By Dalton Ray–
Playing in the Sweet 16 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, one seed Baylor thumped four seed women’s basketball 97-63.
BU’s size dictated the game as U of L struggled to shoot in the lane, pull down rebounds and defend the Bears in the paint. Baylor out-rebounded U of L 52-36 and shot 50 percent to Louisville’s 30.
In the first quarter, Baylor separated themselves early. Ripping off a 11-3 run halfway through the quarter, Baylor jumped 19-9. The Cardinals shot 4-of-16 from the field and at one point missed 8-of-10 straight shots. After four free throws to end the quarter, Baylor led 25-9.
Baylor’s Kalani Brown dominated early, recording eight points and eight rebounds in the first 15 minutes. The Bears extended their lead to 34-17 as their size started to play a significant role.
Sophomore Asia Durr, Louisville’s leading scorer, started 0-for-10 and didn’t score until late in the second quarter. With their offensive star struggling, Louisville trailed 43-31 at the half.
For the Bears, Brown and Nina Davis carried the offense and helped BU earn a 54-38 lead in the third quarter. The two finished with 33 points on 14-of-23 shooting with 19 rebounds.
Durr started to heat up in the third quarter, but Baylor showed poise by rolling with the punches and continuing to strike offensively.
Nothing changed in the fourth quarter as Baylor swelled their lead to 34.
Durr finished the game with 21 points on 6-for-21 shooting. Junior Myisha Hines-Allen toted the Louisville offense during Durr’s cold streak, walking away with 10 points and six rebounds. Coming off a hot game against Tennessee, junior Mariya Moore shot 3-for-10 and scored 10 points.
Away from Louisville’s big three, the remaining 10 Cardinals that played scored 19 points.
Louisville finishes the year with 29-8 record and reached their seventh Sweet 16 in program history. The Cardinals graduate two seniors in Cortnee Walton and Briahanna Jackson.