No, Mariya Moore isn’t an Angel McCoughtry or Shoni Schimmel, at least not yet. She will, however, be considered in that elite company before she graduates from the University of Louisville.
The 6-foot freshman forward is still feeling her way, getting the job done in a variety of ways. Nothing flashy, just contributing in a 64-57 win over North Carolina State.
Leading the team in points with 17, hitting nine of 12 free throws on a night while her teammates were connecting on four of 11 attempts, and turning a game-high nine rebounds to go with four steals and four assists.
Louisville would jump out to 28-6 lead in the first after scoring 20 straight points, only to see the lead whittled to four points at 55-51 with under four minutes remaining.
Moore would calmly sink two free throws at that point, steal the ball a couple of possessions later, make a lay up and a jumper over the next couple of minutes to seal the win.
Good night for Sara Hammond, too, with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Teaming up with Moore for eight straight UofL points during that decisive spurt.
The fourth-ranked Louisville women are 16-1 overall, 4-0 in the ACC, with Virginia (12-4) coming to the KFC Yum! Center at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Moore has the worst looking shot but gets results. What a knack she has for getting the ball to a teammate quickly in the right spot. I wish the other players had that ability. She just zips it.