Lady Cards Basketball

March 8, 2010

Battered Lady Cards Begin Healing Process

By Sonja Sykes

As the overflow crowd in Freedom Hall was getting into a fevered pitch for Saturday’s men’s game against Syracuse, the University of Louisville women’s team was ingloriously ending its season with a 37-point loss to sixth-ranked Notre Dame in the Big East tournament at Hartford, Conn.

A season that brought more than its share of disappointment, frustration and despair. The injury list rivaling that of a football team, with only five of the players who suited up for the opening game against Northern Kentucky. If not for the addition of Shelby Harper and the return of Gwen Rucker and Brandie Radde, Louisville would have had only five players available for the final game.

Next year brings a renewed hope for women’s basketball at UofL, however. Dez Byrd returns from knee surgery. Transfer LaToya Johnson expected to be back from hip ailments along with Nikki Burton. Tia Gibbs eligible for play. Laura Terry mended from knee surgery. Add four or five promising freshmen to the mix and the Cards will be back to full strength, depth at all spots and some very interesting battles ahead for starting roles.

The key, though, is the off-season training, conditioning and preparation. Although Jeff Walz probably won’t go “Pat Summit” on the squad and start practices today, each player will know that how they progress during the off-season will be essential to how they’ll fare in the 2010-11 season.

A wish list for some of the players:

• Monique Reid. A hope for development of the mid-range jumper and lockdown defense skills. Going into her junior season, Reid needs to realize she can be a game changer on both ends of the court if she applies herself.

• Becky Burke. Dedication to defense and the ability to go to the boards on both ends of the court .So much more potential there than just being a one dimensional player. A film session reviewing the total court hustle of Big East foe Maya Moore needs to be on the summer viewing list.

• Keisha Hines. An end to the silly reach in and over the back fouls. No benefit in having the senior center on the bench because of poor decision making when playing defense.

• Rachel Story. A continuation of the promise we saw in the final few games of the year. Story may be better skilled to stop and pop the short jumper off the dribble than any of the returning players. Competition will be spirited at the guard spots and Story can’t afford to lapse back into her early season non-productively.

Asia Taylor. Time to capitalize on the strength and skills she has and a need to discard the out of control, “it’s all on me” court displays that she would lapse into. Taylor could be a front line force if she can effectively channel the beast inside her and fit her game into a team basketball concept.

Jeff Walz promises changes in his fourth year as Louisville skipper. A lot of those will be hinged upon how the team reacts to the sting and disappointment of last season and how they work in the months leading up to the new season. The freshmen coming aboard will be hungry and ready to compete for playing time and starting roles. The returnees need to improve their games and be ready for the challenges.

Feb. 21, 2010

Final three games loom large for Lady Cards

By Sonja Sykes

With three regular season games remaining, the University of Louisville women’s basketball team needs to run the table to have a chance at post-season play. Louisville (12-14) has no shot at the NCAA Tournament unless they win the Big East Tournament. Highly improbable with Connecticut involved but a WNIT bid could be in the offing if they can manage to finish at or above .500.

A postseason participation would give Jeff Walz and the Louisville coaching staff more time to work with the young group of Lady Cards, providing valuable post season game experience.

For the Cards to sweep the final three, the road starts in New Jersey Wednesday, where the Cards will face Seton Hall. The Pirates (9-17, 1-12) have lost their last four games and 13 out of their last 14. They haven’t won a Big East home game.

Next, Walz and his team entertain South Florida (14-12, 5-8) in Freedom Hall Saturday, Feb. 27th. It is the final home game for Louisville and possibly the last game the Lady Cards will play on Denny Crum Court. USF has dropped four out of their last five. They were the 2009 WNIT Champs.

The regular season ends with Louisville traveling to Piscataway, NJ to face (15-11, 7-5) Rutgers. It hasn’t been the best of seasons for C. Vivian Stringer and her Scarlet Knights but a possible NCAA postseason bid could be hanging on the outcome of the game.

Despite the less than .500 season for Louisville this year, they rank third in the Big East in home game attendance, averaging 6,871 for home games. UConn and Notre Dame top the Big East attendance averages. Rutgers is a distant 4th at 3,030 per game.

Feb. 16, 2010

Second half surge lifts Lady Cards Past Marquette, 77-61

By Sonja Sykes

Asia Taylor had her best game of the year with 14 points and 8 rebounds as Louisville shook off a sluggish first half and beat Marquette by 16 in Freedom Hall by 16 Tuesday.

