By Harrison Plank

No. 10 Louisville was able to extend its win streak to ten straight, showing out against No. 22 Notre Dame.

Not how you start

Notre Dame scored the first basket of the game, but Louisville’s control of the paint pushed the Cards to an early 9-4 lead.

Hannah Hidalgo tried to get her first basket to go, but none of her shots seemed to be able to find the bottom of the net. Louisville did a good job of limiting the second-leading scorer in the nation.

Despite Hidalgo’s shortcomings, Iyana Moore and Malaya Cowles took charge for the Fighting Irish. They combined for 13 of Notre Dame’s 17 points to give them a one-point lead to end the quarter.

Notre Dame ended the first leading 17-16.

To start off the second quarter, the Irish began to pull away with the lead, but the Cards’ prowess on the fast break cut the lead quickly to 24-22.

A Notre Dame timeout would do nothing to Louisville’s momentum. Reyna Scott pushed the pace, scoring five points on her own during a 9-2 Louisville run.

The Cards’ 31-26 lead was their largest of the game up to this point, but after a quiet first quarter, Hannah Hidalgo made her presence known. She scored seven straight for Notre Dame to end the half. The Cards led 37-33. Of Notre Dame’s 16 second-quarter points, Hidalgo scored 13 of them.

The third quarter was controlled by the Cards. Tajianna Roberts found her place on the court after a disappointing first half, commanding Louisville with a couple of tough shots of her own, maintaining the lead.

Cassan Prosper, who was silent in the first half, then hit a clean three-pointer for the Irish to cut the Cards’ lead 41-36.

A Reyna Scott three-pointer just before the buzzer kept the Fighting Irish at bay. The Cardinals extended their lead into the fourth quarter. 

Reyna Scott continued her tremendous scoring night in the fourth. She hit a pull up midrange jumper to start the scoring in the final quarter.

Her and Roberts lit up the scoreboard. They notched 14 combined points while extending Louisville’s lead to 76-63.

While the Cards continued to grow their lead, they used long possessions to slow down the pace of the game. Stellar defense on the other end of the court allowed them to hold on and coast till the final buzzer.

The Cardinals Defeated the Fighting Irish 79-66

How you finish

The Cards stuck with what they knew and it paid off. Controlling the pace of the game and relying on depth players gave the Cards the energy they needed late.

Reyna Scott had an impressive night. Her 20 points off the bench were a career high, and pushed the Cards towards a win in their sixth ranked matchup of the season.

Despite a lackluster first quarter Hannah Hidalgo had a great game herself. She led the Irish with 24 points despite struggling beyond the arc.

The Cardinals will look to keep their win streak alive when they face their next opponent, the NC State Wolfpack.

Louisville is now 17-3 on the season and 7-0 in conference play.

Photo Courtesy / Michael Clubb / South Bend Tribune