By John McCarthy–
The No. 5 Louisville Cardinals beat unranked Boston College Jan. 16 at the Silvio Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill 81-70. This was the 12th time this season where the Cardinals defeated an opponent by 10 points or more.
Both teams got off to rusty starts by trading turnovers on their first possessions. However, the Cardinals (17-1, 6-0) picked up speed with 7:03 left in the first quarter. A block by sophomore Elizabeth Balogun led to a layup by junior Dana Evans. The rest of the first quarter consisted of the Cardinals and Eagles trading buckets. Louisville gobbled up three steals in the first quarter.
The second quarter was all Louisville. Senior Yacine Diop ignited the Cardinals with a three-pointer assisted by Evans. Balogun followed suit a minute later with a three-pointer of her own assisted by senior Jazmine Jones. Then, later in the quarter, Evans netted three three-pointers in the span of two minutes. The Cardinals tallied up five three-pointers, giving themselves a 40-30 lead going into halftime.
Boston College (9-8, 2-4) fought back in the third quarter. The Eagles sank three three-pointers in the third, but Louisville fired back to stay in the game. Evans buried two more three-pointers to add to her already impressive total. Senior Kylee Shook gathered a rebound and five points in the third. Louisville led Boston College 64-52 heading into the fourth quarter.
Diop continued the trend for the Cardinals by sinking a three-pointer with 8:25 left to play, giving Louisville their first basket of the final frame. Solid defense and rebounding held off the Eagles for the final four minutes.
Louisville had five players score 10 or more points. Evans finished with 27 points and four assists. Jones finished with 12 points, four rebounds, and two assists.
The Cardinals will travel to North Carolina to face the Tar Heels Jan. 19 at 1 p.m. at Carmichael Arena.
File Photo // The Louisville Cardinal
