Louisville needed a win on Sunday to keep pace atop the competitive Atlantic Coast Conference.

After ninth ranked Louisville’s 75-66 victory over 17th-ranked North Carolina, both coaches agreed the ACC was the best conference in the country.

And in front of 13,115 fans at the KFC YUM! Center, freshman Mariya Moore was the best player on the floor.

The six foot forward set a new career high with 28 points and added six rebounds and four assists.  Moore played all forty minutes, carrying a sluggish Louisville (22-3) team early and then finishing the game off late.

“She’s just a gamer. The kid loves to play,” Louisville head coach Jeff Walz said. “She is in there, she is mixing it up.”

North Carolina (20-6) jumped out to a ten point lead with just under eight minutes in the first half before Louisville went on an 11-2 run to cut the lead to 31-30 with 1:45 left in the before intermission.

Moore had 15 points in the first half as the Tar Heels led at halftime 35-32.

“She is pretty tough. She had a lot of points especially, even at halftime, she had a lot of points. She was really tough in there and got to the foul line a lot too,” North Carolina head coach Sylvia Hatchell said. “She is definitely their best player without a doubt.”

Louisville struggled to keep Tar Heel forward Stephanie Mavunga out of the paint in the first half.  The sophomore had eight points and eight rebounds through the first twenty minutes.  She finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

“We didn’t get it to her enough. I wanted to get it to inside to her even more,” Hatchell said. “For being a sophomore, I think she is without a doubt one of the most talented inside players in the country.”

After committing 14 turnovers in the first half, Louisville had two consecutive turnovers early in the second half and fell behind 45-36.

Moore cut down the nine point deficit to two after hitting a three-pointer, adding an assist and knocking down two free throws.

With North Carolina leading 62-60, Tar Heel guard Allisha Gray fouled out with 5:02 left.

Along with Mavunga, Gray had been the Tar Heels most efficient and effective offensive threat, scoring 14 points on 4 of 6 shooting.

“She is a dynamic player,” Walz said. “When she is on the floor, you have to guard her; you have to know where she is. And when Gray went out, we were able to do some different things defensively.”

After Gray fouled out, Louisville went on a 15-4 run.

In the final thirty seconds, Jude Schimmel, Bria Smith and Moore each knocked down a pair of free throws to close out the game.

The free throw line aided the Cardinals comeback as Louisville hit a season high 26 free throws.

Myisha Hines-Allen scored 13 points and Sara Hammond added eight points and seven rebounds.

Emmonni Henderson and Bria Smith both provided a lift off the bench, each contributing with eight points and six rebounds.

Schimmel finished with a game high seven assists.

After the win, Louisville is 10-2 in the ACC and in a three way tie for second with Florida State and Duke.

“It is a big win for us and we’re aware of that, because we’re right now competing for a top four seed in the ACC tournament,” Walz said. “If you are one of the top four, you get a double-bye, and that is what we would like to have.”

Louisville travels to Blacksburg, Virginia on Thursday night for a game against Virginia Tech.

Photos by Austin Lassell / The Lousiville Cardinal

Video Courtesy The ACC Network