Thursday Cardinal Couple -- Louisville WBB romps EKU 76-42

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THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Schimmel's with 12 each in 32-point UofL win

-Volleyball tonight!

With 1:25 to go in the first half of the UofL women's basketball game Wednesday night, it was Louisville 33-Bryant 9. Yes, I know Louisville was playing Eastern Kentucky and no...it's not a misprint. EKU guard Jalisa Bryant had all nine of the Colonels points...on three three-pointers. She reached double figures for the half with ten...Jasmine Stafford added a free throw to make it 39-11 at the half.

For the first four minutes, it was questionable whether Louisville was aware they could score, too...down 6-0 at the 16:18 mark. Fatigue, both mental and physical seemed to be the culprit.

 A Bria Smith free throw, though, started a eight minute, 19-0 Cardinal run that had Louisville up 19-6 before Bryant connected on her third three of the half. Key to the run was the insertion of Jude Schimmel and Monique Reid into the game...Mo's four straight points got Louisville within one and four straight from Shoni put the Cards ahead to stay.

Louisville got balanced scoring in the first twenty minutes...nine of the eleven Cards who played hit the scoring column...Shoni leading the way with eight. The Cards held EKU to 14.3% shooting (3-21) and had forced 17 EKU turnovers, while committing only four. The 11 points is a season low for an opponent in the first half of a game this year.

Louisville started the same five (Hammond, Slaughter, Deines, Smith and Shoni) in the second half but saw the Colonels get production from someone else besides Bryant and actually used a 6-0 run to climb within 21 points at 46-25 with 13:24 left.

Shades of Tennessee-Martin?

Not tonight. Louisville responded with a 14-6 run that had them up after a Shawnta Dyer layup 60-31 with 8:24 remaining. From there on...it was purely a matter of how much Louisville would win by. Jude's three at the 2:32 mark made it 70-40 and the Cards outscored EKU 6-2 the rest of the way to take it by 34 points. Final: Louisville 76-EKU 42.

Jude and Shoni led the way for Louisville with 12 points each. Jude's came on a stellar 4-5 from the field and 3-4 from the foul line. Monique Reid finished with 11 (in 11 minutes...proving the Mo per Minute point philosophy is still alive and well). "The Hammer" -- Sara Hammond and Cortnee Walton added eight points, Shawnta Dyer seven, Megan Deines six, Bria Smith five, Nita Slaughter four, Shelby Harper three and Sheronne Vails one. All Cards played and all scored. 

Louisville outrebounded the Colonels 45-38, with the Hammer grabbing 7. Eastern's Jade Barber (a Louisville Ballard alumni) led all rebounders with 10 and also had 11 points. The Cards shot 42.4% for the game and had forced 24 EKU turnovers. Official attendance was 7942.

Things we liked

1. Turnovers = Points. The Cards scored 29 points off the 24 turnovers and had 44 points in the paint. Good to see the transition game in gear and 17 offensive rebounds.

2. Jude in the Mood. Another solid performance from the sophomore tonight...80% from the field, 75% from the line and a team-leading six assists. She also grabbed six rebounds. We're still waiting to hear if she drove the team bus back to campus.

3. Defense, defense! Louisville couldn't shoot worth a spit early...but made sure the Colonels didn't either. Over eight minutes without a EKU basket after Bryant's first two threes. That works for me.

4. No fold. The Cards saw a mini-EKU run cut it to a 21-point lead in the second half. The Cards did not panic, though...and rolled off eight straight points in response.

Things to Work On

1. Cardinals, start your engines! The Cards were 0 for 10 from the floor in the first four minutes of the game. Maybe jet lag? Not according to Shoni..."We weren't focused mentally". (They got better).

2. Gotta hit the free ones. I'll harp on it until it improves to 70%. 17-28 from the charity stripe. 60.7%. That needs to get to 70% or better. 11 missed points could be crucial Sunday against "you know who".

3. Stark from beyond the arc. Louisville went 3-14 from three-point range. 21.4%. One each for Shoni, Jude and Nita. Another area that must get better. If "Shake'Em" nails over 50% from the arc this year, I'll probably pass out from the shock.

