Burke, Shoni lead Cards to win over Pilots

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SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Aggressive defense the key in 71-42 Lady Cards win

-BIG EAST WBB Saturday results.

The University of Louisville's womens' basketball team started their two game west coast swing with an easy victory over the University of Portland Pilots yesterday in front of 3211 fans...mostly clad in red and cheering for the Lady Cards. For Louisville (10-2) the usual suspects showed up...Becky Burke going five for nine from the deep and leading all scorers with 17 points. Shoni stepping up strong in the second half with three threes and 14 points for the game.

The Cards did not start out like the #14 team in the nation, however. They battled back and forth with the pesky Pilots for the first five minutes of the contest ...trailing 10-8. Portland's zone was giving Louisville trouble and only Bria Smith was looking like she was ready to play...with five of Louisville's points.

Then, the Cards got untracked. Whatever jet lag might have been in play quickly disappeared when Shawnta Dyer scored in the paint to tie it at 10. That was followed by four straight points from Asia Taylor and a second Burke three of the first half had Louisville up 17-10 with 13 minutes left. After a Portland hoop, Burke drilled another trifecta, Jude Schimmel connected on a jumper and cashed in a free throw and Shoni's first score of the afternoon (a three - what else?) had Louisville up 26-12 near the halfway mark of the first half. Portland was in trouble...could not score against the Cardinal defense pressure...and the Lady Cards were effectively shutting down the Pilots leading scorer Natalie Day. The 18-2 run over five minutes had propelled Louisville into a 14 point advantage.

Things didn't get any better for UofP. After managing a couple of free throws...the Lady Cards took off on a 14-2 run over the final seven minutes...five different Cardinals contributing to the scoring action. Louisville held a 40-16 halftime lead.

Portland had four free throws but no baskets in the final 12:41 of the half. 

Louisville was shooting a red-hot 52%. Bria Smith paced the Lady Cards with nine first half points.

The Cards continued their mastery in the final twenty. Threes by Shoni, Burke and Shoni again had the Cards up 49-20. Another Shoni three gave Louisville their largest lead of the game...57-24 with 14:55 left. The two teams played on a pretty even keel after that...Portland actually outscoring the Lady Cards 18-14 the rest of the way...

Natalie Day recovered from her scoreless first half to end up with 14 second half points. ReZina Teclemariam (trying saying her name fast five times...) also hit double figures for the Pilots with 11.

Walz played multiple combination over the final twelve minutes...Sara Hammond, Dyer, Cierra Warren, Vails and Burke all scoring over the final 12:05. 

All 11 available for Louisville played and all of them scored. Burke was high scorer with 17, Shoni added 14 and Smith had nine points...all in the first half. Shawnta Dyer followed with eight, Antonita Slaughter and Jude with five each, Asia Taylor ended up with four points, Hammond three and Sherrone Vails, Shelby Harper and Cierra Warren contributed two each.

Slaughter led the Cards with eight grabs and Bria Smith followed with seven. Burke distributed a team high five assists...no Cardinals fouled out and Smith pilfered three steals.

The Cards outshot the Pilots 45.6% to 28%. Louisville was an unusually high 10-30 from three point range for 33.3%...Shoni trying an arm weary 13 and hitting four. The Cards won the rebounding battle 43-29. Louisville did commit 23 turnovers...one less than the Pilots.

Walz distributed the minutes fairly evenly...no Lady Card getting more than 30 (Shoni) or less than seven (Harper). Monique Reid was in attendance in street clothes and on crutches. No immediate timetable has been set for Mo's return and UofL is expected to release more information on the extent of her injury and the MRI results of the knee on Monday.

A good afternoon for seeing family and friends for the Schimmel's.  A winning, workman-like effort for the team. Second half play got sloppy and disjointed at times and the Cards did go for five minutes plus with only one score...but when you're up 30...does it really matter?

THINGS WE LIKED ABOUT THE GAME

-THE FIRST HALF from Bria Smith. She's settling in well to her starter role at guard and was the only Louisville offense for the first four + minutes of the game. We hope those skills continue to grow.

-Louisville fans (Rez Version). Just an incredible turnout to travel in by bus and car across the state to put 3211 in a gym against a team that averages around 500-600 a game. Watching it on "Pilot-Vision" ...it was obvious that there were a lot of youth in attendance, they were smiling and happy and Shoni, Jude and the team were "mobbed" (as PDX Phil described in yesterday's comments) by their adoring fans. 

-Jude Awakening. She produced 21 minutes of stable basketball yesterday, sharing the court at times with Shoni. Her numbers...five points on 2-6 shooting, three rebounds, no fouls, three assists, two steals and (a team high) five turnovers. Still plenty of things to work on...but she's getting better each game and you can see her confidence level rising. 

