By Jordan Shim–

The women’s basketball team earned their fourth victory over a ranked opponent with a 66-52 win over No. 23 South Florida.

Louisville’s superior size and athleticism were the stories of the game. USF entered the game No. 6 in the nation in rebounding margin, but the Cards finished with a 44-23 advantage.

Quick starts gave Louisville comfortable leads throughout the game. They led for all but 22 seconds, using a 9-0 run to start the first quarter, 8-0 run to start the second and a 6-0 run to begin the third.

After U of L opened the game scoring nine unanswered, USF responded with seven straight points. Louisville had six first quarter turnovers to keep the game close. The first quarter ended with Louisville leading 17-13.

Myisha Hines-Allen carried U of L’s offense, scoring 14 points and grabbing six rebounds in the first half. Asia Durr extended her streak of consecutive games hitting a three to 25 games.

USF’s leading scorer Kitija Laksa, averaging 19.9 points, had zero in the first half, going 0-for-6 in 17 minutes. Laksa scored her first points of the game with 1:24 remaining in the third quarter.

The Bulls outscored the Cards 15-12 in the fourth quarter, but Louisville extended their possessions with six offensive rebounds to close out the game.

Mariya Moore scored five points and orchestrated the offense with eleven assists. Hines-Allen finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds.

South Florida’s trio of Maria Jespersen, Ariadna Pujol and Laksa average 49.5 points, but only scored 25 points.

Louisville travel to Clemson for their second of a three-game road trip on Jan. 26. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.