Louisville went into the locker room up 35-34 after an exciting final 30 seconds of play that saw Brandie Radde score her only 4 points of the game on two successive baskets and a buzzer beating three by Marquette guard Tatiyiana Morris to end the first half.

• Monique Reid continues to be the main offensive threat, recording a double double with 26 points and 16 rebounds. Reid taking the game inside against the Golden Eagles front line and carrying the Cards with 16 first half points. 5 blocked shots also.

• Becky Burke getting a standing ovation from the bench after grabbing an early rebound. She tallied zero boards against Pittsburgh on Sunday. Burke finishes the game with 19 points, including three scores from behind the arc.

• Steady Shelby Harper with another 40 minutes performance tonight, getting all her six points in the second half. If anyone on the Louisville roster deserves a scholarship next season, it is she. Determined, unafraid and ready to motor at anytime.

• The MVP of the Cardinals win tonight, though…goes to Taylor. Her fire and desire in both halves kept the Cards motivated and she showed the abilities in this game that we’ve seen flashes of all season. The freshman is continuing to improve each time out late in this season and is becoming a solid “4″ for the Cards.

Louisville gets a rare weekend off and will return to action on the road at Seton Hall next Wednesday night. This evening, though, the Cards showed a lot of hustle, energy and grit against a physical and tough defensive Marquette squad. They deserve the extended rest.

Feb. 14, 2010

Pittsburgh Outlasts Lady Cards, 72-69

By Paul Sykes

Tough loss on the road to Pittsburgh Sunday in a game where Louisville hung around the entire contest, never holding a lead for more than a few seconds. The loss is Louisville’s fifth in a row and eight out of their last nine.

• Monique Reid with 20 points, 18 of them in the second half. She was the “go-to” player as the Cards battled down the stretch and was able to out-finesse the taller Panthers in the paint for some spectacular scores.

• Becky Burke carrying the Cards in the first half with 10 points but not being able to find the range late in the game when Louisville needed a three to tie the contest. She might not be able to guard a statue in cement but her shooting slump seems to have ended.

• Shelby Harper with another 40 minutes of court time at the point. Knocking down three long range three point attempts and dishing out 11 assists.

• Keisha Hines battling all night against the taller, more physical Panthers and getting several nice baskets in the paint by positioning.

As if things weren’t going bad enough for the Cards, the airplane they were to going to fly out of Pittsburgh this evening was hit by a fueling truck and the flight cancelled. Fortunately, no one was onboard at the time. Rumor has it that Louisville head coach Jeff Walz was going to have the team jog home.

Feb. 10, 2010

St. John’s storms past Lady Cards, 91-56

By Sonja Sykes

A rough trip to snowbound New York for the Lady Cards ends with a 91-56 dismantling by the St. John’s Red Storm women’s basketball team. Louisville (11-13, 3-8) started poorly and trailed 46-24 at the half.

• 31 turnovers by the Cards, including 24 in the first half. Tough St. John’s defensive pressure and double-teaming diminutive Cardinal point guard worked well for St. John’s.

• Louisville allowing 40 points off these turnovers. A frustrating season for Jeff Walz with an understaffed lineup and youth and inexperience.

• A perturbed Walz in the post-game interview, discussing the team’s lackadaisical approach to basic things such as defense, passing and hustle.  Despite Monique Reid’s 20 points and 11 boards, Walz decrying that he has too many “stat followers” on the current squad and that Reid only performed after Louisville trailed by 30 points.

Louisville, although plagued by injuries and dressing only eight players for the contest against St. John’s, almost seems to have decided to coast in the rest of the season. Becky Burke with only five points and not showing up on the defensive end. Keisha Hines with three early fouls and 16 total minutes on the court, managing 10 second half points after the contest was well out of reach. Walz and his coaching staff have their work cut out for them if they are to inspire the Lady Cards to reach .500 for the season and go to the post season WNIT.

The Cards, losers of their last four games now, travel to Pittsburgh next for a Sunday 5:30 p.m. matchup.

Feb. 2, 2010

Lady Cards Bow to Cincinnati in Overtime, 74-68

By Paul Sykes

A surprising and disappointing loss by the University of Louisville women’s basketball team Tuesday to Cincinnati in overtime in Freedom Hall.

A return to the court for injured back up point guard La Toya Johnson and a return to the roster for last season’s three-point specialist Brandie Radde…but still not enough for the Cards to hold on against an inspired Bearcat squad.

