By Harry Barsan
No. 25 Louisville cruised past the Morehead State Eagles. Their performance was the best of the year as far as both points scored and given up.
Imari Berry recorded a season high 21 points, 15 of which came from deep. Ja’Leah Williams also recorded eight assists to match her six points.
Three different Cardinals each scored 11 points including Isla Juffermans, Tajianna Roberts and Jayda Curry, who made her season debut tonight.
Slow Start, Fiery Response
The Eagles kept things close in the first quarter. Louisville led 13-7 early, but back-to-back three-pointers from the Eagles tied it up. Louisville shot a very solid 75% from the field, yet they could only manage a 28-27 lead at the end of quarter one.
Louisville picked things up big time in the second quarter. After Morehead tied it up at 28-28, the Cardinals went on a 8-0 run, including two threes from Williams to make it 36-28.
While the Eagles regained their footing, Louisville ended the quarter on a monstrous 19-3 run, including a pair of threes from Berry and Roberts.
By the half, the Cards were up 59-37.
Their 31 point performance in the quarter is their highest of the season, and their 10 points given up is their lowest.
Cruise control
In the third quarter, the Cardinals’ momentum slowed down. While scoreless in this quarter, Roberts dished the ball effectively with four steals with only one turnover.
The Eagles battled with the Cards, but the lead held steady at 79-51, leaving little doubt in who was in control.
By the start of the fourth quarter, the bench was getting most of the minutes.
Freshman Izela Arenas, who only played three minutes against Kentucky, scored a season high eight points, all in the fourth. Eight of Curry’s 11 points came in the fourth.
The Cardinals steamrolled ahead and ended this game with a smooth 17-5 run to end on top of the match.
Louisville won 107-70.
Some good, some not so good
Whether it be losing rebounds, excessive turnovers or problems with shooting, the little things have held Louisville back this season. However, the Cards looked poised and focused tonight.
Louisville shot a solid 62.9% from the field, and an astonishing 59.3% from three accounted for half of their total points.
The Cards recorded a season low nine fouls this game, and their 13 turnovers matches their season low against UT Martin. Louisville won the rebound battle 38-24, grabbing more boards on both offense and defense than the Eagles.
While 70 points is subpar for the Cardinals’ defense, especially for a woeful Morehead defense, the Eagles as a team recorded 20 fouls and 17 turnovers.
The Cardinals allowed two different Eagles players to have standout performances, but held their top player Kate Novik to just nine points. She also recorded five turnovers and nearly fouled out with four fouls.
Overall, there was much to be admired about the Cardinals’ game tonight. They shot very well, succeeded in all the right things, and were in strong control for most of the game.
The Cardinals improve to 3-2 on the year and will take on South Florida Sunday at home.
Photo Courtesy // Mallory Peak, Louisville Athletics
