Briahanna Jackson was back in familiar territory, back in sunny Florida, home again, feeling good.
Jackson had her swagger back, saying goodbye to her shooting slump, becoming the aggressor again. She and her 10th-ranked University of Louisville teammates romping in a surprisingly easy 79-51 win at Miami on Thursday.
The transfer from the University of Central Florida had been held scoreless in her last game at Boston College, managing only 12 points in the past four games. She was losing confidence, passing up good shots, missing most of the other ones. Jeff Walz commented on it after the Boston College game, promising fans Briahanna would find her range again.
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Jackson wasn’t exactly a scoring machine against Miami but she closely resembled the Jackson of old. Briahanna would connect on six of 12 field goal attempts, including one 3-pointer, while retrieving seven rebounds and making two assists. Unshakeable on defense, she also came up with a couple of steals.
When Jackson is finding the basket, along with Myisha Hines-Allen and Mariya Moore, this Louisville basketball team can be a dominating force. Take it from 17th-ranked Miami. The Hurricanes trailed by 19 points at the half, after being outscored 22-2 by the Cardinals.
Hines-Allen barely missed her 10th double-double of the season, finishing with 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Nine of those points out of 10 free throw attempts. Moore collecting 14 points, including four out of five 3-point shots, to go with her three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
UofL would score 21 straight in the third quarter, leading by 35 points at one point, enabling Jackson, Hines-Allen and Moore to watch the fourth quarter on the bench.
The win lifts UofL to a 23-6 record for the season and 14-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Last home game is Sunday, folks, against Pittsburgh at 12:30 a.m. at the KFC Yum! Start the day off right, grab brunch in the morning, and feast on the Cardinals in the afternoon.
I keep wondering if these young ladies are feeling an added need to excel, now and post-season, and perhaps win an NCAA crown for the school since the Men can not compete after the regular season ends?