Louisville trailed the Bearcats at half 34-26 but rallied to lead 60-54 with three minutes in the game. Unfortunately, the Cards were unable to stop the Cincinnati team from that point on … getting outscored 20-8 the rest of the way. Louisville failed to score a basket in overtime and had no answer for Michelle Jones in the paint or Shareese Ulis outside.

• Shelby Harper drilling the nets from long distance with five three pointers accounting for her 15 points. A questionable move by head coach Jeff Walz to sit her in the final minutes of the game, going instead with LaToya Johnson at point.

• Monique Reid with a big final twenty five minutes for the Cards…19 total points, 15 of those after halftime. Reid with seven hits from the foul stripe tonight but a chance to prevent overtime by missing a key chance from there late in regulation.

• Becky Burke knocking down four from beyond the arc as part of her 18 points. She and Brandie Radde worked well on the half court offensive set.

Disappointing effort for Cardinal post Keisha Hines with only seven points and a whopping eight turnovers. Hesitant at times to take the ball to the hoop and a slow start for the junior with only two first half points against a less than impressive Bearcat front line.

The road gets considerably tougher Sunday with #1 UConn coming to town. A Cardinal effort to stay within 30 of the ravaging Huskies would be a moral victory.

Lady Cards Host Cincinnati

By Paul Sykes

The Cincinnati women’s basketball team comes to Freedom Hall Tuesday to face the University of Louisville at 7 p.m. For the Bearcats, an opportunity to even the season record against Louisville…they lost to the Cards in Shoemaker Arena 63-49 on Jan. 2nd.

UC is led by senior standout Kahla Roudebush. She is close to setting the a school record for made three pointers after nailing four of them in her last game, a loss to South Florida. Michelle Jones is also an offensive threat, leading the Bearcats in scoring against UofL the last time they played.

Roudebush and Jones put in Becky Burke type minutes on the hardwood for the ‘Cats. Both average over 35 minutes per game.

For the Cards, a bit of possible good news: Junior LaToya Johnson could see limited minutes of playing time. She has been out since the Central Michigan game with a hip injury. Her return to the active players list will help at the point guard position, where Shelby Harper has seen the majority of minutes.

The game will be broadcast by CBS College Sports television if you’re unable to attend. It’s also “Jimmy Buffett” night, so get out the Hawaiian shirt and get wasted away in “Cardinal”ritaville. No mention of land sharks, yet.

Jan. 30, 2010

Droughts Doom Lady Cards At West Virginia, 72-66

By Paul Sykes

When you consider the University of Louisville women’s basketball team failed to sink a field goal for 16 of the 40 minutes on the court, the six point loss doesn’t look too bad. The Cards started the first eight minutes of each half practicing free throws and not much else.

But a furious first half rally put the Cards up by four at the half. A similar rally late in the game drew them within four. But, success didn’t show up in the nightcap at Morgantown.

• Another career high performance for Monique Reid with 29 points. Reid is at her best when she can create off the dribble drive at reach the paint. Remember, she’s only a sophomore.

• Becky Burke with another 40-minute effort, adding 16 points. Nailing three pointers to draw the Cards close, but as the only three point specialist on the court for the Cards, drawing way too much attention when she tries to get free to release.

• Referee snafus in the nightcap, too. After Jeff Walz drew a questionable technical for arguing a blown call under the WVU basket, the officials allowed Liz Repella to shoot the first technical free throw while the cheerleaders and WVU mascot were still on the court. Naturally, she missed…and the refs gave her another chance, which she succeeded at. Professionalism takes a holiday.

• Another “close but no cigar” effort for the Cards (11-10, 3-5) tonight. Big East doormat Cincinnati visits Freedom Hall Tuesday, an opponent the Cards have already defeated this year and one that the Cards need to beat again to remain within seeing distance of the Big East leaders.

A Cardinal team that slowly continues to improve but will have their work cut out for them to reach a .500 conference mark with only eight games remaining and the final three on the road.

Jan. 23, 2010

Syracuse Outlasts Lady Cards, 64-58

By Sonja Sykes

The University of Louisville women’s basketball team lost 64-58 (or 60) to Syracuse this afternoon. A last second buzzer beater appeared to count for Louisville to trim the defeat to four but officials disallowed the basket. Cardinals head coach Jeff Walz still felt the Cards might receive credit for the shot in the official final statistics.

