All Entries Tagged With: "Candyce Bingham"

Lady Cards Douse Red Storm, 89-60

By Paul Sykes

The Lady Cards tonight reminded me of the old jalopy I drove around town as a teenager. Always had trouble getting it started but once it was running it was a smooth, sweet ride.

After five minutes, Louisville was on the wrong end of a 8-5 deficit to St. John’s. Shots weren’t falling, defense was lagging and the players were having trouble getting started. Saddled with two early fouls, Candyce Bingham was a spectator. It was Angel time and the crowd was ready for it. Five minutes later, thanks to the efforts of the All-American, the Cards finished a 12-0 run and never looked back, leading 41-25 at half, 89-60 at the end.

There were a lot of things to like. Let’s look at a few:

– 9 for 17 three-point shooting. The most the Lady Cards have sank all season. Angel McCoughtry with three, part of her 28 points and reserve Janae Howard knocking down two in the first half.  Dez Byrd got into the act, also, with two.

– Out-rebounding the Red Storm by 21. Monique Reid grabbing seven and looking like the heir apparent to Candyce Bingham inside. Angel seemingly collecting them at her whim. Bingham with nine in the second half.  The opponent felt the wrath of the block out and the out hustle.

– Candyce Bingham with 16 second half points after going scoreless in the first 20 minutes. Two spectacular blocked shots and doing what she does best…working in the paint and sinking the soft jumper.

– Angel with 17 first half points. Taking the game over and showing why she’s been Big East Player of the Week five times this year. Slowed down a little in the second half but drilled a couple of nice threes from the top of the key. Always the competitor, not wanting to leave the game with a couple of minutes left, but relaxing and actually laughing and smiling as she watched the reserves mop up.

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Life On The Road

The challenges of playing on the road are many for athletes. Not only are players competing in unfamiliar venues but they are facing hostile crowds, which can be intimidating not only to the players but to the officials calling the games.

Then there are situations like those described by Lady Card Candyce Bingham in her University of Louisville blog about the recent trip to play Georgetown in Washington, D.C.:

“When we arrived at our hotel and went to our rooms there was only one bed and a pull out couch along with a kitchen. I lucked out and had my own room while many had to flip a coin about who was going to sleep on the bed the first night and who would end up on the couch.

“We then went to practice and were supposed to go to Outback Steakhouse to eat dinner. Our bus driver wasn’t even from around area and had no idea where he was going. We literally drove around for an hour because he couldn’t find the Outback and ended up at Don Pablo’s, which was just down the street from our hotel.

“After the game on our way to the hotel we seemed to get into a fender bender. Our bus driver was going to make a right turn at a light but I guess the person to the right of us grew impatient and decided that they wanted to keep creeping up. Which meant the bus was hitting the side of the car and for a while he didn’t know that. We had no idea until Brandie Radde said the bus had just hit this car next to us.”

Life on the road. One has to wonder whether some bus drivers are aware of  GPS technology.

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Lady Cards Survive Phantom Foul,
Defeat South Florida 76-60

By Sonja Sykes

With 5:04 to go and the University of Louisville women’s basketball team protecting a 61-52 lead over the South Florida Bulls, the supernatural came into play:

Angel McCoughtry fakes a drive to the basket, causing USF guard Shanita Grace to slip and fall.  No contact. However, the referee the greatest distance from the play whistles McCoughtry for her fifth foul. Maybe it was the heat, or the bright Florida sun in her eyes?

The play happened right in front of radio crew Jim Kelch and Adrienne Johnson, who were as surprised as Jeff Walz standing in front of them. How would the Cards react with their leader on the bench? Simply by going on a 15-8 run to close out the action and win on the road to go 4-0 in the Big East.

Brandie Radde has productive game with five three-pointers and a career-high 19 points. (C-J photo)

The Cards jumped out to an early 6-0 lead after a Candyce Bingham jumper, and she increased that lead to 9-5 with a free throw at the 16:00 mark. The Bulls went on a run to grab the lead halfway through the 1st half 14-13 and led 23-21 with 4:20 left.

Brandie Radde time. Hello, Cardinal run.

The Niles, Michigan junior guard drilled three trifectas and the Cards went on a 17-1 run to close out the first half, up 38-24. Bingham led the Cards scorers with 13 points and Radde added 11. There were six lead changes in the first half before UofL’s big half closing run. Louisville’s trapping defense and keeping the Bulls out of their rapid-fire three-point attack was the key. McCoughtry had eight first half points but was frustrated with three first half fouls.

Louisville increased the lead to 48-30 after another Radde three with 15 minutes to go. It was the largest lead the Cards would enjoy. A Bulls run over the next three minutes would cut the margin to 50-42. The teams exchanged baskets over the next four minutes until the phantom McCoughtry foul.

Radde led the Cards with a career high 19 points, making five three-pointers. Candyce Bingham doubled with 16 points and 10 boards. Angel left the game with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Despite a sloppy, turnover filled start, Dez Byrd scored six of her eight points in the final 3:47.

A good Big East road win for the Cards despite spotty play at times. Tiera Stephen provided good relief for the struggling Byrd in the first half, but the Cards’ centers Hines and Gwen Rucker could only manage five points and nine fouls between them.