Still...a good, quality win against an opponent who will definitely make some noise in the OVC. A nice tune-up before the UK game. A great way to top off an exciting day in the history of UofL sports.

They said it. (From the post-game presser.)

Shoni on the start:

"We just weren't mentally prepared for this game. We came out and picked it up after a little bit but we just lolli-gagged. Our bench gave us a good spark and for them to come up and take off was good for us."

Shoni on Jude making plays:

" It's awesome! To just watch her go out there or be on the court with her and see do her own thing....it's awesome." 

Shoni on what needs to happen between the EKU game and UK game:

"Definitely a day of rest. We been going pretty hard for the past few weeks and just a day of rest is going to help a lot. We want to be prepared for this game Sunday, because it is a big game for us and we want to do the best we can...so for us to be mentally prepared is probably the best answer for that." 

Sara on what the team can take out of the win:

" We can't take any teams for granted. Not saying like...'Oh, they're Eastern Kentucky and we're going to come out and blow them out'. Mentally, like Shoni said, we came out and said 'Oh, this is going to be a win for us'. A team like UK, a top ten team...with their defense where they pressure you and deny you...we have to come mentally prepared and bring energy."

Sara on Monique Reid off the bench:

"She comes in and she's instant points. She knows how to score...and she'll tell you that's what she does. Her experience, her scoring ability and being able to get to the free throw line. We're going to need that come Sunday...because they've got bigger post players this year." 

Coach Walz on the start of the game:

"We're tired. We're a tired group and I was concerned about that. We need a day off to just get acclimated again. Get back to school. Get some rest. Our travel schedule has been crazy. I think that had something to do with it. And, we're 0 for 10 in our first shots. We had some good shots. We just missed them. Then, we give up back-to-back threes where we just weren't there mentally. We're probably more mentally tired than we are physically. And with what we're asking them to get done, you can't be mentally tired".

Walz on Jude:

"I've challenged her. Now that teams know how well she passes the ball, they're going to force her and make her try to finish. And she hit some nice pull-up jumpers tonight. She's probably the best we've got going off ball screen. Just how low she gets. She passes the ball extremely well. I was really pleased for her."

( As were the fans, Coach. Cats Sunday. Volleyball Thursday and Friday. Football, too. It's a great time to be a Cardinal fan. But, has there ever been a time when it hasn't been?)

Best Walz quip of the night.

When asked about the 11-point first half performance of EKU:

"Yeah, and one player had ten of them. If we could have guarded her, it would have been a pretty good first half."



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As mentioned, Volleyball tonight in the YUM! against Belmont. The Cards have already won the Derby and Preakness, so.... The Rutgers vs. Louisville football game will be shown in various places as well inside the arena...so c'mon out and celebrate! Michigan vs. Tennessee at 5 pm. and Louisville vs. Belmont at 7:30 p.m. 

This is your chance to see exciting NCAA Volleyball action featuring the University of Louisville Cardinals and the Tenn. vs. Michigan match should be a very exciting one also.

The Cards are fortunate to have this first and second round match-up at home and if they are successful..they'll head to Berkeley, CA for the regionals. Then, it's back to the KFC YUM! Center for the Final Four if they take two on the left coast.

Anne Kordes and her staff have done a wonderful job with this team. In only her second year here, she's combined a roster of seasoned veterans and talented newcomers to sweep the regular season and tournament titles in the BIG EAST. In the ACC, they'll face even tougher opponents and challenges.

They deserve our support. Please get out to provide it Thursday amd Friday if at all possible. 
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welljustdropthislittlepregamepredicitiononyouandpredictthatuoflbeatskentuckyinthekfcyumcenterbythescoreof77to70.ifanyoneisabletoreadthis,goodjob!

Wednesday Cardinal Couple -- Basketball returns home

WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Cards to ACC!

-Cards to face EKU in KFC YUM! Center Wednesday

-Cards WBB prospect scores 33.

The University of Louisville is the newest member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Cards were voted in Wednesday morning in a teleconference among ACC officials.