A very scary moment on the court when Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman slumped to the floor with 5:36 to go in the game. Action was stopped, EMS and team doctors attended to Hillsman for several minutes and he was aided to the locker room, on his feet but wobbly and obviously shaken.

• Becky Burke with a banner first half. 16 points, part of her game high 24, drilling the three and driving the lane. The matchup zone Syracuse went to slowed Burke a bit in the final twenty minutes but 40 minutes on the court today for the sophomore.

• Shelby Harper zoned in three long-range three pointers in the first half and finished with 11 points before fouling out late. 39 minutes of action today for her. Burke and Harper were the only two guards Louisville had available today…Rachel Story served a one game suspension for her role in the pregame incident at Georgetown. Amazing things for the freshman walk-on.

• Tough afternoon for Monique Reid, with only seven points…all in the second half. The packed in Syracuse zone made it next to impossible to get Hines or Reid involved during the first half. Hines ended with 10 points, eight of those in the final 20 minutes.

• Erica Morrow bombing the Cards off Denny Crum Court with five three point swishes…part of her 23 points. The talented junior from Brooklyn has never had a bad game against Louisville.

• Although Rachel Story received a one-game suspension, she was not on the Cardinals bench in street clothes for the game. Plenty of wounded and ineligible Cards present, though. Wright, Johnson, Byrd, Gibbs and Burton. Louisville dressed eight players for the game.

A return to action Tuesday night against Villanova in Freedom Hall. The Wildcats are 0 for conference play so far and were getting bombed by UConn (big surprise) this afternoon.

Jan. 19, 2010

Irish Eyes Smiling At Freedom Hall?

By Sonja Sykes

The University of Louisville women’s basketball team hosts the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in Freedom Hall. The #4 Irish (15-1, 2-1) take Denny Crum Court after suffering a 70-46 dismantling by #1 UConn in Hartford Saturday night. A tough task ahead for the Lady Cards (10-7, 2-2). Here are some keys to the game:

• Slowing the Irish down. Notre Dame averages 80-plus points a game. They have a deep, talented and experienced team that also features the head turning play of freshman guard Skylar Diggins. They get into the offensive set quickly and demonstrate excellent passing and spacing. The Cards must make sure defensive assignments are tenacious and understood.

• Taking care of the ball. Louisville faces a challenge against the quick, ball hawking Notre Dame guards. The Cards average 23 turnovers a game, a league leading stat that Jeff Walz would rather not have. The Irish force 25 turnovers a game. Louisville will need to counter the full court pressure of the Irish after made baskets by making sure plenty of players are in the back court to help out against the press and avoid the baseline and sideline defensive traps.

• Need some shooters. The Cardinal hot hands on offense, Becky Burke, Monique Reid and Keisha Hines will need to avoid a slow start from the court. Patient half court sets and getting the ball into the paint for Reid and Hines to work will be essential if the Cards are going to put points on the board. If the Irish drop back into zone coverage, Burke will need to find the trifecta touch early.

• Watch the fouls. Louisville has had plentiful foul trouble over the last several games. Three Cards fouled out against Georgetown. Silly reach in fouls and slow adjustment to the Irish picks and screens must be avoided if the Cards are to keep the whistles at bay. The Cards have committed 398 fouls this year (23.4 a game), another Big East leading statistic and have had players foul out of games 14 times this year.

The game is designated as a “red out” so fans are encouraged to wear red to the game. The Irish beat the Cards in Freedom Hall two years ago 82-74 but Louisville won the contest in South Bend 71-66 last year.

CBS College Sports will broadcast the contest and it can also be heard on 790 WKRD.

Jan. 16, 2010

Lady Cards fall short at Georgetown, 60-56

By Sonja Sykes

The pregame fight may have been more action packed than the University of Louisville’s dismal effort for most of the game Saturday afternoon at Georgetown. During warm-ups, a shouting match turned into a shoving and punch-throwing affair between the two teams.

Cards center Keisha Hines had to be restrained by the Louisville staff and a Rachel Story punch nearly mistakenly clipped Jeff Walz. Laura Terry took on two Hoyas before cooler heads intervened. Both teams were given strict warnings by the officials before the contest to keep it clean and no other incidents broke out, fortunately.

Louisville started out ugly and trailed by 16 with 13:24 to go before mounting a rally to take a 1 point lead with 2:34 to go in the game. Hard to find many positives in this one, so we’ll take a look at the good and bad.

