By Derek DeBurger and Jo Simpson
The No. 17 Louisville Cardinals fall to the No. 5 UCLA Bruins in Paris to tipoff the basketball season. The game was the second of the Aflac Oui-Play event.
An old-school brawl
Louisville took an early lead, propelled by a free throw from freshman Tajianna Roberts, a three-pointer from Olivia Cochran and a layup by Miami-transfer Ja’Leah Williams, giving the Cards a six-point advantage.
The Bruins slowly caught up with the Cards with the help of Lauren Betts, who stands at 6’7″. The first quarter was back-and-forth, but the Cards held onto their lead for almost the full 10 minutes.
The Cards stood at 18-13 at the end of the first.
UCLA took their first meaningful lead of the game when they went on an 8-0 run early in the second quarter. But Louisville took the lead right back when Roberts went on a 6-0 run of her own off of two shots from deep.
The Cards continued to battle throughout the quarter, tying the lead right before the half when Timea Gardiner hit a three as time expired to give the Bruins the lead.
Louisville trailed 29-32 at halftime.
The Cards came out of the locker rooms ready as they opened the second half on an 11-4 run to take a four-point lead. During this run, Nyla Harris took control offensively, scoring six points in a variety of ways.
Unfortunately, the Bruins would go on a 9-0 run of their own to reclaim a five-point lead. Louisville held serve, but took a four-point deficit into the final quarter of play.
The fourth quarter was all Bruins, as they pushed their lead to nine points and never looked back. Louisville struggled to gain any traction with the refs letting the two teams play and UCLA having the clear size advantage.
Louisville made one final push as they were able to cut the lead to six, and forced multiple turnovers in a row. However, a missed shot from three that would’ve brought the lead down to one possession took all the life out of the Cards.
Louisville would lose 59-66.
Paris fever
While the Cards fell, the box score doesn’t indicate how competitive the game truly was. Louisville showed just how physical they can be, and how they can keep up with one of the biggest and most talented teams in the country.
Louisville continued their trend of hitting the glass the hardest against the toughest teams, as they only lost the rebounding margin by four boards.
In spite of the matched physicality, the Cards weren’t able to slow down Betts, how led her team in every major statistical category with 18 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and one steal. The best thing that can be said about Louisville’s defense of Betts is that they forced her and others into a number of turnovers when the Bruins tried to set her up in the post.
Roberts was a revelation as she garnered an impressive 21 points to lead all-scorers. She spent the majority of the game on the court with 36 minutes, showing Jeff Walz’s confidence in the young guard.
Williams was right behind Roberts with 27 minutes on the court and the second to most points with 11. She stood out defensively, and led the team with seven rebounds and nine assists.
As a team, Louisville struggled offensively. The Cards hesitated on shots, waiting for perfect moments that never came. This hesitation was reflected in their field goal percentage of 32% and three-point percentage of just 21%.
As Louisville navigates the early season, they will need to build on their defensive strengths and improve their offensive execution to maximize their potential.
For now, Louisville falls to 0-1 on the year.
Photo Courtesy // Mallory Peak, Louisville Athletics
