Coach Jeff Walz found the fight he was looking for out of the Louisville women’s basketball team. Now the Cardinals just need to find how to finish.
No. 21 UofL wasn’t looking for, nor did it try to claim a moral victory for hanging close in its 79-77 loss to No. 3 South Carolina. But something clearly changed with the Cardinals with how they competed Thursday.
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They realized it en route to forging a five-point lead, their largest of the game, with 4:23 left. They were on the verge of victory — until they weren’t — as the Gamecocks went on a 10-2 run to take the lead and hold on in the ACC/SEC Challenge.
Taj Roberts, who led the Cards with 20 points, had a chance to give the Cards the lead late, but her 3-pointer with four seconds left clanked off the rim.
“We knew we had to come out there and give those fans what they’ve been looking for all season and just to show we belong,” said UofL guard Reyna Scott, who had 15 points and four assists off the bench. “Like we’re here. We’re here now.”
UofL squared up with South Carolina in ways that it just didn’t in its previous two games against top-20 teams. The Cards were overwhelmed from the tip and trailed by 16 in their season-opening 79-66 loss to No. 1 UConn. They were bullied by then-No. 18 Kentucky into scoring a paltry six points the third quarter of their 72-62 loss.
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There was no backing down Thursday night at the KFC Yum! Center.
Despite being outsized, they consistently challenged the Gamecocks’ 6-foot-5 center Adhel Tac and her 6-6 backup Madina Okot in the lane in totaling 30 points in the paint.
UofL forward Elif Istanbulluoglu in particular epitomized their fearless effort, setting a career high with 15 points and adding a team-high nine rebounds. Istanbulluoglu, a career 20% shooter from 3-point range, shot with the confidence that belied the stats, also tying a career best with two makes.
“It’s giving us more confidence and strength because we know we’re right there,” Istanbulluoglu said. “This is going to push us more.”
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Scott was moved out of the starting lineup to give the Cards more size. She responded by tying her career-high scoring.
Wing Skylar Jones came off the bench for 12 points, scoring double figures for the first time since netting a career-high 21 points against Colorado on Nov. 12.
Sophomore forward Anaya Hardy, who wasn’t quite ready to contribute in a marquee game and did not play in the opener against UConn, made her first career start Thursday. The 6-foot-3 Detroit native responded with a solid outing, sprinkling six points and five rebounds against that vaunted South Carolina frontcourt.
“There’s no question about it, if we can give this effort every night, I like my chances,” Walz said. “It’s not going to mean we’re going to win every game, but I think we’ll have a fighting chance.”
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They will especially in an ACC that looks a lot more wide open than in the preseason. Duke and N.C. State, which were ranked in the preseason as top-10 teams, have fallen out of the AP Top 25, and the Wolfpack is hanging on at No. 25 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
No. 10 North Carolina and No. 19 Notre Dame are the only other ranked teams, so there really isn’t a clear-cut dominant force in the league.
The Cards took their loss to South Carolina but left the game knowing they learned how to fight. That may be a lesson that can change the projection of the rest of the season.
Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at clbrown1@gannett.com, follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest to make sure you never miss one of his columns.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville WBB displays fight, toughness vs South Carolina Gamecocks