• 30 turnovers for the Cards. The lack of an experienced point guard is going to be this team’s signature the rest of the season. Georgetown pressed and double-teamed effectively against the Cards rookies.

• Keisha Hines with 15 points and 12 boards. She gets a little better each game this season now that she is healthy. Finding someone to get the ball to her in the paint, though, is still a problem.

• Becky Burke with several key three point bombs in the second half as the Cards rallied.  Leave her alone out there and you’re likely to pay, as Georgetown discovered, 14 points for the sharpshooter.

• Monique Reid with 15 points and some smooth inside moves against the aggressive Hoyas. Tough to contain her in the paint with single coverage.

• The refs had a field day in this one again, sending 3 Cardinals to the bench because of five fouls. Too much emphasis being put on the slight bumps and brushes and not enough on the Hoyas penchant for flinging the arm while driving to the basket.

The Cards only got five points off the bench, all from Ashley Rainey, a former starter. Freshmen Shelby Harper, Rachel Story and Asia Taylor need to get more involved in the offense when on the court. With Taylor’s athleticism and Harper quickness, it’s just a matter of time.

Jan. 8, 2010

Lady Cards ‘All Aboard” in 67-48 Win Over Providence

By Sonja Sykes

The telling stat in the 19-point win over Providence Saturday afternoon? Rebounding, Louisville with a 43-23 advantage over the much taller Lady Friars. Nine each for Monique Reid and Keisha Hines and seven for both Ashley Rainey and Gwen Rucker. This against a front line opponent that went with 6-foot-5, 6-foot-4 and 6-foot-3 at times.

The Cards blew out to a 22-4 lead in the first eight minutes of the game then managed only eight points the rest of the first half as Jeff Walz experimented with the bench. Finally, the starters reappeared after Providence cut the lead to six with three minutes remaining.

• Decent work from Nikki Burton and Shelby Harper at the point guard spot today. Burton with 13 points, 2 assists and only two turnovers. Harper adding 4 points and three assists off the bench. Walz preventing any full court pressure by having three and sometimes four players waiting for the inbounds pass after Providence baskets.

• Louisville shot 50% for the game and held Providence to 33%. Credit to senior guard Chelsa Marandola for the Friars with 21 points and three trifectas. Her back-to-back threes late in the first half cut the Cards lead to 3 points.

• Chauntise Wright in street clothes today…awaiting an answer from the NCAA Clearinghouse to see whether she is eligible for the second semester. Although Wright sat out last year and was granted extended eligibility, the question now is whether it involves a full year or just the first semester…since she became eligible following the fall semester of 2005. More gobblty-gook from the same folks who brought you the BCS.

• A bit of joviality from Coach Walz in the post-game presser:
  When asked about when LaToya Johnson would return from hip injury he replied that she would be back in 2-3 weeks. When it was pointed out she was still on crutches, he said it didn’t matter…he’d put her out there on a crutch. That’ll clear the lane on a drive, right?

The Lady Cards with a week off now until a road test at Georgetown next Saturday. Time needed to heal and rest with Becky Burke slowed by a strained calf and Laura Terry seeing limited minutes because of ongoing knee problems.

Lady Cards Bow To DePaul In Overtime, 76-70

by Sonja Sykes

Tough loss in overtime to DePaul. Twenty-five Louisville turnovers didn’t help but there were some positives.

• Monique Reid with another strong effort. Leading the Cards late to erase a DePaul lead before winding up with 21 points and 14 rebounds.
• Keisha Hines scoring the first three-pointer of the game and hitting a jumper to tie it 66-66 with 16 seconds left in regulation. Hines tallied 20 points but only six rebounds against the aggressive DePaul front line.
• Becky Burke battling the quicker DePaul guards all evening but missing two layups and 2 free throws in overtime. The threes not falling tonight with 2 out of 11 attempts finding the net. Give Burke 16 points.

A game Louisville could have won . Up by 11 in the first half. Sometimes the sense of urgency not what it should have been and still a learning experience for this young Louisville team on the road. Give the Blue Demons credit…they read the scouting report well and used point guard Sam Quigley and her 21 points effectively against the point guard by committee.

The Cards still giving up too many points on transition and in the paint on second chance opportunities but a hard fought effort by the improving youth under Jeff Walz’s tutelage. A nice rally late in the game with aggressive defensive creating turnovers that led to baskets for Louisville but a lack of production in the overtime.

