USA WBB takes U19's 70-52 over Australia -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

BALANCED TEAM EFFORT GIVES USA THEIR NINTH TITLE

For the second time in two years, USA U19 has won their title game in the FIBA U19 Tournament over Australia. 

USA got a balanced scoring effort in the win, North Carolina State's Diamond John son led the way with 15 points, Caitin Clark had nine points, eight rebounds and eight assists and Lauren Betts added 14 rebounds. 

Louisville signee Payton Verhulst had three points, six rebounds and three assists in 19:52 for USA in a game that was the toughest one of the tournament for USA.. The Cori Close squad held a 18-14 lead after one quarter and won thee second quarter by the same 18-14 margin to hold a 36-28 halftime lead. USA would slowly continue to increase that lead as the second half progressed, up 54 to 38 after three quarters and getting the 18-point win. 

Nine of the 11 Americans on the squad played in the final and all scored. Te-Hina Paopao, the sophomore guard out of Oregon also finished in double figures for USA with 10 points and Sonja Citron -- headed to Notre Dame in the fall, added 10 points as well. 

USA went 17 for 47 from the floor (36.2%) and sank nine of their 26 three-point attempts (led by Johnson's three). It wasn't a particularly good free throw line outing for USA (9 of 15 for 60%) but it's a win for them and one of the keys to victory was USA's 53-34 edge on the boards. 

Australia came to contend to the title and, to their credit,  didn't let USA go on any huge runs to gain dominance of the contest. For a team that had averaged 98.6 points in their first six games, USA was held to a tournament low with the 72...but defense had been a strong factor in USA's six previous wins and they held opponents to an average of 47.8 points a contest in the tournament. 

Let's be objective and realistic here -- seven games in eight days is a grueling schedule and playing in a foreign country makes the USA feat all that more remarkable. 

Caitlin Clark (Iowa) was named the tournament MVP and joined on the all-tournament team by teammate Sonja Citron. Also named were Jade Melbourne (Australia), Julia Boros (Hungary) and Sika Kone (Mali). Kone led all 16 teams in scoring and rebounding, as Mali finished fourth overall, falling to Hungary in the third-place game. 

The experience gained by Verhulst in the tournament should prove to be invaluable as she now returns to the UofL campus to prepare for her freshmen year student-athlete on Jeff Walz's squad. She averaged 8.3 points per game in Hungary, but, much more than important that that was the experience she gained in a team setting over an extended period of time. It's a bit like what she'll walk into at Louisville. She joins a squad full of talented and "name" players who have had successes in their careers at Louisville and Verhulst should be able to mesh well into the rotation and challenge for a starting spot and significant minutes for Louisville. 

So, a "job well done" to Payton and her FIBA teammates and now on to the next task, defending their ACC regular season title and going far in the NCAA Tournament.

Have a Marvelous Monday

paulie 

Verhulst Leads USA -- Cross Country Announces Schedule THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Verhulst and USA Advance to Quarterfinals

Team USA took on Taiwan in the Round of 16 in the FIBA U19 World Cup, and a 10-0 start stayed just as lopsided for the remainder of the game. Team USA set a new assist record (38) on their way to a 129-45 victory over the 0-4 Taiwanese team. The 129 points also tied the record for the most points scored by a USA U19 team.

The high scorers were a team effort as nine players scored in double figures. With only eleven players on the squad, that's quite the feat. Louisville's Payton Verhulst led the way, scoring 18 point and adding eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Her eight rebounds were tied for second on the team, and she was third on the team in assists. Verhulst started in the game, and had 13 points, three rebounds, and three assists at the half. 

Coach Jeff Walz will surely be pleased to see his new guard getting such valuable experience and performing at such a high level on this stage. If Verhulst can carry these kinds of performances into the beginning of her college career, she will almost surely stake a bonafide claim on a starting spot this fall. Team USA will continue their run at a title when they take on Spain in the quarterfinal game on tomorrow at 2:30 PM Eastern. The Spaniards went 2-1 in group play. 

Cross Country to Have Abbreviated Schedule

This fall won't see UofL cross country runners compete against different teams very often. The cross country meet schedule was announced yesterday and held only three regular season events. The team will open at the Tennessee Dual on September 3rd before going on a month-long break. There will be plenty of training in that time before the Cards play host at the Live in Lou Classic at EP Tom Sawyer Park on October 2nd. Two weeks later, the team will head to College Station to compete in A&M's Arturo Barrios Invitational for the first time. 

Hopefully, the teams can achieve some cold weather training, as they may need it for the tournament slate. Notre Dame will host the ACC Championships on October 29th, and the Southeast Regional meet will be held in Lexington on November 12th. If any Louisville runners advance to the NCAA Championship meet this season, they'll get a break from the cold as the Championships are set to be held in Tallahassee on November 20th. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-