By Derek DeBurger
Louisville became the 27th women’s basketball program to reach 1000 wins with Thursday night’s win over Duke.
Hyper-aggressive on defense, Duke beat the Cards back on offense with nearly every possession in the first quarter. Louisville was able to put together a slight run at the end of the first quarter to take the lead 21-15, but Duke had an upset on their mind.
In the second quarter, Louisville quelled any fears and almost shut out the Blue Devils for the entirety of the quarter. It took until 1:36 left for Duke to score thanks to a change in the Cards’ defensive sets.
Louisville went into the half with a 35-19 lead and every ounce of momentum.
The game wasn’t even locked up for the Cards until the third quarter, but continued aggression and an emphasis on the mid-range game pushed the lead even larger. The Louisville lead went as high as 27, but at that point, the Cards took their foot off the gas and put in the backups.
Louisville would win 61-44.
This was a momentous win for the program and a really good win on the season but it probably won’t do much in boosting the Cards’ resume. The way Louisville won, however, is an amazing sign that an already top-25 caliber team has gotten even better.
Louisville forced 27 steals and held Duke to just 33.3% shooting from the field and 10.5% from deep. Those are incredible numbers against a pretty good offense.
Offensively, Louisville is getting more aggressive, especially Jayda Curry, Kiki Jefferson, and Merissah Russell. If Jeff Walz keeps improving this team incrementally, the Cards could make yet another deep run in March.
Photo Courtesy // Rachel Klotz, U of L Athletics