The “season” begins now

By Sonja Sykes

Lost in the hubbub swirling around the University of Louisville-Kentucky men’s basketball game was the fact that the Louisville women defeated Cincinnati on the road, 63-49 . Monique Reid tallied a career high 26 points in the win and Becky Burke added 16 points.

UC isn’t one of the Big East powerhouses, although they have improved considerably over last year. They lost to Kentucky earlier by only 10 points. The true test for U of L starts tonight in Chicago against DePaul.

The Blue Demons have dropped out of the top 25 rankings but they are still a very good basketball team. Pre-conference opponents included Stanford, who recently defeated Tennessee. DePaul (11-4) is led by junior guard Sam Quigley and sophomore forward Keisha Hampton.

For the Cards to bring home the victory, they must do three things well — employ the transition game on offense after missed shots, manage DePaul’s full court press, and get good outside shooting from Becky Burke to counter the effects of a matchup zone.

Game time is 9 p.m. The contest will be televised on CBS College Sports and available at www.uoflsports.com as well as on WKRD 790 AM.

Card Game will also offer a full post game commentary on the action.

The true season for Jeff Walz and his players lies ahead. Although the strength of roster isn’t nearly what it was last year for Louisville, don’t count this current group of Lady Cards out. Plenty of pride and determination still remains and a young group of players that has several future stars in their midst.

Rested Lady Cards prepare for IPFW

By Sonja Sykes

With almost a week off for Christmas holidays, the University of Louisville women’s basketball team (7-5) heads into action Tuesday night at Freedom Hall to face IPFW.

No, IPFW is not a union or financial firm. It’s Indiana Purdue – Fort Wayne. They’re 3-7 on the season so far but put up 93 points in the last game against Indiana Tech. The Mastodons (no, I am not kidding) are also coached by Chris Paul and if it is the Wake Forest/NBA star one can only assume he had the majority of the points in the last game.

The game will serve as a good tune up for the Lady Cards before they enter Big East play Saturday on the road at Cincinnati. The guard trilogy of Becky Burke, Nikki Burton and Shelby Harper served the Cards well in their previous game at New Hampshire and Louisville head coach Jeff Walz will most likely give the trio another run before facing the Bearcats.

Never a good idea to overlook anyone and after a week off, the Lady Cards should be hungry to get back out on the hardwood and implement the effective full court press that turned the New Hampshire game around.
Game time is 7 p.m.

Walz Shuffles Lineup In 76-67 Win Over New Hampshire

By Sonja Sykes

Looking for some quickness and shooting, the University of Louisville women’s basketball team tabbed freshman Shelby Harper for her first career start at point guard. Becky Burke and Nikki Burton manned the wings and Monique Reid moved inside with Ashley Rainey. Walz substituted freely in the first half but never seemed to find the right combination of scorers and defensive stoppers.

For most of the first half, the Cards were able to get the ball up and down the court quickly but the turnovers were plentiful and defense spotty. The Lady Cards fell behind early against the Wildcats and trailed by as many as 11 in the first half and hit the locker room down 36-29.

Walz had plenty to address at halftime. His team’s inability to stop cutters in the lane, Wildcat guard penetration and unforced turnovers on offense made it seem the Cards were playing together for the first time instead of being twelve games into the schedule.

Louisville needed to concentrate on taking care of the basketball in the second half and turning up the defensive intensity but that didn’t happen in the opening minutes. New Hampshire scored the first seven points. A Burke trifecta temporarily halted the run but defensive lapses by Louisville allowed the Wildcats to increase the lead to 47-33 after five minutes of play.

Louisville managed to cut the lead to 50-46 with several steals created by full court pressure but New Hampshire responded with a 7-0 run. The Cards were not done, though. Defense turned out to be the game changer.

A Burke three cut it to 59-54 with nine minutes left. Louisville climbed to within 62-60 after a Shelby Harper bank shot three with seven minutes left. The full court pressure after each Louisville made basket was wearing the Wildcats down. A Nikki Burton three gave Louisville a 63-62 lead after a steal. Back and forth it went. Off a steal, Keisha Hines’ layup made it 67-65 Louisville. Two Wildcat free throws tied it with 2:20 to go.

Harper drained another three to make it 70-67 with 1:45 to go. A Harper steal led to a Burton jumper for a 72-67 Cardinal lead and she stole another one for a layup for a 74-67 advantage with 30 seconds left. Burke canned two free throws with 14 seconds left for a nine-point advantage and final margin. A nice 76-67 win after being down by 14.

