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COLUMBUS, OHIO— It’s Asia Durr’s world, and we’re just living in it.
No. 9 Louisville topped No. 5 Ohio State on Sunday evening in an overtime thriller, 95-90, thanks to some otherworldly play from Durr. She ended the evening with a program single-game record 47 points on 16-of-29 shooting that also included a career-high nine 3-pointers.
Overall, the game was pretty much what people expected, in that it was close for most of the evening with four ties and seven lead changes and incredibly fast-paced for the duration. With five seconds left to go in regulation, OSU standout (and preseason Big Ten player of the year) Kelsey Mitchell hit a free throw to send the game into overtime.
With under four minutes to go in the extra frame, Durr hit a jumper to give the Cardinals an 84-83 lead. She followed that up the following possession with a 3-pointer that firmly kept the lead in Louisville’s favor over the final 2:45.
But just how important was she to the Cardinals’ victory down the stretch? In the final stanza, Durr scored 13 of Louisville’s 15 points.
Durr was dominant from the opening tip. In the first quarter, she hit four 3-pointers and helped Louisville jump out to an 8-3 lead. At halftime, she had 17 points as Louisville clung to a one-point lead, 41-40.
In the third quarter, she scored 15 of Louisville’s first 17 points, helping them go up by as many as 12 at various points throughout the frame.
The Buckeyes would not go away, however, especially considering the fact that they were playing on their home court. Mitchell, who ended the game with a team-high 26 points, eight assists and six rebounds, scored 15 points in the fourth quarter alone and hit four 3-pointers.
While Mitchell missed her second free throw after being fouled near the mid-court line with five seconds remaining, her first make was ultimately what sent the game into overtime.
But as superb as Mitchell was, Durr would not be denied for the Cardinals. Overall, her play was fearless and confident. The ACC preseason player of the year spared no expense in leading her team to victory.
But other than Durr’s performance, the other big factor in Louisville’s win was them cleaning up on the glass. They outrebounded the Buckeyes 47-29 and recorded 15 second-chance points as a result.
Myisha Hines-Allen recorded a double-double with 14 points and 15 of those 47 rebounds. Sam Fuehring had 12 points while Jazmine Jones ended the game with 10.
For OSU, Linnae Harper had 21 points and seven boards while Asia Doss had 19 points and five 3-pointers.
Louisville is now 2-0 on the year and will face off against the defending MAC Champion Toledo Rockets on Tuesday. The Buckeyes fall to 1-1 and will play Idaho on Wednesday.