Bye, bye DePaul, Marquette and Seton Hall. Hello UNC, Duke and Florida State!

Tom Jurich...doing work. Lobbying. If there is a better A.D. in the universe, show me. 

Sixth member of the BIG EAST to bolt. Cards supposed to be out by 2014. We'll see. The buyout is chump change. A possibility of an early exit? And, unlike WVU...we don't need to hit the member schools up for $1 mil each to cover the tab.

We'll miss the challenge of not playing Tulane, Memphis and East Carolina in women's basketball.

ROTFLMAO.

The ACC, in case you were worried...does allow alcohol sales in arenas. Go ahead and renew your season tickets Mondo Vendo and Bread Boy...  

The Cards will replace Maryland, who heads to the BIG TEN. At a cost of $50 million.

After the disappointment of seeing West Virginia go to the BIG 12 instead of Louisville, this is cause for celebration.

For womens' sports...hello to top competition in field hockey, softball, volleyball, soccer, women's basketball and lacrosse. We'll miss Geno and C.Viv on the KFC YUM! sidelines...but Sylvia and Coach P. should be just as entertaining. And, there's always "Q"...

Time for some new hoodies and gear...


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(CARDINAL COUPLE staff columnist Jenny O'Bryan gives us the scout on Louisville's next opponent and her thoughts on tonight's matchup)

Louisville Women’s Basketball returns home, after a 5 game road trip, to play Eastern Kentucky University today at 7:30 p.m.    The Cardinals return home 7-0, the best start for the team under Coach Walz, and look to extend that to 8-0 this evening.

The Cardinals had a dominant road trip leading the way most of the time and holding their opponents to under 23 points for 5 consecutive halves.    The Cardinals have had some outstanding stats, different leaders stepping up on any given night, and some outstanding defense over the recent road trip.  Two glaring issues Cardinals are likely working on are valuing every possession/minimizing turnovers and playing a full 40 minutes, with no mental lapses.   Controlling turnovers seem to always be a work in progress for the Cards, but regardless, they are taking care of business. 

Cardinals won at EKU last season, easily 77-53.  The Colonels return a veteran squad with 6 seniors and 3 juniors.  They also return 4 of the 5 starters from last year’s game.  Expect a starting line up of Alex Jones (senior forward), Jade Barber (senior center), Raechele Gray (senior guard) and Marie Carpenter (junior guard), all who started last season against the Cards.  The fifth starter is likely to be Brittany Coles, also a senior guard. 

The Colonels are led in scoring by Carpenter who is averaging 27 ppg, followed by Barber at 13 ppg and Coles, 12 ppg.  Cardinals have a height advantage with the tallest on the Colonel roster checking in at 6-2. 

EKU is 3-2 on the season, losing two in the San Juan Shootout to Florida State and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

On paper, this should be a win for our Cards.  Though, one can never take any opponent for granted.  For this game I would like to see our team minimize turnovers and get the inside game going.  With a height advantage over UT Martin, the Cards seemed to struggle with the inside game and relied heavily on guard play.  I would like to see our post players have a dominant game, thus heading in to the next big challenge, UK, with confidence.   Specifically, I’d love to see Shawnta Dyer have a great game.  WE all know she has it in her, dominating the paint and boards at the end of last season.   I am ready for that player to make her appearance this season.  

So, Cardinals, suit up and take care of business and keep this winning record going!  

( We agree with Jenny that 40 minutes of consistency would be a great thing to see Wednesday night. The Cards have the defensive skills and offensive firepower to do it night after night. Time to put the potential to work. )

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2014 Lady Cards target Sydney Brackemyre had a very successful night for Clinton-Massie. Link below.

(Hey, Sydney...we're headed to the ACC! How do you like us now?)

Sydney scores 33



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Jenny's take on UofL vs. UK game...David's view on contest...We look at the numbers

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MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Jenny O'Bryan: "I still believe in my Lady Cards."

-David Watson: "Send out a search party, Lady Cards' heart is missing"

-UK out rebounds Cards by nine

-Some of your reactions and responses...

