By Jo Simpson

The Louisville Cardinals opened the New Year with a resounding 74-56 win over the Miami Hurricanes.

The Cards showcased their potential to turn the tides of the season after a challenging start. 

Fast Starts

Louisville came out strong and determined to dictate the tempo early.

Jayda Curry wasted no time scoring an easy layup to open the game. Both teams tried pushed the pace, but Miami’s struggles with turnovers were apparent from the start. The Hurricanes couldn’t hold onto the ball, allowing Louisville to capitalize on their mistakes.

Curry and Tajianna Roberts proved unstoppable, contributing significantly to the early momentum. Louisville’s defensive pressure forced Miami into uncomfortable positions, setting the stage for a dominant performance.

By the end of the first quarter, the Cardinals had established a solid 23-14 lead.

The second quarter saw Louisville temporarily falter offensively until Merrissah Russell drained a crucial three-pointer to reignite the team. The bucket was Russell’s only points of the game.

Roberts continued her stellar play, scoring her 11th double-digit game of the season with a three that brought her total to 14 points by halftime. 

Miami struggled to find their footing, with errant shots and an inability to match Louisville’s defensive intensity.

By halftime, the Cardinals had built a 43-27 lead, firmly controlling both ends of the court.

Over and out

Miami opened the third quarter with a chance to close the gap, earning three free throws off a foul behind the arc. However, they managed to convert only one of them.

It didn’t take took much longer afterwards for the Cards to get back to rolling, as they put away the game before the quarter ended.

Miami cut into the deficit some in the fourth quarter, but the Cards had taken their foot off the game by that point and emptied their bench.

Louisville came away with the victory 74-56.

Subtly building

While the Cards didn’t shoot incredibly from the field (47.5% from the field and 34.6% from three), the starters shouldered the duty.

Curry, Roberts and Olivia Cochran were the leading scorers for the Cards, dropping 21, 14 and 13 points, respectively. The trio combined for 48 of Louisville’s 74 points.

Curry was a sharpshooter from deep as she went 4-of-9 from behind the arc. Roberts added to her scoring total by hauling in four rebounds and dishing out four assists.

The entire team played unselfishly as Louisville racked up 18 team assists. Ja’Leah Williams led the charge with seven assists, and Nyla Harris behind her with six.

Defensively, the Cards played lights out as a team, shutting down Miami. The Canes shot a measly 38.5% from the field and 23.5% from three while turning the ball over a whopping 19 times.

Louisville put together a nice win over a Miami team with a solid 11-2 record going into the matchup. The Hurricanes may not live up to their non-conference hype, but the win still puts the Cards somewhat back into the national spotlight.

Louisville advances to 9-5 on the year and 2-1 in the ACC.

Photo Courtesy // Taris Smith, Louisville Athletics