By Josh Lipka
The University of Louisville Woman’s Basketball team blew out the 9thranked University of Kentucky 78 – 52 in last Sunday’s match in front of a sold out KFC YUM! CENTER. The Cardinals have beaten the Wildcats 4 out of the last 5 meetings, losing last year’s match by 34 points.
This year was a completely different story. From the moment of the opening tip till the last seconds of the game, the Cardinals simply out played the Wildcats. Wildcat junior forward Victoria Dunlap was expected to do big things after finishing last year’s meeting with a game-high of 27 points. This year Dunlap played up to expectations tallying 17 points and rebounding the ball 23 times for the Wildcats. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, Dunlap couldn’t handle the Cardinals outstanding offensive lead by freshman guard Shoni Schimmel. Schimmel totaled an impressive 26 points and was 6-9 from the three-point line.
Wildcats Head Coach Mathew Mitchell was impressed with the Cardinals play and Schimmel’s under pressure 3 point shooting.
“She’s a tremendous player,” said Mitchell. “What a great day she had. We knew if they got clean open shots it was going to be tough.”
The win over the Wildcats’ improves the Cardinal’s record to 6 wins and 3 losses and a future looking bright this 2010-2011 campaign. The Cardinals three-point shooting has played a vital role in the team’s success and only looks to be consistently improving. The Cardinals knocked down 10 three-pointers against Mississippi Valley State Dec. 02 and 12 from long range against the Wildcats, its highest total this season.
The Cardinal players were more than excited after the game fully aware of the level the teams capable of achieving.
“It feels really good right now,” said junior guard Becky Burke. “This win just shows how good we could be.”
Burke was 6-12 from the three- point line scoring 21 total points falling five points short in a friendly “shoot-off” competition with teammate Schimmel.
Sophomore guard Shelby Harper hard work helped orchestrate the Cardinal offensive helping move the ball around the Wildcat opposition. Harper, standing 5 feet 4 inches, took many hits while constantly sacrificing her body for the ball.
“We feel very safe when Shelby’s in the game,” said Burke. “She might not be the flashiest player on the court, but she does what Coach wants her to do and does what’s best for the team.”
Harper played a season high 24 minutes bringing lots of energy and drive to the Cardinals side.
From the ups and downs of this 2010-2010 season one thing is for certain, the Cardinals are capable of beating the top teams in the country.
“I was really proud with what we did today,” said Cardinals Head Coach Jeff Walz. “Now that we have a healthy squad we can really come out and play.”
Coach Walz said how impressive Cardinal Country truly is.
“We’ve played really well in front of 2 sold out crowds,” said Walz. “Winning is a tribute to the great fans of this city. It says a lot about what this program is and where it’s going.”
With the mixture of great fans, a highly motivated team and a deep Cardinal squad, the results have left the opposition impressed.
“U of L was much more motivated to win,” said Mitchell. “It’s fantastic, what a great atmosphere for U of L. You have to admire how hard U of L played.”
The Cardinals look to improve their winning streak on Dec. 11 against Dayton at the KFC YUM! CENTER.
