Louisville defeats Pitt in overtime 71-66

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 GAME REPORT...Louisville vs. Pitt

-Cards rally to force overtime

-BIG EAST Tuesday Night results

-Early Kentucky Derby peek


 The Lady Cards came from seven down with 3:32 left in the game tonight and forced a 60-60 overtime...taking the Panthers in the extra session 71-66. Not a spectacular or impressive win by Louisville tonight, but a win against an inspired Pitt women's basketball team and a clutch effort by Shoni and Slaughter to secure it.

Shoni finished with sixteen to lead four Lady Cards in double figures. Her seven straight near the end of the game were key in getting the Cards back in the contest. Here we go...

Starters:  Shoni, Taylor, Vails, Smith and Burke

BB was hot
early vs. Pitt.

Pitt opened the scoring with a Ashlee Anderson three. She wasn't done by any stretch of the imagination. Louisville took off on a 10-2 run after that, though, and led 10-5 after Becky Burke nailed her second 3-pointer of the night. It was the second of four from her for the evening.

Pitt rallied back and tied it at 10-10 after a Leeza Burdgess jumper with 14:06 to go. A inside score from Shawnta Dyer and a Nita Slaughter three gave Louisville a 18-13 lead and Dyer connected again in the paint to make it 20-15 Lady Cards with 10:53 remaining. Pitt rallied to get within one at 20-19...but a three from Shoni and two Sherrone Vails layups off passes from Shoni had Louisville up 27-19 with 5:54 left in the half.

Vails second layup was the last basket of the half for the Lady Cards.

Agnus Berenato had
Pitt prepared for
the Lady Cards

Pitt would out-score Louisville 8-3 the rest of the way...the Cardinals getting a free throw from Burke at the 5 minute mark and two from Slaughter with 57 seconds left in the first twenty minutes to make it 30-25 Cards. Brianna Kiesel scored on a put-back to end the first half scoring and Louisville went to the locker room up 30-27.

Burke's 10 points...nine of them on 3-3 three point shooting led Louisville. Only four other Cards scored in the first half...Vails with six, Slaughter and Shoni with five each and Dyer getting four. All but Shelby played. Louisville was out rebounded by seven in the first half and was definitely having trouble stopping Pitt on the offensive boards. 

The Cards also needed to find a way to get the ball through the net from the floor to begin the second half. It looked like they might have found the answer early...as Vails and Shoni scored early to put Louisville up 34-27. Pitt roared back, though, and a Dowd 3 made it a two point game at 37-35 with 16:32 remaining. 

Sho-time magic late
in the second half
for the Lady Cards

Pitt would tie the game at 41-41 on another Kiesel score...part of a 6-0 run that had the Panthers ahead 45-41 after Ashlee Anderson hit a jumper with 10:02 remaining. A Shoni score got Louisville within two...but the Lady Cards could only muster three free throws in the next four minutes and Pittsburgh led 53-46 with 3:32 remaining. 

The Cards went to work. Two Dyer free throws, followed by two Bria Smith free throws got Louisville within three. It was Pitt 55-50, though, with 2:43 remaining and Louisville needed a scorer and a spark.

It became "Sho" time.

Shoni's jumper cut it to three. A Shoni three after a steal made it 55-55. Her third basket in a row capped a 7-0 Schimmel run and Louisville had regained the lead 57-55. Louisville fouled Burgess on a made basket, though, and her free throw gave Pitt a 58-57 advantage with 1:22 left.

I can do some pretty good
shootin' myself, dag nabbit!!

A Slaughter free throw tied it at 58-58 but she missed the second one. Slaughter then fouled Kyra Dunn with 27 seconds left and she sank both shots for a 60-58 Pitt lead. Slaughter to the rescue, though...she tied it with a jumper at the 16 second mark. Pitt had a chance to score at the buzzer, but Bria Smith partially blocked a Kiesel desperation heave and regulation ended at 60-60.

