By Josie Simpson
Louisville stole a massive win over No. 11 Duke, marking a major turnaround for the season.
Thursday’s win is the fourth ranked victory of the season for the Cards and their third in their last four games.
Three points and a cloud of dust
Scoring was tough to come by in the early goings, with Duke slowly grabbing onto a 0-4 lead over the first couple of minutes. Olivia Cochran finally got Louisville in the board with a jump shot on the next possession.
Midway through the first quarter, there was a scoring drought of nearly four minutes for both teams. Jayda Curry would be the one to finally break the drought with a backdoor cut and a layup.
There would be something of a scoring explosion to end the first, capped off by a buzzer-beater from Ja’Leah Williams.
The Cards ended the first down 13-14.
If it was even possible, the second quarter saw Louisville step up its defensive pressure, forcing turnovers and capitalizing on Duke’s mistakes.
After the Blue Devils opened up the quarter with a layup, Louisville held them scoreless for almost three minutes. During that time, Curry tied the game at 16-16 off of a there-pointer.
After giving up another basket, Louisville went on a 12-2 run to take an eight-point lead.
Duke’s offense came back into the fold, but Curry hit a three right before the half.
Louisville did give up a layup at the buzzer, however, and by halftime they led 35-29.
Deja new
Louisville continued to apply pressure, holding their lead for much of the third half.
Despite this, the Blue Devils were able to claw their way back into the game by forcing turnovers and attacking the paint.
Louisville was held scoreless for the final 2:50 of the third, and Duke went into the fourth quarter having tied the game at 45-45.
Where the first three quarters were a slugfest, the forth was a shootout.
And who better to lead the charge than Curry.
She hit crucial shots deep, including a three to put the Cards up by five.
Duke continued to battle, however, tying the game again at 58-58, but Louisville’s defense and late-game composure made the difference.
Jeff Walz subbed Merissah Russell in, and the fifth-year senior was able to lead by example. After battling back-and-forth, trading ties, Russell banked in a floater as the shot clock ran down to give the Cards a 64-60 lead.
After missing a shot on their next possession, Duke was forced to foul Curry with just a minute left. Curry sank both her free throws, and the Cards defense made sure the process repeated.
Curry scored six of her 11 points in the fourth off of free throws. Louisville as a team scored 16 points at the line in the fourth, going 16-of-17.
Louisville pulled off a convincing 70-62 win on the road.
Form reached
This victory is a massive boost to Louisville’s tournament resume, and could easily bump them up an entire seed-line.
Curry was dominant, finishing with 24 points and three assists to go along with five steals.
Williams was another contributor on both ends, scoring 13 points with three assists and two steals. Tajianna Roberts rounded out double-digit scorers with 11 points.
Louisville’s defense held Duke to just 15.4% from three, continuing the team’s recent dominance on the perimeter. The Cards also won the rebounding battle at 42 to 36, limiting Duke’s second-chance points and controlling the pace of play.
The Cards have bounced back from a shaky start to the season. They advance to 19-7 on the season and 12-3 in the ACC, remaining tied for third place in the conference.
Photo Courtesy // Mallory Peak, Louisville Athletics
