By Mike Gilpatrick–
The eighth-ranked women’s basketball team blasted the College of Charleston Cougars 86-58.
Louisville set the tone early, starting with baskets by Myisha Hines-Allen and Asia Durr. Louisville scored seven in the first three minutes before Charleston found the net with a three-pointer by Dajah Logan. Not long after, Louisville went on an 8-0 run.
The Cards dominated offense and defense in the first quarter, keeping Charleston from scoring in the double-digits. Louisville’s offense went cold in the last two minutes, but the Cards maintained a 23-8 lead after the first quarter.
It did not take much time for Louisville to find the net in the second, as Mariya Moore shot a three from deep at the 9:24 mark in the second. 30 seconds later, Kylee Shook made a jumper, extending Louisville’s lead to 20.
It wasn’t until the fourth minute of the quarter that Charleston scored with a jumper by Brianna Boyd. Eight seconds later, Moore made a jumper, negating her effort.
A layup by Bionca Dunham scored Louisville’s 40th, with 3:57 left before the half. A jumper by Durr at the buzzer extended Louisville’s lead to 30 at the half, 49-19.
Louisville continued their dominance into the third, with a three by Moore in the first minute of play. Charleston answered with a jumper and free-throw by Tanisha Brown. Moore’s layup started a 12-2 run by the Cards over the next three minutes.
Charleston then responded with a 10-0 run of their own, started with a three by Elizabethtown native Darien Huff.
The Cards still maintained a healthy 30-point lead until freshman Sydney Zambrotta made a three from deep, countered by another three by Huff. A layup by Sam Fuehring with 16 seconds left gave Louisville a 29-point lead after three quarters.
Boyd opened the scoring in the fourth with a layup, followed by a layup by Fuehring a minute later.
With 2:39 left in the game, Dunham put the Cards above 80 points with a layup. A jumper by freshman Jessica Laemmle put the final points on the board, as Louisville pulled out the one-sided win.
Dunham, Hines-Allen, Moore and Durr all scored in the double-digits. Durr led all scoring with 20. Hines-Allen rebounded the ball 12 times. Briahanna Jackson also racked up five assists in the win.
Louisville jumps up to 10-2, and looks to continue their dominance on Sunday against Evansville. The game tips off at 2 p.m. in the KFC Yum! Center.
Photo by Nancy Hanner / The Louisville Cardinal
