Clayton, South Carolina Thursday night at Littlejohn Coliseum, the No. 13/12 Louisville women’s basketball team (16-2, 5-0 ACC) overcame Clemson (8-10, 1-5 ACC) with shooting mastery in the first half. After taking a 15-point lead and never looking back in the first half, Louisville shot an incredible 62.1 percent from the field. The Cardinals’ conference record now stands at 3-0 away from home and 5-0 in the ACC. The only club in the conference still unbeaten both overall and on the road in ACC play is Louisville. Kiki Jefferson scored 17 points, shot 6-for-9 from the field and 2-for-3 from three, tied a career high with eight assists, and pulled down four rebounds in an excellent all-around performance for the Cards against the Tigers. For the second straight game, Jayda Curry led the Cards in scoring, tying a season-high with 19 points on 8 of 13 shots and 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. With 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds, Sydney Taylor led the squad in scoring. Olivia Cochran finished with 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists for her tenth consecutive double-digit performance.
The Cardinals shot 31.5 percent (31 of 59) from the field as a team, their third straight game with 50 percent or more. Out of the five ACC games this season, the Cardinals have shot 50 percent or better in four of them. The Cardinals limited Amari Robinson to 10 points, her lowest total in her previous five games, after she had just scored a career-high 37 points against Syracuse. The opening quarter saw the Cardinals come out swinging, making four of their first five attempts from the field. The Cardinals shot well for the whole of the quarter, going 9 for 13 (69.2 percent) from the field and 3-for-5 (60.0 percent) from beyond the arc. After the first ten minutes of play, Louisville led 26–13 and forced Clemson into six turnovers. The Cardinals’ shooting somewhat decreased in the second quarter, but it had little impact on the advantage because they kept denying the Tigers any offensive opportunities. The Cardinals kept forcing mistakes from the Tigers, which allowed them to maintain their lead. With four of its final five attempts, including a floater by Curry that beat the buzzer, Louisville closed the quarter strong and led the Cardinals 47-32 at the half.
Curry led the Cards with 14 points in the first half of play on 6-for-7 shooting and 2 for 3 from beyond the arc. She was on fire. In the first half, Jefferson finished with ten points, three rebounds, and a team-high six assists. During the first half, the Cardinals collectively shot 62.1 percent (18-for-29) and had 11 assists on their 18 made baskets. To begin the third quarter, Louisville’s offensive pressure was still on. With a 7-0 run, the Cardinals increased their lead to 58-37, the biggest of the game, forcing Clemson to use a timeout. Louisville dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Tigers 19-9 to take a 66-41 lead into the last frame. In the last quarter, the Cardinals used up every player on the roster to secure their 16th victory of the year and maintain their perfect record in ACC play.
Leave a Reply