Louisville Edge Past Drake

No. 5 seed Louisville Cardinals women’s basketball team edged past the No. 12 seed Drake Bulldogs, 83-to-81, in a thrilling first round NCAA Tournament match-up.   The Cardinals hit four of the last five shots to seal the win in a game that had 14 ties and 12 lead changes. 

“I thought we competed. We played hard, and we had some – I thought nerves were a factor but now they have got one game under their belt, and hopefully we’ll see some huge improvements Monday night,” said Louisville head coach Jeff Walz.  

The Cardinals were led by guard Hailey Van Lith with 26 points, 3 assists and 1 rebound.  Mykasa Robinson connected on 14 points, with 7 assists and 5 rebounds.  Louisville relied heavily on its bench to put up 21 points. 

“We are trying to put the ball in Hailey (Van Lith)’s hand and Kas (Mykasa Robinson)’s hands at the end of a ballgame,” said Walz. 

Louisville converted on 52% from the field, and 30% from distance, and 74% from the charity strip.  Drake did slightly better, connecting on 52% from the field, 47% from beyond the arc, and 79% from the free throw line

Louisville, however, played the more physical game, committing 23 fouls to Drake’s 15.  The Cardinals were also more aggressive on fast breaks, better the Bulldogs 17-to-4. 

Five Bulldogs scored in double-digits, led by Katie Dinnebier with 20 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds.  Anna Miller and Grace Berg put up 17 points.  Sara Beth Gueldner  and Courtney Becker each added 11. 

Louisville plays the winner of the match-up between the Texas Longhorns and the East Carolina Pirates on Monday evening at the Moody Center.