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Lexington, KY -- The top-seeded Louisville Cardinals are moving on to the Elite Eight after defeating the Stanford Cardinal, 86 - 59.
The fourth-seeded Stanford Cardinal, led by legendary head coach Tara VanDerveer, came into its 11th consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearance motivated. It was also Stanford’s third straight appearance in the Lexington Regional. In the last two years, the Cardinal knocked off top-seeded Notre Dame to advance to the Final Four. This year, the Cardinals of Louisville were too much to handle.
Similar to last year, Stanford was behind at the half, 42 - 31. A team known for making comebacks, the Cardinal could not make the adjustments it needed it in the second half. Head coach Tara VanDerveer credits Louisville’s physicality for causing issues.
”I thought they were extremely aggressive, and they were quick to the ball,” she said. “A lot of times -- they were just more physical. You know, just sometimes you kind of just get kind of put on your heels right away, and I don’t think we recovered very well.”
The matchup was probably Louisville’s most physical outing of the season. The Cardinals battled for everything. The late start - at 9:52 PM - had no effect on Louisville as the Cardinals’ starters picked up 73 of Louisville’s total 86 points.
Led by junior guard - and leading scorer - Asia Durr, Louisville picked apart everything Stanford threw at them. In the first half alone, the UL forced 12 turnovers. They were able to control the offensive glass, pulling down eight offensive boards and tallied 10 second-chance points.
Louisville continued its dominance in the second half, outscoring Stanford 44 - 28 in the final two frames. Defensively, the Cardinals were locked in, forcing 19 turnovers, while only committing two turnovers itself in that second half.
”If you’re not playing them, I think you could really enjoy watching them play,” VanDerveer said. “They pass the ball well, they shoot the ball well. They work hard on defense. They’re extremely physical, as our players pointed out. A very well-coached team and a very unselfish team. They score well together.”
Louisville’s performance - from start to finish - was indicative of its family mentality.
”I’ve got a group of young women that have bought into that.” Coach Walz said. “I mean, they’re great to be around. It’s really hard to tell when someone has had a bad day on our team. And you have them. But everybody doesn’t have to know. And I commend them for that, and I think that’s why they enjoy playing with each other as much as they do.”
Louisville advances to its fourth Elite Eight under Coach Walz and second in four years.
Top Scorers:
Louisville had four players collect double-digits: Asia Durr led all scorers with 24 points and five assists. Myisha Hines-Allen eclipsed 2,000 career points for her career picking up 17 in the match. Arica Carter notched 13 points and Jazmine Jones added 10 points.
For Stanford, two players racked up double-figures: Brittany McPhee paced the Cardinal with 15 points and six boards, while DiJonai Carrington added 14 points.
Next Up:
The top-seeded Louisville Cardinals will face the six seeded Oregon State Beavers on Sunday at Noon. The two will battle for a Regional Title and a trip to Columbus, Ohio for the Final Four.