An awestruck 8,586 fans witnessed an historic performance at the KFC Yum! Center on Thursday — a keeper they will store in their treasure box of University of Louisville memories.
They were there the night when Syracuse looked almost unbeatable in the first half, jumping out to an 11-2 starts, owning 12-point leads over Louisville in the second quarter. UofL considering itself lucky to trail by only seven points at the half.
Things had not gone well for Asia Durr in the first half, looking apprehensive, tentative, afraid to shoot. And for good reason, missing all five of her field goal attempts. She would eke out two points during the first 20 minutes, making two free throws.
What happened in the second is the stuff of legend. Asia scoring 18 points in the third quarter with UofL outscoring Syracuse 29 to 4 to own a 20-point lead. She wasn’t done yet, tacking on an additional 16 points in the fourth quarter to lead Louisville to an epic 91-76 win over the visitors.
Yes, 34 points for Durr in that second half. She would wind up with a career high 36 points for the game, making 10 of 18 field goal attempts, including seven 3-pointers, and 9 of 12 free throw attempts.
“The first half was tough,” she said afterwards. “I gained a lot of confidence in that second half. I’m not the type of player who if things don’t go well is going to shut down. I love this game too much. It’s how you bounce back.”
Nobody was happier than Coach Jeff Walz about that mesmerizing second half. “We didn’t start the game well,” he said. “Asia wasn’t really looking to score in the first half. It’s kind of hard to score if you don’t shoot. She looked scared.
“I told her at halftime she was wide open at times and she wasn’t looking to score. She’s a scorer. That’s what she has to do for us. The second half she finally started to attack. Credit her teammates for getting the ball to her.”
Memorable night, too, for Mariya Moore and Myisha Hines-Allen. Moore coming through with a triple-double, with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Hines-Allen contributing 18 points and six rebounds. Those two keeping UofL close in the first half, setting the stage for Durr’s milestone performance.
A significant win over a quality opponent, with Coach Jeff Walz describing Alexis Peterson and Brittney Sykes of Syracuse as “two of the best guards in the country.” They would wind up with 31 and 21 points, respectively.
The win improved UofL’s won-lost record to 13-2, getting the Cardinals off to a good start in ACC play. Next up is Duke at Durham, N.C. on Monday.
Durr’s confidence builder couldn’t have come at a better time.