Had Briahanna Jackson been around those final 14 seconds, there may have been a different outcome.

Sorry, not available, having just fouled out. Just not enough Briahanna to go around for the University of Louisville women’s basketball team in their final game of the 2015-26 season, a 73-72 loss to DePaul in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Briahanna Jackson keeps Louisville close.
Briahanna Jackson keeps UofL close.

Playing what may have been the finest all-around game in her college career, Jackson fouled out after tying the game 71-71 on a layup. She would commit her fifth foul on the inbounds pass, after helping UofL overcome a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Jackson became the go-to player for UofL with her teammate Myisha Hines-Allen blanketed by DePaul’s stifling defense. She would score 16 points in the second half, including two 3-pointers. She would wind up with 20 points to lead all Louisville scorers while claiming six rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Concluding a season with a lot of ups and downs for the junior guard after transferring to UofL from Central Florida. She had some adjustments to make after being all-everything at UCF, making some personal sacrifices for the sake of team ball. Near the end of the season, she would recover from a shooting slump and not wanting to take shots, to taking what the defense gave her, becoming a better player as a result. This will serve her and UofL well next season.

Myisha, meanwhile, fell just short of collecting another double-double, contributing 14 points and 9 rebounds. Unfortunately, she was the victim of a questionable charging call at the 2.3 second mark, giving the basketball and an NCAA victory to DePaul. One official deciding that the players wouldn’t decide this one.

Mariya Moore playing a gutsy game, also scoring 14 points  while pulling down 10 rebounds.

Quite a season-long learning experience for a young team, winning 25 of their last 29 games after starting the season 1-4. Finishing with a 26-8 won-loss record overall and 14-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

They will be back with a vengeance next season, with some significant reinforcements. Stronger and hungrier.

Share this

By Charlie Springer

Charlie Springer is a former Louisville editor and sportswriter, a public affairs consultant, a UofL grad and longtime fan.

One thought on “Briahanna at her best, but DePaul prevails over Louisville”

Comments are closed.