By Josie Simpson

Louisville exited the ACC tournament in the quarterfinals after a lopsided loss to the No. 11 Duke Blue Devils.

For the second game in a row, the Cards would be without seniors Jayda Curry and Merissah Russell.

Something doesn’t taste right

Louisville started the game strong, winning the opening tip-off and getting jumper from Ja’Leah Williams just a couple possessions later.

However, Duke’s Ashlon Jackson responded immediately with a three-pointer.

Williams hit another jumper, taking advantage of the space the Blue Devils were giving her and giving Louisville a 4-3 lead.

Duke then went on a 10-3 run, with a three-pointer from Tajianna Roberts being the only way Louisville could get on the board.

Elif Istanbulluoglu then hit a layup to break the run, marking only the second time in six minutes the Cards were able to score.

At the end of the first quarter, Louisville trailed 11-15.

Mackenly Randolph opened the second quarter with a jump shot sandwiched in-between two Duke scores.

Then the game got ice cold, with neither team scoring for over five minutes. During this time, Louisville had four turnovers and Duke three.

The Blue Devils were the first to break the cold streak, and when Nyla Harris finally got Louisville back in the scoring column it was nothing to brag about.

After only seven points in the quarter, Louisville was down 18-31 at the half. 

Now they’re cooking

Not much changed to start the third quarter for Louisville.

Duke went on a 12-3 run in just over six minutes to extend Duke’s lead to 22 points.

Louisville responded with a 9-2 run to end the quarter, making the score a bit more respectable before the next period.

Louisville ended the third quarter down 30-45.

What looked like a dead-cat jump was actually some fight, and Louisville came into the fourth quarter swinging.

The 9-2 run to end the third turned into a 16-2 run spanning two quarters. Williams and Randolph scored two quick layups, with Randolph hitting her third three-pointer of the season, cutting Duke’s lead to eight.

Duke called a timeout, but Louisville kept the pressure up and stopped their set play dead in its tracks.

However, Louisville failed to keep the momentum on multiple opportunities. Oluchi Okananwa ultimately responded with a shot to dampening the hopes of the Cards.

That would be just the first basket in what would be a 10-2 run for Duke.

Louisville fought hard, but their momentum was gone. Any points were matched quickly by the Blue Devils.

A three from Reigan Richardson put Duke up by 16 with two minutes to go, all but ending the game.

Louisville ultimately fell 48-61.

The missing ingredient

It is undeniable that the absence of Curry was a major, if not the biggest, factor in Louisville’s loss.

The Cards looked completely out of sorts on offense, turning it over 21 times and shooting just 30% from beyond the arc.

Not only did Louisville struggle to score, but they struggled to give themselves extra opportunities to score. In the Feb. 20 matchup, Curry was able to speed the pace of the game up which got Duke uncomfortable and was a huge factor in Louisville coming away victorious.

Imari Berry was the only other player Louisville had with the ability to push the pace, and she played her second poor game in two days.

Randolph stepped up admirably in Curry’s absence, scoring 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and contributing with two assists and two rebounds.

As Louisville heads into the NCAA Tournament, the return of Curry will be crucial for the Cardinals. Louisville needs the senior guard back in the lineup before they can even think about making a deep run.

Photo Courtesy // Taris Smith, Louisville Athletics