By Josie Simpson

Louisville withstood a hungry Clemson Tigers team with nothing to lose, and came away victorious.

The Cardinals were without key players Merissah Russell and Jayda Curry, with their injuries being announced right before tip-off.

Easy come, easy go

Louisville came into the game determined to continue their hot performance against Clemson on Feb. 27 by jumping out to a 7-0 start.

Clemson finally got on the board when Raven Thompson powered through for a layup, following it up with another and-1 bucket to narrow the score to 7-5.

The score was back-and-forth during the middle of the first quarter, with Elif Istanbulloglu hitting a layup to give the Cards a three-point lead.

Then Louisville went cold, going scoreless the final 3:01 of the first.

Louisville closed the quarter down 11-13.

Hannah Kohn opened the second quarter with another three, bringing Clemson’s run to 8-0 between the first two quarters.

But Louisville responded with a 9-2 run to reclaim the lead.

Kohn hit a layup to put the Tigers back up by one.

Louisville then responded with another run, this time a 9-0 one to put the Cards up by eight points.

Clemson then closed the game with a 9-2 run of their own, even taking an open three as time expired but the shot hit nothing but air.

Louisville held a slim 30-29 lead at halftime.

Paper no more

The second half started with each team trading baskets.

Clemson created separation with a 7-0 run, taking their first big lead of the game at 38-45.

Louisville ended their drought when Ja’Leah Williams hit a put-back off an offensive rebound. Mackenly Randolph added two free throws, cutting the deficit to five.

Louisville trailed 43-47 heading into the fourth quarter.

Izela Arenas finally hit Louisville’s first three of the game, and a layup by Randolph gave the Cards a one-point lead.

Loyal McQueen then converted a tough three-point play, putting Clemson back ahead and starting the seesaw.

A beautiful passing sequence from Williams, to Randolph to Olivia Cochran put Louisville back on top 57-54.

However, Kohn responded with another three, tying the game.

Randolph put Louisville ahead again with a layup, leaving only 42 seconds on the clock.

After a defensive stop, Randolph reached the line. She missed the first shot, but made the second to put Louisville ahead 60-57.

But, Kohn sunk her fourth three of the night right before the buzzer, tying the game at 60-60 and bringing the game into overtime.

Fresh faces in new places

Tajianna Roberts got fouled on a layup right away in OT, making both free throws.

McQueen tied the game with a mid-range jumper, but Roberts answered with another layup. And another trip down the court saw Roberts hit one more free throw to bring the score to 65-62.

After a questionable charge call, Williams fouled out and Thompson nailed a clutch three-pointer to give Clemson the lead.

Mackenly had another chance at the free-throw line and made both, giving Louisville a slim one-point lead.

After a missed shot from Clemson, Roberts iced the game with two more shots at the line.

Louisville pulled out the victory 70-68.

Final Takeaways

Louisville’s resilience down the stretch proved to be the difference-maker in a hard-fought overtime battle.

Despite struggling mightily from beyond the arc, shooting just 12.5% from three, Louisville found a way to win. To make up the Cardinals dominated in the paint, securing 41 rebounds compared to Clemson’s 26.

The absence of Curry and Russell was a significant challenge for Louisville. However, Roberts stepped up in their absence, leading the team with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Seven of her 16 points came in overtime.

Cochran contributed 10 points and seven boards, and Williams lead the way on the glass with 12 boards from the backcourt.

The win keeps the Cardinals alive in the ACC tournament. They advance to their 12th straight quarterfinal appearance in the ACC tournament, where they will face Duke.

Photo Courtesy // Taris Smith, Louisville Athletics