It’s Tuesday And Lady Cards Are At New Hampshire

By Sonja Sykes

After consecutive 30-point plus losses to SEC foes Tennessee and Kentucky, the University of Louiisville women’s basketball team travels to Durham, NH for a Tuesday night tip-off at 7 p.m. against the Wildcats.

New Hampshire (4-5) is 4-1 on the season in Lundholm Gymnasium this year and defeated Holy Cross 80-72 there on Sunday. Veteran guards Amy Simpson and Lauren Wells will pose problems for the Cards on both ends of the court. Simpson was named America East conference player of the week after her performances last week and Wells had five steals against Holy Cross.

For Louisville, a short turnaround after playing Kentucky on Sunday. The Cards can expect New Hampshire to come after them early with full court pressure after baskets and the challenge is there for UofL’s Jeff Walz to find someone who can successfully get the ball into the front court. Whistle blowing has also hampered the Cards this year; they lead the Big East in fouls committed. They also trail the league in scoring defense and three-point percentage and goals made. The Cards lead the league in turnovers per game also with 22.7 per contest.

Louisville defeated New Hampshire 82-40 in Freedom Hall last year. The Wildcats have faced a rigorous schedule so far in this young season with road losses to Maryland, Seton Hall, St. Peter and Quinnipac and a loss to Central Conn. State at home. Their wins have come against St. Joseph, Mass., Harvard and Holy Cross.

Tennessee Overwhelms Louisville, 86-56

By Sonja Sykes

Going on a 22-2 run early in the game, Tennessee shot past the University of Louisville womens’ basketball team en route to an 86-56 win to remain undefeated.

For Louisville, a combination of turnovers and poor defense early added up to be a deep hole. U of L managed to climb back to only a seven-point deficit with five minutes remaining in the first half, thanks to the play of Becky Burke and Monique Reid. The Lady Vols took control again after that, though, leading by 14 at the half and steadily pulling away in the final 20 minutes.

• Burke hit seven out of nine from beyond the arc for the game and finished with a season high 23 points. At times, she seemed to be the only Cardinal playing with any control on the court. The Tennessee defense forced Louisville into 24 turnovers and outrebounded the Cards, 54-37.
• Louisville’s lack of experience at point guard showed, with Walz trying three different players out front to run the offense. Nikki Burton, Rachel Story and Shelby Harper could only produce six points and one assist while committing six fouls and seven turnovers.
• Monique Reid tallied 13 points for the Cards, mostly on inside drives and put backs but logged only 24 minutes in the game due to her inability to stop the powerful Vols front line defensively.
• Tennessee showed why it is the third ranked team in the nation, overpowering the Cards on offense with crisp, concise passing and dominant rebounding. Defensively they kept Louisville off the boards while holding the Cards to 31% from the field.

A lesson learned for Jeff Walz’s young crew on the road. Not much time to react and regroup for the Lady Cards. They travel to Kentucky Sunday to face another undefeated team.

Eight is Enough In 30-point Romp

By Sonja Sykes

Although the ranks were thin for University of Louisville women’s basketball team, the action was frenetic, with Louisville blitzing to a 20-4 lead over IUPUI and never looking back in an 88-58 win.

Only eight Lady Cards were available for action due to a combination of injuries, illnesses and suspensions. Chauntise Wright used the situation to deliver a season high 18 points against the Jags, one less than Becky Burke’s 19 for high game honors.

• Burke continues to hone her mid-range shooting. She also knocked down one three today, the only Card to do so.
• Wright used her size and height advantage to score easily inside against the Jaguars and get to the free throw line. When IUPUI countered with a similar sized player off their bench, Tise dominated the opponent and had her back on the bench in just a couple of minutes.
• Monique Reid continues to impress on the offensive boards and score inside. She is looking better on defense, but the true test of that will come Wednesday when the Cards travel to Knoxville.
• Nikki Burton continues to impress in her freshman year with 12 points and four steals. She split point guard time with walk on Shelby Harper today and both performed well in the role.
• Laura Terry used her starting opportunity to knock in 11 points and fellow starter Gwen Rucker collected 12.
• Ashley Raines, Asia Taylor and Keisha Hines did not play, each having received a one-game suspension for “conduct detrimental to the team.”