Louisville faces Georgetown Saturday at 4 p.m. in the nation’s capitol.

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15,323 See Lady Cards Nip Rutgers, 64-59

Editor’s Note: You know the game is going to be special when the Freedom Hall lobby is brimming with people an hour and a half before the Louisville-Rutgers women’s basketball game. No. 10 Cards vs. No. 17 Scarlet Knights.  A total of 15,323 spectators, the third largest crowd in local women’s basketball history.  Here’s Sonja’s take on a memorable game:

By Sonja Sykes

This could be the way the rest of the Big East season goes for Angel McCoughtry and the Lady Cards: Surviving at the foul line and battling on the boards. It worked, with Louisville taking Rutgers’ best shots and bruising counter punches en route to a signature win.

McCoughtry, never better thank you, with a total of 31 points.

Angel McCoughtry collects 31 points (UofLsports.com photo)

McCoughtry scored the Cards’ first 12 points, and it looked like the rout was on, with the Cards up 12-2 with eight minutes left in the first half.  Rutgers wasn’t ready to pack the bags, however.

When you can’t defend them, foul them. That’s exactly the philosophy Rutgers employed the remainder of the first half, holding the score to 26-14 at intermission.  Angel finished the first 20 minutes with 14 points. No other Card had more than four. Jeff Walz, livid at times with the Cards execution and the officiating, played nine players and ordered multiple sets.  But Rutgers’ sticky defense and solid rebounding gave UofL few open looks or second chance opportunities.

You figured the Scarlet Knights would make a run on the Cards eventually, and they did in the second half, with a 13-3 blitz over the first 5:50 minutes to close the gap to 29-27. The Cards struggled against a trapping Rutgers press, but stretched their lead to 36-28 with eight minutes left.

Lady Cards huddle with Jeff Walz before thwarting Rutgers' late charge. (Photo by John Wieland)

Rutgers roared back, cutting the lead to two before an Angel drive gave the Cards a 44-40 advantage with 6:40 left.  Rutgers would get no closer the rest of the way, despite the efforts of Epiphanny Prince and Kia Vaughn who finished with 29 and 15 points, respectively.  The Cards protected their lead from the foul stripe the rest of the way, leading by nine at 55-46 with 1:45 to go after a Keisha Hines free throw, her only point of the game.

Give Rutgers credit for the aggressive defense and the spectacular guard play from Prince. The trapping full court press stymied and slowed the Cards over the last 12 minutes of the game. Fouling McCoughtry and making her score from the line was fairly successful as well, the senior going 13-20 from the line. Louisville was 32 of 42 from the stripe, Rutgers 9 of 17.

Give Louisville credit for going toe to toe with the bigger, more physical Knights and not backing down but getting knocked down more than against any opponent this year. Louisville actually won the rebounding battle by one, and committed only 19 fouls compared to Rutgers 30.

The Cards will need to work on overcoming the full court press after made baskets, allowing the Scarlet Knights to score numerous times with their turnovers and sloppy passes. They also had no answer for 6-foot-4 Vaughn who was her own worst enemy with several missed shots from close range.

Now 3-0 in Big East play and 16-1 overall, the Cards return to action Wednesday on the road at South Florida.

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Angel Guides Lady Cards Past Alabama, 73-56

By Sonja Sykes

Sometimes, it’s good to have an Angel looking over your shoulder. So it was for the Lady Cards Friday night, who used the senior wing to defeat Alabama 73-56. Angel also became the leading rebounder in Lady Cards’ history, grabbing nine boards to go with her 28 points.

UofLSports.com Photo

“It’s a great honor to have both those records,” said McCoughtry, who set the all-time career scoring mark earlier this season. “I guess it shows that hard work pays off. It means a lot to me. I just try to go out and be the best I can be.”

The final score was a little misleading. Alabama kept it close in the first 20 minutes, and the Cards only led by seven, at 35-28.

In his post game interview, Walz related that he preached the need for the Cards to concentrate on proper execution in the second half. But it backfired early and Bama trimmed the lead to 37-33 early in the final 20 minutes.

Just when you thought the Cards were on the ropes, Louisville’s senior All-American took flight. The Tide forced the Louisville into an out-of-bounds possession with one second on the clock, but a quick pass to McCoughtry led to a deep desperation three that beat the buzzer and swished the nets. Louisville used it to go on a 19-3 run over the next seven minutes and led 56-36 with 10 minutes to go.

The Lady Cards play Nevada at 11 o’clock tonight

Candyce Bingham joined Angel in double figures, dropping 12 points and 10 boards on the Tide.  Laura Terry, who injured a knee Tuesday night against Utah did not play for the Cards. How long she’ll be out isn’t certain yet.

With Terry out, Coach Jeff Walz made extensive use of the five freshmen on the roster. Monique Reid gave the Cards eight points and four rebounds in 20 minutes. Janae Howard and Becky Burke added six points each to the Cards effort. Sophomore Dez Byrd logged 33 minutes of playing time for the Cards but managed only two points.

The Cards play Nevada, winner over Northern Iowa, in the final of the Nugget Classic tonight at 11 o’clock.

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