THINGS TO WORK ON:

-Serving up turnovers. It's was an afternoon game, so no pastries were needed...but the Cards coughed it up 23 times against a 5-7 team and gave up 17 steals...five each by Day and ball-hawking guard Alexis Byrd. I know, I get it...what does it matter in a 29 point blowout? We'll see if these numbers get better against Washington St. on Monday. 

-Sloppy ending. Coach Walz will tell you he has no "mop up" squad and that he evaluates just the same whether the team is up by twenty or down by two. His evaluations of the final seven minutes of this one probably didn't warrant any medals of bravery or honor, standing ovations or shouts of "Bravo!". At least Sara Hammond and Cierra Warren got to work together for a good while. The frustration of both in the paint is still very obvious though...Sara still foul prone and Cierra still needing to just learn and go back up with the ball instead of flashing, dashing, dancing in the paint and trying fall away hook shots.  

Louisville travels to Pullman, WA. next for a late one against Washington State.

9 p.m. tip E.S.T. A Native American Appreciation Night promotion and tons of Cardinal fans / Schimmel fans are expected to attend this one, too.

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BIG EAST WBB went 4-2 in Saturday action.

-- St. John's handling Prairie View A&M 66-50

--Cincinnati falling to Miami (OH) 74-69

--West Virginia dropping a close one to Duquense 61-55

--USF romping Maryland Eastern-Shores 71-50

--Seton Hall getting the win over Stonybrook in convinving fashion 65-30

--...and the Cards with the 71-42 win at Portland.

Four games on tap for Sunday...and two great matchups. Notre Dame hosting UK at noon and Connecticut travels to Baylor to meet the Bears. Rutgers plays Iona and a interesting matchup with Georgetown and Xavier doing battle.

UK and Notre Dame on ESPNU...UCONN and Baylor on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. 
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Knowing the foe...UK coach Matthew Mitchell and his team

THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:


-Jenny previews the Lady Kats

-What we know...so far...on game viewing via Television

-Mitchell leads undefeated Wildcats with his "winning tools" philosophy

Dunlap was a star at UK

The Lady Cards (7-1) head into Sunday's competition against the Lady Cats (7-0) to face a team that lost its best player to graduation and the WNBA last season. Victoria Dunlap was the 11th. pick in the WNBA Draft in 2011.

Rest assured, though, the Cats have plenty of weapons to bring to the court.

The Cats play in Memorial Coliseum, which seats around 9000. So far, Kentucky has played one road game, and six in Memorial. Average attendance thus far is 4568. Sunday's game is a sell out. With twice the usual turnout for the UofL game...how many in the crowd will be rooting for Louisville? The Lady Cards are no stranger to playing in front of 9000+ fans, the question is how will Kentucky react to the sudden influx of people?

Samarie Walker will have an impact at UK.

The Cats have picked up two transfers. De Nesha Stallworth transferred from California and will sit out the 2011-12 season. Samarie Walker came in from UConn last year and will be eligible to play at the end of the semester. Both girl play in the post and UK will likely benefit greatly when Walker eventually gets onto the court.

Jennifer O'Neill is a sophomore guard who is currently recovering from a toe/foot injury. She's a sharp-shooting, All-American...whose presence on the court improves the Cats long range bombing threat. Currently practicing with the team, from what I've heard, she's a hopeful return for them in mid-December. Like Louisville, UK has had to deal with injuries and ineligibility's this year..

The Wildcats are very similar to the Lady Cards - they are a high pressure, defensive oriented squad. Lots of high energy and they like to apply the full court press. Capable of creating a high amount of opponent turnovers. They create an average of 35.7 turnovers a game...17.8 of those coming from steals. This is a high-pressure defense. Repeat...35.7 turnovers created a game...this is NOT a typo.

One would think with a turnover number so high...there would be a lot of fouls. Not so. Once once this year has a UK player fouled out. UK also finds their way to the line. They are averaging 26.7 free throws a contest and making 16.8..which is a less than spectacular 63%.

Offensively, the Lady Cats are distributing the ball very, very well. Amber Smith and A'dia Mathies are the leaders here. UK averages 17 assists per game. With a heavy guard lineup - sometimes starting four guards a game- they can move and shoot the ball rapidly. They've been scoring a lot of points and their smallest margin of victory has been 18. Their shooting can take a night off, though...failures to convert on layups and around the rim. 

Adia Mathies played her high school
ball at Iroquois High School.

To prepare for this game, Louisville head coach Jeff Walz will take Louisville, KY native and Iroquois High School guard A'dia Mathies heavily into account. The junior entered the season as the leading returning scorer with 16.3 ppg.  The Lady Cards will have to take A'dia out of the game offensively to take home a win.

Keyla Snowden is another talented UK guard. The senior comes off the bench and can put up big-time numbers when she's hot. Sophomore center Samantha Drake is also putting up some respectable numbers. Meagan Conwright, Kastine Evans and Bria Goss are also serious scoring threats. The firepower is there. Containing UK's guards will be Louisville's biggest challenge. Like Louisville, they're deep in that department, so stopping them will be no small feat.

