Despite 17 ‘sloppy’ miscues, Louisville thumps Toledo by 35

Louisville, KY -- The No. 5 Louisville Cardinals powered past the Toledo Rockets, 90-55, to advance to the semi-final of the WNIT.

Two Cardinals earned double-doubles in the matchup. Myisha Hines-Allen both racked up 17 points and 10 rebounds. While Asia Durr showed no signs of fatigue, knocking down a team-best three triples.

Louisville got off to a sluggish start, turning the ball over five times in the first period, three of which came from Durr. Toledo was able to convert the turnovers into five easy points.

"I don't think there was any fatigue about that, we just turned the ball over, we were sloppy," Coach Jeff Walz told the media.

Louisville shot 31% connecting on only five field goals. Lucky for Louisville, Toledo was not capitalizing on the Cardinals' woes. The Rockets, too, only connected on five field goals. A slow start for Louisville, the Cardinals still managed to outscore Toledo, 20-14.

Louisville overcame its offensive struggle in the second period. Durr's spectacular shooting sparked Louisville to rack up. At one point, the Cardinals connected on 9 field goals, including three triples, to turn a six-point lead into a 41-19 advantage with a little more than one minute remaining in the first half.

Louisville was able to effectively lock down defensively and control both the offensive and defensive glass. The Cardinals pulled down 14 rebounds, 10 of which were on the defensive end.

"We were being more aggressive," Myisha Hines-Allen told the media. "Looking inside and kicking the ball out, that really worked out for us."

At the half, the Cardinals led the Rockets, 43-25. Durr led Louisville with 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting, while Mariella Santucci paced Toledo with eight points.

Toledo came out of the half with a different attitude. The Rockets connected on 40% from the field. Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott was crucial for Toledo in the third period. Bravo-Harriott's ability to draw fouls allowed her to go 5-of-6 from the charity stripe.

Despite equaling Louisville with 19 points in the third, Louisville had already taken a large enough lead to secure the victory. The Cardinals led 62-44 going into the final period.

Jones controlled the final 10 minutes for Louisville going a perfect 3-of-3 from the field and knocking down 3-of-5 from the free throw line.

The Cardinals eventually wore down the Rockets, holding Toledo to just 27.8% from the field in the final period. Louisville outscored Toledo 28-11 in the final period on 61.5% shooting from the field and 73% from the charity stripe.

The Cardinals victory over Toledo secured a spot in the WNIT semi-finals for Louisville.

Top Scorers:

Louisville had three players notch double-figures: Myisha Hines-Allen and Jazmine Jones paced the Cardinals with 17 points and 10 rebounds apiece, while Asia Durr added 14 points.

For Toledo, Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott led the Rockets with 16 points, while Kaayla McIntyre racked up 14 points and two steals. Marielle Santucci rounded out the top scorers with 13 points.

Next Up:

The No. 5 Louisville Cardinals take on the No. 24 Michigan Wolverines in the WNIT semi-final on Thursday evening.

Toledo will return home to face Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday.