Asia Durr scored 27 points, Myisha Hines-Allen added 19 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 4 Louisville beat Syracuse 84-77 on Sunday.
It was the 13th straight road win for the Cardinals (24-1, 10-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), whose last road loss was an 85-66 setback at Notre Dame a year ago. They have won four straight since suffering their only loss, a one-point setback to No. 10 Florida State.
Syracuse (17-7, 5-6) lost for the second straight time at home after reeling off 11 in a row.
Sydney Zambrotta added eight points as the deep Louisville bench flexed its muscle. All nine players who saw action scored.
Digna Strautmane led the Orange with 22 points, her third straight 20-point game, and Tiana Mangakahia had 20 points and 10 assists with 10 turnovers.
Led by Strautmane’s eight points, the Orange were out front for most of the first quarter, hitting 10 of 15 shots. A layup by Hines-Allen pulled the Cardinals within 23-21 at the buzzer, and Kylee Shook scored four points to key a 7-2 spurt early in the second as the Orange cooled off, misfiring four times from long range, and fell behind by five.
Syracuse got untracked and closed to within a point on consecutive 3s from Miranda Drummond and Strautmane, but Zambrotta’s 3 at the buzzer gave the Cardinals a 40-35 lead at the break and they never trailed again.
Durr’s 3 early in the third quarter boosted Louisville’s lead to 45-35 as the Cardinals scored nine straight points to take a double-digit lead. Consecutive layups by Hines-Allen gave the Cardinals a commanding 53-38 lead midway through the period.
Syracuse closed to 53-44 on a 3-pointer by Isis Young with 4:40 left in the period, but the combination of Durr and Hines-Allen and Louisville’s bench proved too much to overcome.
After the Orange cut the lead to 74-65 on a pair of free throws by Mangakahia with 4:13 left in the game, Hines-Allen responded with two straight baskets and Sam Fuehring hit a 3 from the top of the key.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Cardinals should stay entrenched at No. 4, barring an upset in the top three.
PLAY FOR KAY
Syracuse designated the game as its annual Play 4 Kay game. Fans were encouraged to wear pink and a table was set up in the Carrier Dome backcourt where fans could make donations to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund in honor of Hall of Fame coach Kay Yow.
BIG PICTURE
Louisville: The Cardinals are tied for first place in the conference with Notre Dame and will remain there.
Syracuse: The losing streak at home puts the Orange in unfamiliar territory, but they still have six home games left and they’ve proven they can defend the home court.
UP NEXT
Louisville: The Cardinals host Clemson on Wednesday night.
Syracuse: The Orange have a week off before a game at Wake Forest next Sunday.
Nick Evans
Asst. Sports Information Director
Women’s Basketball, Women’s Lacrosse
University of Louisville Athletics
