By Elizabeth Scanland
The No. 17 Louisville Cardinals will host the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles in their first home game of the season.
The Cards are looking to have a quick turnaround after losing 59-66 against No. 5 UCLA in the season opener.
Despite the loss, the Cards looked strong with the lead changing 13 times during the night, showing that Louisville has what it takes to compete with top teams.
Freshman Guard Tajianna Roberts had an impressive debut with 21 points to lead all scorers. Roberts is an effective three-point shooter, but her length also provides help on the defensive end as well. Roberts will likely become a key player in the Cardinals offense moving forward, so it’ll be interesting to see if she can keep up her performance Monday.
Miami transfer Ja’Leah Williams also had herself a night leading the team in assists and rebounds. Williams received so much time at the point because Jayda Curry was also out for the night with a hamstring injury, but is expected to return on Friday.
Southern Indiana is coming off a 100-49 win against the Brescia Bearcats. The Bearcats are an NAIA team, so the 51-point margin of victory is not as impressive as the box score might indicate.
Ali Saunders led the team in points, assists and steals. While at first, this team doesn’t look like much, every player has contributed to the team’s win proving a somewhat strong bench. However, they struggle with turning the ball over 17 times and lack defensive skills.
Louisville also had a turnover issue with 14 against the Bruins, an issue that created problems last season. The Cards also lost steam during the fourth quarter with sloppy plays and passes. If the Cards can start to clean this up they should improve greatly over a year ago.
Unless something goes horribly wrong, Louisville will dominate from start to finish. If you want to see the Cards get their first win of the season, go to the KFC Yum! Center Friday Nov. 8 at 7 p.m.
Photo Courtesy // Mallory Peak, Louisville Athletics