WE start a soggy Monday's column with CARDINAL COUPLE writer Jenny O' Bryan's review of yesterday's 20-point Louisville loss:

Let me just start by saying that the most beautiful thing that happened Sunday was the violinist playing the National Anthem. In my section of the Coliseum there was hushed, almost whispered reverent singing. It was beautiful.

Things went terribly down hill from there. I won't belabor the point Louisville flat got out-played. They did. Sure, there was poor officiating. I did not like any of the walk calls, except for one. There was some rough, physical play early on that there were no calls on. I wish I could blame it all on the refs, but that is not reasonable.

I am not sure our Lady Cards ever really showed up in Lexington today, except Becky Burke and Bria Smith. Shoot, I am not even sure Coach Walz showed up. The coach I know and that I sit behind at the KFC YUM!Center surely would have gotten a technical called on him for the poor officiating going on. Where was he at, where was the pleading for the kids' case? I did not see him. 

We were out rebounded, out scored by the UK starters and out scored by UK's bench. The only stat we controlled was steals. Turnovers were even. But even then, we were beat in points scored off of turnovers. 

Bria Smith had a lot of turnovers today. More than I can remember in games past. That being said, I remain convinced she is going to be a star for years to come for this program. I imagine a more settled player as conference play begins. 

Bria Smith (left) had the best outing of
the three freshmen Sunday

Becky Burke seems determined to make the most of her senior year. She is giving Walz a lot of consistency, points and leadership on the court. I could not be happier for her. 

I continue to say that our girls are better than they are playing. At some point - one has to stop and ask this:

Are they really better than they are playing? Perhaps, I have a higher opinion of them than is warranted?

At the end of the day, I still believe in my Lady Cards. I am still a crazy fan of this program and these girls. Today, I still believe they are better as a whole than they are displaying on the court.

I'm not booking that flight to Denver quite yet, though.

(Jenny O' Bryan is a contributing writer for CARDINAL COUPLE. She makes some very good points about the effort from Louisville on Sunday. Didn't seem like the Lady Cards wanted it enough at times. Success is gained by following through on your dreams with preparation,  hard work and effort. Not a successful day for UofL.)

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Next, we hear from CARDINAL COUPLE Special Correspondent David Watson.)

Around 3:15 yesterday afternoon, MR. REALITY got out of his recliner chair, shuffled over to his cell phone, punched in a few digits and got connected with the visitor's locker room in Memorial Coliseum. His words to a bunch of dejected Lady Cards went as follows:

"Dear Lady Cards. Thanks for two hours of less-than-motivational basketball. You are not a top ten team. You are questionable as a top 25 team. Your effort today reminded me of my youngest son sullenly plodding out to cut the yard on a steamy 95 degree afternoon in mid-summer. No motivation, and a surly attitude toward taking care of the task at hand. You speak of not being prepared for your assignment. Yeah, you nailed that one right on the head. It's time to either use your fresh loss to a very good team as motivation to come out and play 40 minutes of basketball..or go back into the house, drink lemonade and cue up Call of Duty II on your gaming device. I'd tell you that a lot of fans are frustrated and disappointed with your effort today...but it seems you're having hearing problems and I've got other calls to make. Someone's got to make calls...the referees in Memorial certainly weren't....unless you were in the white uniform. Have a safe trip home." 

Next, MR. REALITY placed a call to the desk sergeant at the Louisville Metro Police UofL station: 

"Sir, I'd like to report something missing. It's the University of Louisville's women's basketball team's heart. Should I organize and send out a search party? Is Detective Colombo still taking cases? It was last seen November 29th. near the KFC YUM Center. No, I don't think it's a case of potential homicide or kidnapping. I think they just lost it and I'm not sure where one would begin the search. What's that? Identifying features? Well, it's red and black, walks proudly around in front of 12,000 or so people and answers to the name of Passion. Thank you, sergeant. Yes, I'll wait by the phone for results."

Finally, MR. REALITY called 411 to get the number for Jeff Walz. The call went to voice mail...so MR. REALITY left a message.

