Basketball
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Returning home to face No. 13 Georgia Tech after a two-game road trip, the Louisville women’s basketball program rode the momentum from their winning streak to a resume-boosting victory, claiming a 69-60 victory on Sunday at the KFC Yum! Center.
After starting the season at 6-5, the Cardinals (12-5, 5-1 ACC) have now win six games in a row, and claim sole possession of No. 2 in the ACC. Additionally, not only does Louisville win their first game this season against an AP Top 25 ranked team after being 0-5 this season, they snap a nine-game skid against such competition.
The ranked win for Louisville was powered by a domination both down low in the paint and off defensive ball pressure. The Cardinals shot 52.7 percent for the game, including 26-of-38 inside the arc, resulting in 42 points in the paint. On top of this, they out-rebounded Georgia Tech 31-to-24.
On the other end of the court, while the Yellow Jackets did shoot 50.0 percent for the game, Louisville forced 15 GT turnovers for 22 points. Conversely, the Jackets had just 9 points off 16 UofL turnovers.
Tajianna Roberts led the Cardinals in scoring with 16 points, while Ja’Leah Williams added 13 points and seven rebounds, and Nyla Harris poured in 11 points and six rebounds. Georgia Tech’s Kara Dunn led all scorers with 18 points.
Louisville got off to a little bit of a disjointed start on the offensive end of the court, making just four of their first nine attempts, falling behind 13-9 in the first 3:26 of the game because of it. However, they did end the first period on a 9-0 run after closing the quarter shooting 4-of-6.
This momentum carried into the second quarter, as the Cardinals shot 7-of-10 during the period. Combine that with holding the Yellow Jackets to just 10-of-25 in the first half, Louisville took a commanding 37-23 lead into the locker room.
Even with the double digit halftime lead, Georgia Tech wouldn’t go away. Despite the Cardinals shooting 9-of-15 in the third quarter, the Yellow Jackets were 6-of-10 in the period, and went into the fourth quarter on a 10-2 run to make it a 10-point game.
The two teams alternated baskets over the first five minutes of the fourth, but Georgia Tech positioned themselves for a comeback, putting together a 5-0 run to make it a five-point game with just over a minute left. However, Curry nailed a midrange jumper with 59 seconds remaining, and Tech turned the ball over on their ensuing possession to essentially ice the game.
(Photo of Nyla Harris: Timothy D. Easley – Special to the Courier-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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