The University of Louisville women’s basketball team suffered a 68-57 loss to Wake Forest on Thursday night at the LJVM Coliseum. The game marked the second consecutive loss for the Cardinals, who were unable to overcome a deficit that began during the third quarter.
Morgan Jones led the Cardinals with 15 points, four rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block. Hailey Van Lith had a team-high five assists to go with eight points and two steals. Olivia Cochran also scored in double figures with 11 points and a team-high six rebounds.
The game began with the Cardinals taking an early lead, as they ripped off an 11-0 run after giving up the first basket of the game. The team was active in the passing lanes, forcing seven turnovers in the first quarter and holding a 18-14 lead after the first quarter. Jones led the Cardinals with nine points.
In the second quarter, the Cardinals shot 66.7 percent from the floor, making 8-of-12 shots. The lead grew to 11 points twice during the quarter as the team continued to force turnovers from Wake Forest. The Cardinals took a 34-25 lead into halftime, with Jones leading the team with 11 points and Van Lith having a team-high four assists.
However, the Demon Deacons fought back in the third quarter with an 18-0 run, taking their first lead since the opening minutes of the game. The Cardinals ended the run with a layup by Cochran, who was fouled on the play and completed the three-point play to pull the Cardinals within three. At the end of the third quarter, Louisville trailed 51-45.
The Cardinals hit three of their first six shots in the fourth quarter and trimmed the deficit to four points at the final media timeout with 5:00 left in regulation. Despite cutting the deficit to two points twice in the final minutes, the Cardinals were unable to complete the comeback.
The Cardinals will now head back to campus for their next game, a Sunday matinee matchup against Syracuse. The game will take place at the JMA Wireless Dome at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday and will be broadcast nationally on ACC Network. This will be the second meeting between the two schools, with Louisville having won the first matchup 86-77 at the KFC Yum! Center on December 29th.
