The Louisville Cardinals women’s basketball team suffered a heartbreaking 78-76 loss on the road tonite to the #10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend, Indiana. The game was a nail-biter, going into overtime and ending with a last-second buzzer-beater by Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles.
Nia Harris scored 4 points on 2-5 shooting and had 3 rebounds in 13 minutes of play. Mykasa Robinson scored 9 points on 2-6 shooting, including 5-6 from the free throw line, and also contributed 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals in 45 minutes of play.
Hailey Van Lith led the team in scoring with 19 points on 8-16 shooting, including 3-4 from beyond the arc. She also had 6 rebounds, 4 assists, but committed 5 turnovers in 45 minutes of play. Chrislyn Carr added 15 points on 6-9 shooting in her 28 minutes.
Norika Konno had a relatively quiet night, and didn’t score on both her shotsin just 7 minutes of play. She did contribute 2 assists, however. Olivia Cochran scored 6 points on 3-8 shooting, with 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 turnovers in 22 minutes of play.
Liz Dixon had 6 points on 3-4 shooting, with 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 turnovers in 19 minutes of play. Morgan Jones scored 9 points on 4-9 shooting, including 1-2 from the free throw line. She had 1 rebound and 2 assists in just 16 minutes of play.
Olivia Miles had a team-high 18 points on 6-15 shooting, including 1-2 from three-point range, and made all 5 of her free throw attempts. She also had an impressive 11 rebounds, 9 assists, 6 turnovers, and 3 steals in 43 minutes of play. Sophia Citron contributed 15 points on 6-18 shooting, including 3-8 from beyond the arc. She had 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 turnovers, and no personal fouls in 44 minutes of play. Kaitlyn Bransford scored 10 points on 3-4 shooting, all from the free throw line. She also had 2 rebounds, 2 fouls, and 4 turnovers in 22 minutes of play.
The team comparison between the Louisville and Notre Dame reveals that the two teams were evenly matched in many statistical categories. Both teams shot 48% from the field, with Louisville making 31 out of 64 field goal attempts and Notre Dame making 30 out of 62. However, Notre Dame struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 29% from three-point range, while Louisville shot a scorching 58% from deep.
The free-throw line was another area where Notre Dame had an advantage, shooting 78% from the charity stripe compared to Louisville’s 70%. Notre Dame made 14 out of 18 free throws, while Louisville made 7 out of 10.
The two teams had the same number of turnovers, with each team committing 17 throughout the game. However, Louisville was able to convert their turnovers into points more effectively, scoring 20 points off turnovers compared to Notre Dame’s 14.
In terms of rebounding, Louisville had a slight advantage, pulling down 36 total rebounds compared to Notre Dame’s 33. The Cardinals had 24 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive rebounds, while Notre Dame had 22 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds. Both teams had 3 blocks, while Notre Dame had 8 steals compared to Louisville’s 10.
Notre Dame was able to outscore Louisville in the paint, scoring 44 points in the paint compared to Louisville’s 36. Notre Dame also had more fast break points, scoring 19 compared to Louisville’s 14. However, Louisville’s bench was much more productive, scoring 38 points compared to Notre Dame’s 10.
The game was a closely contested affair, with 14 times tied and 13 lead changes throughout the game. Notre Dame held the lead for just 6 minutes and 5 seconds, while Louisville held the lead for a total of 29 minutes and 34 seconds. The game was a true battle between two talented teams, with the outcome coming down to the wire with a last-second buzzer-beater by Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles in overtime.
The loss was a tough one for the Cardinals, who are now 19-9 overall and 10-5 in conference play whole Notre Dome is now 21-4. The Cards will need to regroup before the season’s final road game against Boston College.
