By Gavin Lapaille
The No. 23 Louisville Cardinals women’s basketball team defeated the St. Johns Red Storm Thursday night by a score of 91-62, ending a two game losing streak for the Cards. Sophomore forward Angel McCoughtry and senior guard Helen Johnson each scored 21 while junior guard Patrika Barlow chipped in with 11 assists to aide the Louisville victory. The Red Storm were led by Monique McLean who scored 17 in a losing effort. “This was a good win for us” said U of L head coach Tom Collen. “St. John’s is a solid team. I was worried after coming off two road losses and the first half proved my worries. The turning point of the game was when we turned to the press. The kids stepped up and hit open shots.”
The Cards improved their record to 9-5 in league play and 23-5 overall while the Red Storm dropped to 4-10 in Big East play and 8-17 overall. Louisville’s win evens the overall series at 1-1.
The game was close in the first half teams with U of L holding a slim 32-31 lead at halftime. With the score tied at 42 apiece near the beginning of the second half, Louisville began to take control. The Cards went on a 9-0 run, stretching their lead to 51-42 before a St. John’s layup ended the rally. The Red Storm remained dormant for the remainder of the game however and U of L ran away with the victory with ease.
“In the first half it was basket to basket,” said senior center Jazz Covington, who scored 17. “We started pressing a lot more and being on the ball. I think that made a big difference.”
Last week, an All-American website was launched for Jazz Covington and Angel McCoughtry. You can check out derbycityduet.com to find updated bios and stats on the two All-American candidates.
The team will next travel to the Carrier Dome to take on the Syracuse Orange on Feb. 24.