"Hi, Coach. MR REALITY here. So, what just happened here? I'm afraid I must have dozed off. I had this horrible dream that a certain basketball team with loads of potential took a short road trip and had a horrible time. They couldn't defend anyone, took questionable shots, got out-hustled and played like they didn't care what the final outcome would be. Sorry, I dozed off, Coach. Give me a call back and tell me what I missed this afternoon. Go Cards!"  

Satisfied that he has done what was needed, MR. REALITY returned to his recliner after popping in a DVD of the 2011 UofL vs. UK WBB game.

Walz's Cards have five days before they return to action. A beleaguered Gardner Webb team (0-7) comes to visit the Downtown Arena. They've faced some good competition. It's murdered them. Duke 97-31. North Carolina 109-44. Southern Cal 82-41. Even Wofford beat them by eight. The Lady Cards go from a Sunday afternoon meal that caused indigestion to a plate full of cupcakes. How will they respond?

Only Walz and his young group of charges can answer that. And, it's not so much about the poor effort in this last particular game...it's about finding a leader, a go-to, gotta have it, I'll get it done person. It's about a team that supposedly found unity and harmony on a summer excursion taking a good, hard look at themselves and asking the question:

Are we satisfied with where we are right now?

No one expected this Lady Cards team to go undefeated. No one has already penciled them in for a spot at the NCAA Women's Final Four in the Pepsi Center in Denver. Right now, the Lady Cards...though..might want to take a big swig of Club Soda or Pepto-Bismol and get rid of the indigestion that has a lot of people questioning whether they can stomach big games against big opponents. They obviously serve Pepsi in the Pepsi Center in Denver. It would help wash down the humble pie you ate yesterday.

 MR. REALITY will be watching and waiting. Pass the corn chips and dip. 

(David Watson is a Special Corespondent for CARDINAL COUPLE. He also doubles as a gastroentonologist.)

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A review of the stat sheet shows us that, although the score board shows a 20 point UK win, the Cards weren't totally dominated, and won...in several areas.

-Louisville won the steals column 10-7

-Both teams had 26 turnovers. Way too high, in each case, but equal.

-Louisville shot 70% from the free throw line (7-10). UK was 16-23 for 69.6%

-The Cards had 30 points in the paint...UK 24.

-Louisville narrowly lost the points off turnovers battle 26-25. Both teams had six points off fast breaks.

The areas which ultimately did the Cards in:

-2nd chance points...UK 24, Louisville 10

-Rebounds...UK, by  a 34-25 margin.

-Shooting %...the Cats went 24-51 for 47.1%. UofL went 21-54 for 38.9%

-Bench play. UK with 19 points (no player with more than six - Brittany Henderson led the Cats with that number). UofL 12 (nine of those from Monique Reid).

This stat is telling. The other six Cardinals off the bench besides Reid produced only three points in a combined 54 out of 200 total minutes...Jude Schimmel with two late and a Sherrone Vails free throw. 

For the Cards, all twelve that made the trip played. Scoring saw Shoni with 17, Burke 11, Smith 10, Reid 9, Jude, Sara and Cierra with 2 and Vails 1. No points from Asia, Shelby, Shawnta, or Antonita.

Minutes played...Shoni 37,Burke 30, Reid 28 (a season high for her), Smith 26, Warren 16 (with 4 fouls), Jude 14, Vails 11, Harper 10, Hammond 9 (with four fouls), Taylor 8, Dyer 6 and Slaughter 5.  

Reid led Louisville in rebounding with eight. Shoni and Hammond had four each.

On paper, this one doesn't appear to be as bad as it was. Even Matthew Mitchell. UK head coach, commented after the game that the 20 point win was misleading, the contest was closer than that.

UK had the most important stat, though...and that was 74 points. They held Louisville to 54...the Lady Cards lowest point total of the year.

No need to cry over spilled milk or throw the baby out with the bath water. Tear off the rear view mirror and move on, Lady Cards. Still plenty of basketball to be played this year and chances for redemption. Sometimes, there is opportunity out of defeat...so learn and grow from this setback...