Louisville returns to action Wednesday night in Knoxville to play Pat Summitt and the No. 3 Lady Volunteers.

Middle Tennessee Find 3-Point Gold

By Sonja Sykes

Middle Tennessee sank a school record 20 three pointers in Freedom Hall to defeat the University of Louisville last night. The loss was the Lady Cards first of the season at home and the third of the season.

Despite a career high 24 points from Monique Reid, Louisville could not keep pace with the hot shooting Blue Radiers and trailed by three at halftime.

Three Raider players had twenty plus points against the Cards, who return to action Sunday to face IUPUI.

Sometimes a hot shooting team can sink them from anywhere against the toughest of defenses, and even though head coach Jeff Walz wasn’t particulary pleased with the Cardinal defensive effort…the Raiders shot 47% from three point range and pulled away late.

The rebuilding Cards are going to run into nights like this from time to time this season but each setback just provides another learning opportunity for Walz to bring his Lady Cards along.

A tough loss in front of a good sized crowd for a Wednesday night, given all the activity with the Charlie Strong introduction. Get ‘em Sunday, ladies

Defensive Intensity Keys 60-55 Win Over Utah

By Sonja Sykes

For the first 30 minutes, it looked like the Lady Cards would not be able to shut down Utah’s inside game. Down 42-36 with 10:11 remaining, Jeff Walz went to the bench, started pressing and Monique Reid fired up the Cards to outscore the Utes 24-13 the rest of the way.

• Credit walk-on guard Shelby Harper, who played the entire second half at point for the Cards, applied impressive defensive pressure and added four points. She may be only 5’4″, but she harassed Utah’s guards like a 500-pound gorilla.

• Reid scored 9 of her 11 points in the 10 minutes stretch and went to the boards with abandon. Not sure why Walz is waiting so long to put her in the mix, but she was the catalyst to the Cards late comeback.

• Another lights out performance from Becky Burke. 20 points and some clutch free throw shooting down the stretch for the sophomore. She also had the Cards only three pointers in the game.

• Ashley Rainey with another good one, too. Eight points and six of seven free throw shooting in the final 20 minutes.

• Looks like Gwen Rucker is foregoing the basketball red shirt. Two points in a limited court time today. Once she gets her basketball legs back underneath her, she’ll add depth in the post.

Good win over a quality opponent. Nice to see the Cards roll back from a deficit to win one and the crowd may have found a new favorite in the diminutive, hustling Harper. Especially now that Dez Byrd is done for the year.

The long awaited NCAA runner up banner was unveiled today at Freedom Hall before the start of the game. Actually, it isn’t a very impressive piece of cloth and the guy on the spotlight couldn’t seem to find it at first. C’mon Tom…you can do a little better than that for last year’s team.

Lady Cards hold off Old Dominion, 82-75

By Paul Sykes

For a minute, it seemed the University of Louisville women’s basketball team the doppelganger of the men’s team Saturday. Off to a big lead, all things clicking and then having to hold on late to preserve the win. Up by 23 points and then having to survive a 20-4 second half rally by the Monarchs…who managed to cut it to two with about 12 minutes to go. Nevertheless, the Cards managed to hold on, never trail and take the final of the Caribbean Classic.

• Becky Burke scorching the nets for 22 points, including three baskets from the three-point range. The sophomore is proving to be a deadly marksman from beyond the stripe when she can set and pop.
• Deseree Byrd adding 20 points and also contributing three trifectas. The surgery is scheduled; she’ll hit the court two more times before undergoing a knee operation…but her late game heroics tonight will be missed.
• Asia Taylor, who started the Cards rally in the second half with a clutch free throw and a basket to take the lead back to five points.  Just eight minutes of playing time tonight for the freshman but four strong rebounds in the short appearance.
• Laura Terry giving the Cards eight points and some nice defensive stops in fifteen minutes. Terry looks a little faster and more confident each time she enters the game and the knee seems to be holding up. She’s needed.
• Monique Reid’s solid paint skills and taking care of business in the post after Ashley Rainey fouled out. Speaking of Rainey, an 11-point effort and five boards before going to the bench.

The Cards went with a three-guard set to start the game and LaToya Johnson is holding up her end of the deal with solid point guard play. Still no appearance from Keisha Hines, which makes you wonder if it’s a little more than illness that has her collecting splinters on the bench…

Nevertheless, smaller and quicker worked for Walz’s crew.  They return to action Wednesday, on the road against Central Michigan.

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