By Elizabeth Scanland
Louisville once again avoided a loss to an inferior SMU Mustangs team after giving up a big lead.
Good start…
Louisville got off to a quick start as Jayda Curry drilled a three-pointer on the opening possession, kicking off a 12-2 run after the opening tip.
The Cards controlled the first few minutes by passing well, forcing turnovers and being noticeably present on the defensive end holding a strong lead.
SMU came storming back with a dominant rebounding performance from Jessica Peterson who grabbed four offensive rebounds to give her eight second-chance points.
Louisville steadied the ship, but couldn’t shake the Mustangs.
The Cards ended the first quarter leading 21-15.
The second quarter didn’t start very ideal for the Cards. Scoring went quiet and a poor defensive effort on Nya Robertson sent SMU on an 8-0 scoring run as they took the lead 21-23.
Mackenly Randolph finally stopped the run on two made free throws, followed up by back-to-back baskets by Tajianna Roberts.
Louisville held serve the rest of the quarter and went on a run to end the first half strong.
After an Izela Arenas three in their final possession, Louisville led 41-32 to close the half.
Same old song
Louisville turned defense into offense out of the break to continue their run. After a three from Curry and a shot from Olivia Cochran, the Cards capped off their 11-0 run to take a 13-point lead.
Louisville would then play with their food, trading buckets with the Mustangs. While the Cards held Robertson in check during the period, they still gave SMU open shots behind the arc allowing them to shoot well above their season averages and stay alive.
The Cards still ended the quarter on a high, finding Imari Berry for a long two-point jumper.
Louisville led 61-51.
Yet again, the Cards got off to a nice start in the final quarter, scoring quickly and pushing the lead to 15 points, the largest lead of the game for either side.
After that it became the Robertson show as she went on a personal 9-0 run, wreaking havoc in every way imaginable on the Louisville defense.
Curry then hit a deep three to attempt to end the rampage, but Roberston simply matched it with a three of her own on her way to another personal 8-0 run to tie the game.
Fouls began to stack up as Cochran picked up her fifth foul, disqualifying her from the game with just over a minute left of play. The foul put PK Pitts on the line, and gave SMU a one-point lead.
On the next possession, Roberts hit a jumper to reclaim the lead. And after a hard-fought defensive possession, Curry hit two shots at the charity stripe to give Louisville a 78-75 lead with just 16 seconds remaining.
On their final possession, SMU drew up a play out of a timeout to get Zanai Jones an open look from deep. But the shot bounced off the rim, over the backboard and out of bounds, just barely securing the game for Louisville.
The Cards won 80-75.
Getting late fast
What started as a great game from the Cards on both ends of the floor quickly turned into an unnecessary nail-biter.
While the Cards have improved in much needed areas, such as turnovers, they have remained completely stagnant in others. They continue to give up big leads in the fourth quarter after playing well-to-great through the first three.
Louisville struggled to create turnovers in the fourth and couldn’t contain Robertson despite seeing success in that category most of the night prior.
Even despite the fourth quarter comeback, Louisville allowed SMU to shoot out of their minds from three (43.8%) compared to what they’ve been the entire season.
However, there are still some positives in a disappointing win.
The Cards shot well with 52.6% from the field and 42.1% from three. Roberts was the star of the show with 22 points and five assists, followed by Curry who had 15 points and four assists while seeing limited minutes due to foul trouble.
The Cards are still on the inside of the tournament bubble, but with a gauntlet of a schedule remaining the Cards cannot afford to play how they have going forward.
But for now, Louisville advances to 15-6 overall and 8-2 in the ACC.
Photo Courtesy // Lillian Camp, Louisville Athletics