And grab more rebounds.

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We appreciate the e-mails you've been sending us about the game yesterday.
Let's review a few. Right this way, no photos please and follow the yellow stripe on the sidewalk below you...

Several of you are upset with the lack of Louisville women's rebounding. So is Coach Walz. He has been most of the season. WE expected better, here at Cardinal Couple. WE sincerely hope it's a work in progress that gets completed soon. No I-64 bridge scenario needed here...

A couple of you are taking Coach Walz to task for not throwing a fit and getting technical fouls or tossed from yesterday's game over officiating. Ask yourself a question...would that have honestly done any good at all ? These were referees that the Lady Cards probably won't see much of, if at all...the rest of the year. They certainly weren't going to walk over to Jeff and say..."Yes, you're right. I'll change the call immediately! Coach, here's the whistle...you call the rest of the game. I'm going for bagels, a walk around campus and coffee." There is no perfect officiating. Anymore, seems like there is very little good officiating. You don't lose games over it. You don't win games over it.
And...I assure you Walz has lost none of his fire and passion for the game. WE were sitting by the Louisville bench. HE blistered the team several times during timeouts. We heard the halftime speech peeled a little paint off the walls...as well. The kids just weren't responding yesterday. It happens. These aren't the Celtics or Packers.

A few e-mails on Jenny's column. One encouraging her not to give up hope in the Cards. Another asking what kinds of drugs she's on. (Probably a UK fan.) Both were anonymous. Probably from the V Foundation and Victoria Dunlap. 

And, one asking what else Walz said in his post-game comments to the press. One line I loved, concerning the rivalry...was that he didn't hate UK. His dad played football there. (Might check "pops" for any remaining eligibility, Joker Phillips..you need all the help you can get.)

Also, when questioned what he had to do to "fix" lack of motivation in players...he stopped, paused and chuckled...commenting that if any coach could figure out how to do that, they'd be world famous. Maybe Shoni Schimmel was on the right track when she suggested that it might begin in practice. We know Shoni doesn't have any lack of motivation or energy. She'd probably have stayed on the floor at Memorial Coliseum until 3 a.m. trying to shoot the Lady Cards back into it. Wouldn't hurt a few current players to watch "Off The Rez" again and see what real adversity and hardship is about.

The Cards have five days of practice ahead before Gardner Webb. Let's see what develops. Step back from the ledge, take a deep breath and remember...it's only December 5th. (and Santa is still watching to see if you're naughty or nice.)
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Cards struggle in 1st half against EKU

.FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:

LADY CARDS WIN WITH SECOND HALF SPURT

-Three in double figures for Louisville

-Gibbs out for the season.

-Women's soccer to battle Memphis tonight in 2nd round NCAA action

-Volleyball opens BIG EAST Tournament play tonight vs. Pitt

In front of 2800 fans, second highest in EKU women's basketball history...

The University of Louisville women's basketball team struggled in the first half with an opportunistic and hot-shooting EKU team.

The Cards fell behind 4-0 early before Becky Burke got the Cards on the board with two free throws at the 18:06 mark of the game.

Cards warm up for the EKU game

Louisville would grab a 7-4 lead when Shoni Schimmel nailed a three with 17:22 left in the first half...and was still on top at 11-10 when Asia Taylor connected inside...but a 6-0 EKU run over the next minute put them on top to stay for the rest of the first half. EKU led by seven with ten minutes remaining in the first half when Raechele Gray nailed a three to make it 24-17.

The Cards trailed 28-22 after Marie Carpenter nailed two free throws with 5:28
left in the half, but rallied to score eight of the final 11 points of the half to tie it at 30-30 on two Taylor free throws and go in down by only one at the half 31-30.

Shoni Schimmel led the Cards with seven points on 3-11 shooting and Becky Burke added six for the Cards...who shot only 32.3% in the first twenty minutes. Walz played nine players and all scored but Bria Smith, saddled with two early fouls and on the bench for 14 minutes in the first. 

Did you know...EKU enters the court thru an
inflatable tunnel?

