hines-Allen into the contest. Louisville had amassed a 14-6 lead at that point and would finish the 10-0 run with the duo connecting on a fast break layup by Hines-Allen and two Moore free throws.

It was 18-6 and you got the feeling that this one was already a "W".

Louisville led 31-15 with 7:34 showing on the clock after a spectacular Moore three and the talented freshman would run off five more straight points to give UofL a 36-23 edge with five minutes left in the half.

BC did not relent in the three-point efforts...taking 14 in the first twenty minutes and hitting seven. Kelly Hughes three with 86 seconds left in the half trimmed the Louisville advantage to 42-31 but Louisville added two Moore free throws and a Hines-Allen jumper with eight seconds to take the 46-31 lead to the locker room.

Photo by Charlie Springer - UofLCardGame.com

Moore (12 points) and Dyer (10 points) were already in double figures for the Cards and Louisville was outscoring the Eagles 30-8 in the paint. BC's halftime stats revealed numbers I don't ever remember seeing before...they were 11-22 from the floor (50%), 7-14 from three-point range (50%) and 2-4 from the free throw line (50%). Their eight rebound were four offensive (50%) and four defensive (50%).


The halftime activities featured an incredible group of a dozen or so Native American dancer groups that ranged from grade school aged performers to senior citizen dancers...all dressed in colorful and intricate tribal wear. They were accompanied by the steady drum beat and chant from the amazing Elk Soldier drum core...which featured almost a dozen drummers with one drumstick each -- beating a single drum in unison while chanting. 

Photo by Charlie Springer --UofLCardgame.com

The Cards started the second half with the same senior starting five. The Eagles were back with the long range bombing, though and hit the first two threes they attempted to trim the Cardinal advantage to 46-37 a minute and a half into action. BC hung around within range for the first five minutes...trading baskets with Louisville and trailed 55-44 after a Ashley Kelsick score inside. 

The Cards got busy after that and went on a 12-2 run to take a commanding 67-46 lead with 10:07 to play on a Hines-Allen putback of her own missed shot. That lead would stretch out to 77-51 with five minutes to play after a Vails jumper off a nice feed by Bria. 

Walz had all the seniors back on the court with 3:24 remaining and substituted for them...one by one...to a standing ovation from the crowd with 31 seconds to go. Sherrone Vails was the last to leave. The Eagles finished with a 9-0 run...including (you guessed it) a couple more threes for the 77-60 final score. 

Moore led the double figure producers with 18 points (including four threes) and Dyer finished with 13. Hines-Allen added 12, Jude (with three threes) and Bria totaled 11 points each. A quiet offensive night for Sara (1-8) and just three points in 26 minutes. Louisville forced 27 Eagles turnovers that produced 38 points and held a 22-5 second change advantage. The Cards also had 19 assists on 28 baskets. 

Louisville was looking to improve from the outing against Notre Dame and they did accomplish that quite well. Walz wanted the defense to make BC take layups instead of threes, which didn't turn out so well, but Louisville did shoot 42.4% for the game...a blistering 56.3% in the first twenty and a so-so 29.4% in the final half. 

All five seniors were featured in the post-game presser and they discussed their memories and feelings about their time at UofL. Bria fought back tears when she talked about the seniors 'sisterhood' , Sara spoke passionately about passing the torch to the underclassmen, Shawnta' recalled her trials with overcoming injuries, Sherrone spoke eloquently about her love for the fans and her teammates and Jude announced she is writing a book titled Dreamcatcher. 

I got a little misty-eyed seeing them all there together and realizing it would be the last time I've ever see them up on that stage. 

A fitting way for these five to end their KFC YUM! Center days. All played at least 19 minutes and all five scored. The task is not done for them yet...dangerous Virginia awaits them Sunday in Charlottesville and ACC Tournament play next Friday as a probable #3 seed. 

In a season that has produced a very unexpected 24-4 record and the emergence of two of the best freshmen in the country...the contributions of Jude, Sara, Shawnta', Sherrone and Bria will long be remembered by Cardinal fans. Five women that bonded to make up the largest senior class in Jeff Walz's coaching history and five individuals that will go on to achieve even greater things when they leave campus and go out into the world after college. No matter where they end up...you get the feeling this fivesome will always be a tight-knit bond. 

( A special thanks to Charlie Springer at UofLCardGame.com for sending photos of last night's game and the photos he has supplied us with all season long. Be sure to check out his Senior Night photo gallery at his fine website www.uoflcardgame.com)

paulie
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