Anderson scored to start the overtime but Slaughter returned the favor with a jumper. She connected again with 3:25 left in the overtime to make it 64-62 Louisville. Kiesel put Pitt ahead with a 3-pointer at the 2:52 mark. Bria Smith drove and scored on the next possession, though, to give Louisville a 66-65 lead. An Anderson free throw tied it at 66-66 with 2:14 left. She had missed two charity tosses two seconds earlier...but grabbed her own rebound and got fouled again....making one out of two the second time around.  

Shawnta Dyer put the Cards ahead to stay with a free throw at the 2:13 mark. Then Bria Smith scored on a drive to the basket to give the Lady Cards a 69-66 lead and 1:30 to go. 
Pitt would not score again and Anderson fouled Burke - who cashed in two free throws with 16 seconds left for the final....71-66.

Cards win! Cards win! 

The Irish are next for
the Lady Cards on
Monday, 2 p.m.

Louisville played their way out of a very embarrassing potential situation...narrowly avoiding the loss to conference winless Pittsburgh. The Lady Cards got it done when it needed to be accomplished - getting 18 of their final 21 points from Slaughter, Smith and Shoni. 

They kept Pittsburgh scoreless in the final 2:13 of overtime - Smith and Shoni doing the job on defense against Anderson (who fouled out with 16 seconds left) and Kiesel.  

Sophomore Schimmel ended with 16 and was joined in double figures by Slaughter(15), Burke (15) and Dyer, who had 11 points and 13 rebounds. Vails ended up with eight and Smith six. Bria's points all in the final three minutes of the second half and overtime. Taylor, Hammond, Jude and Shelby Harper played but did not score. 

Pitt got 22 each from guards Kiesel and Anderson. They're a freshman and a sophomore and they were spectacular tonight for Agnus Berenado's Panthers tonight.

So, the Lady Cards survive on the road. Eight conference wins now, a number that Coach Walz feels will get them in the NCAA Tournament. 

Six days to prepare for Notre Dame. Based on tonight's hap-hazard performance, they'll need those days. We're very proud of the way the Cards fought back tonight and got a come-from-behind win in front of anywhere from 500-1555 in attendance (depending on whose numbers you want to adhere to). The Louisville swimming and diving team - competing in the BIG EAST Tournament in Pittsburgh was there, helping boosting the number and providing vocal support.

This was an ugly game. An effort like this against the Irish and the #4 team in the nation will wipe the floor with the Lady Cards. But, it's a "W" and this is the BIG EAST, where anything can happen.

We wonder if the BIG 12 will be like this?

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In other BIG EAST WBB Tuesday action:

--Georgetown got 17 points from Sugar, Sugar and gained a road win over Villanova 60-54. Sweeney finished with 16 for 'Nova.

--Norte Dame defended Purcell Pavillion with a 66-47 win over Providence. Skylar Diggins with 19 for the Irish, Rachel Barnes earned 16 for the Friars. Notre Dame was 1-5 from 3-point range in this one.

--USF travelled to Milwaukee and knocked off the Marquette Golden Eagles 61-48. They held Katherine Plouffe to single digits and "the Russian Rocket" Inga Orekhova had 14 for Jose Fernandez crew. Sasha Bernard contributed 10 for the Bulls.

Only one BIG EAST match-up for Wednesday night...but it should be a great one...Rutgers and WVU in Morgantown.

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We like our buddy J.J.'s blog on horseracing. In the money.

J.J knows horses. Way better than
we do.

She put up her weekly entry yesterday and it is chock full of great information about the three year olds. GIve it a click.

http://www.lyricalshadow.blogspot.com/

Tell her how much you like it. She offers some great insights into the "sport of Kings" and posts (for now) weekly.

We think you should go over there and read it if you have an interest in thoroughbred racing. She covers the best three year olds all around the nation this week and there is some very good information and insights about the "road to the roses" for the contenders.
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