For the Colonels, 4-10 three point shooting (compared to Louisville's 1-9) helped them retain the lead. Carla Booth and Marie Carpenter had eight first half points each for the Colonels...

The Cards woke up in the second half and a 24-5 run that spanned over ten minutes put it out of reach for the Cards at 64-46 with 5:34 to go. Five straight points by Sherrone Vails and a three by Antonia Slaughter closed out the Cards scoring, as Louisville held the Colonels to just 10 points over the final 13 minutes.



Fans spell out SARA at the game
(Photo courtesy of Jenny O'Bryan)



Louisville takes the win 77-53 but at the 15:18 mark of the final half, EKU was still very much in the game, regaining the lead at 41-40 after two Alex Jones free throws. The Lady Cards took off on a 11-2 run, though, after that...getting a lane driving basket by Shoni Schimmel, put back by Bria Smith, a Shawnta Dyer score from the paint, Becky Burke three and layup by Smith off a nifty Shoni pass to make it 51-43 with 11:30 remaining. The Cards led 60-46 with 8:51 to go after an Asia Taylor tip-in and EKU had no answers left to stop the Cards...

Cierra Warren led all scorers with 15 points - 10 in the second half - and Becky Burke and Shoni added 12 each...Shoni's on 5-20 shooting and Burke's 4-11 efforts. Louisville ended up at 38%((27-71) for the game from the floor but did record a sparkling 78.3% (18-23) from the charity stripe.

Walz played all eleven players dressed for tonight's game...all scored but Shelby Harper. Starters were Shawnta Dyer (5 pts.), Sherrone Vails (5 pts.), Bria Smith (9 pts.), Becky Burke and Shoni.  
Things we liked about tonight:

-Louisville took EKU's best punch in the first half (and for five minutes in the second half) and did not fall to the canvas. The Colonels nailed four 3-pointers in the first twenty minutes and seven for the game but Louisville out-rebounded EKU 50-30.

-Louisville had 18 assists tonight and forced 23 turnovers....while committing only 17 turnovers...and just 5 in the second half. They also had 16 steals and Shoni had 4 of them.

Cards radio crew Adrienne Johnson and
Matt Andrews prepare for the game. (We're not
exactly sure what the guy in blue is doing
to their left...)

-Asia Taylor had a very solid game for the Lady Cards tonight in 20 minutes...with eight points on 3-3 shooting and 2-2 from the line. She grabbed 4 rebounds, had two assists and only 1 foul.

-Sara Hammond thrilled the 100's in attendance from Rockcastle County with six points, seven boards and just two turnovers.

-Cards had 40 points in the paint, 25 off turnovers and 25 second chance points. The bench totaled 34 of the Cardinal points tonight.

Things that need improvement:

-Another slow start for the Lady Cards tonight. Becky Burke nailed it right on the head when she commented post-game that if Louisville comes out like tonight against Xavier on Sunday...they'll lose.

-Cards only had one blocked shot tonight...even though they had a clear height advantage. EKU swatted six Cardinal shots...four by center Jade Barber and two by Jones.

-Shoni, Sara and Becky went a combined 12 - 42 from the field. Those numbers need to get better...

-Worst part of the evening:

Hearing that Tia Gibbs is done for the year after her MRI revealed significant damage to her shoulder. Torn labrum and bone fragment revealed. She'll undergo surgery after first semester exams and Walz will try to get her a sixth year of eligibility. Heartbreaking...going to miss you out there Butler Bear.. 

Louisville returns to action Sunday at 2 p.m. in the KFC YUM! Center against Xavier.

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Here's hoping the women's soccer team can
kick some kiddie kats around tonight!

Karen Ferguson-Dayes will lead the University of Louisville women's soccer team into battle tonight against the Memphis Tigers in Memphis. The 8:30 p.m. start is the second game of the evening at the Mike Rose Soccer complex...#1 seeded Florida will face Portland at 6 p.m.

Memphis is 22-0-1 on the season and will be a tough test for the Cards. They got to the second round with a 7-0 win over Tennessee-Martin. Louisville downed Dayton 2-0 to advance.