Of the UK freshmen, Bria Goss is the most touted. From Indianapolis, she was Indiana's Miss Basketball in 2011 and was the Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year. Azia Bishop has tremendous ability and unbelievable potential. Bra'Shey Ali rounds out the freshman class and is a combo guard that head coach Matthew Mitchell states is the most aggressive ball defender on the team.

Samantha Drake played at Nelson County

What appears to be the greatest weakness for the Lady Cats, presently, is the inside game. They are young in this area and currently do not have a great deal of depth. Drake usually gets the nod at center...but admittedly needs to work on her strength and finishing around the rim. Drake is 6'3" and averages 8.6 grabs per game. She is the only true center currently on the roster. Mitchell speaks very highly of freshman Azia Bishop and the potential there. She could be a very good paint player as she adjusts to the college game and logs more minutes. The Cats will greatly benefit when Walker joins the team for the SEC schedule. Exploiting the current lack of depth in the paint will be a key to victories over the Cats by Louisville and other opponents. 

Jenny put a lot of time and research
into her breakdown of UK. Good job!

Kentucky has had decisive victories every game this season. They have been putting up big offensive numbers and the margin of victory large. They force an incredible amount of turnovers. Their effort this year, so far, has been very good and deserves respect. That being said, they haven't played a top ranked team yet. Louisville will be the first top-10 opponent UK has faced this year. Additionally, they have not faced the rigors or stress of playing back-to-back away games. Their only away game was at Morehead, about an hour from the UK Campus. A soft schedule, good results and they'll face numerous challenges from the road-tested, multi-talented Lady Cards.

I will share my thoughts on how Louisville wins this top-ten matchup and Battle for the Bluegrass tomorrow. Stay tuned!

-Jenny O' Bryan, CARDINAL COUPLE correspondent.

(Thanks for the informative and detailed information of "our next non-conference opponent", Jenny!  After reading Jenny's comprehensive report, I feel like I could go suit up and shut down the UK offensive attack. Okay, maybe a bad idea...)

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In case you are unable to attend Sunday, here's the TV info we have. FOX SPORTS SOUTH will have the broadcast. Here's the channel information we have here in the Louisville area.

Insight: Channel 70 or 35-8 for those without a box

DirecTV: Channel 646

Dish: Channel 420

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The year was 2007. Mickie DeMoss had resigned as UK head women's basketball coach and Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart needed to move quickly to quiet the buzz surrounding UK women's basketball and speculation about the successor. Turns out his answer and hire were about an hour away on I-64 East...Morehead State head coach Matthew Mitchell.

The UK WBB squad now plays their home games
(for the most part) in 9,000 seat Memorial Coliseum.
Unless it's Duke...who UK may even hate more
than the Cards. Christian Laettner, anyone?

Mitchell was no stranger to the program. He had been an assistant under DeMoss at UK before accepting the Eagles' job. The job was his if he wanted it, and he did.

In his first year as Lady Wildcats skipper, he coached the team to a 17-16 record. They finished fourth in the SEC with a 8-6 performance. He drew 10,000 into Rupp Arena to watch his team play Angel McCoughtry and the Lady Cards...Louisville winning their fourth straight in the series...a Cardinal team coached by a young, first year coach named Jeff Walz. Later in the season, he got the Lady Kats to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament and won two games in the WNIT before bowing out to eventual champ Marquette.

2008-09 was about the same. A 16-16 mark, another loss to Louisville, this time in Freedom Hall...another trip to the WNIT and a second round loss. He was building the program his way, though...utilizing his "winning tools" philosophy - honesty, hard work and discipline. 

Mitchell is in his 5th year
as UK WBB head coach.

In 2009-10, the philosophy and the rebuilding paid off. Mitchell was named SEC Coach of the Year and his Lady Kats posted a 28-8 record and 2nd place finish in the SEC. A powerful but undersized center named Victoria Dunlap and lightning-quick guard out of Louisville named A'dia Mathies had the Kats rolling and they made it to the NCAA Tournament. They blew out a hobbled Jeff Walz Lady Cards team in Memorial Coliseum by 34 points.

Last year, the Lady Kats returned to the "Big Dance" and complied a 25-9 mark and second place finish in the SEC. They were the #4 seed in their NCAA Region and advanced to the second round. They were handled by a fired up Louisville team in a sold-out, 22,152 attending KFC YUM! Arena crowd by 26 points during the regular season...an all-time high attendance figure for Lady Cards basketball.  

Mitchell is 7-0 this year and he's fourth on the all-time list of winning-ist UK women's basketball head coaches with a record of 92-49. His team is fast and talented, they score early and often and the game Sunday will be a fun chess match to watch between two brilliant strategists. Even though the Lady Kats have been "filling up on creme puffs" so far this year...they'll be pumped up to sit down for a full-course meal with the Cards.
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