Live video of the games can be viewed at http://www.ncaa.com/, http://www.gotigersgo.com/ or http://www.uoflsports.com/ free of charge.

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The University of Louisville Volleyball team goes in quest of defending their 2010 BIG EAST Tournament title with an opening round match vs. Pittsburgh today. The #1 seed Cards were upset earlier during the regular season by #8 seed Piit in the KFC YUM! Center.

No time to hesitate now, girls. Go get what is yours.

Key for the Cards, of course, is getting the ball to Lola Arslanbekova. Double and triple teams on her could also create some opportunities for Emily Juhl and Kaitlynn James to get some kills.
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louivilletook20moreshotsthanthecolonelsdidtonightandscored40pointsinthepaint

Lady Cards back on the road...Colonels tonight in Richmond

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THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Lady Cards get Shoni back for tonight's game

No Mo tonight for
Lady Cards?

The University of Louisville women's basketball team will get sophomore guard Shoni Schimmel back for the game tonight against EKU. The status on Tia Gibbs and Monique Reid isn't as good news, though. Neither are expected to play against the Colonels. Gibbs underwent an MRI Wednesday to have her right shoulder checked out, a shoulder she previously had surgery on after leaving Vanderbilt a couple of years ago. We have not heard any results as of this edition. Reid has back pain and her status is up in the air as of now, also.

What have the Colonels done so far this year? The Colonels played a whale of a game against Xavier Saturday, narrowly losing 66-61 in their season opener. They also had an exhibition Tuesday against Lincoln Memorial University Tuesday night and won 80-75. Former Elizabethtown H.S. standout Alex Jones had 25 in the win over LMU. They also narrowly beat Cumberlands in an exhibition 70-67.

Jones is the force inside for EKU

Who will we see on the court? Probable starting lineup for Chrissy Roberts' team will have Raechele Gray (5'5" junior, Shelbyville, KY), Marie Carpenter (5'8" soph.,Nashville, TN.) and Jasmine Stovall (5'9" senior, Lawrenceville, GA.) at guards. Jones will be at forward (6'1" junior) and Jade Barber (6'2" junior, Louisville, KY) will play center. 

The Colonels also get significant contributions off the bench. Carla Booth, a freshman guard out of Warfield, KY (Sheldon Clark H.S.) had 15 points against the Muskies and Brittany Coles (5'11" junior guard, Lexington, KY. Henry Clay H.S) contributed 13 points against Xavier. 

Who does Louisville need to stop? Booth drilled four treys against Xavier, so the Cards guards will need to keep an eye on her. Jones is an aggressive and strong rebounder and scores well in the paint, so blocking out and getting a body on her will be of prime importance. Brittany Coles can also put it up from deep range and she nailed a three at the buzzer to beat Cumberlands 70-67 in the Colonels first exhibition game. Raechele Gray is the assist leader, with 19 in the two exhibition games and Xavier contest

What else should I know about EKU?  The Colonels play in the Ohio Valley Conference and are coached by Chrissy Roberts. She's in her fourth year at EKU (25-59) and also graduated from EKU in 1998. EKU plays their home games in McBrayer Arena on campus and the facility seats 6500. Colonel games are broadcast on WEKY 1340 AM and can also be picked up at http://www.ekusports.com/ and http://www.ovcsports.tv/ Sean Hamilton does the play-by-play and Wes Chandler handles color. They last played the Cards on 11-25-05 in Murfreesboro, TN. and lost 75-45.

Who will Louisville start for tonight's game? That's always a hard one to predict when Jeff Walz is the head coach...but we'll venture Shoni Schimmel and Bria Smith at guards, Cierra Warren in the post, Sara Hammond at power forward and maybe Becky Burke. (Let's see how many of these we get right....we were 2 for 5 in our prediction for Texas A&M).

What must the Cards do to win? WE see it as a track meet tonight, with the shifty magician Shoni Schimmel pushing the pace and keeping it up tempo. The Cards will try to play good transition defense as well and they must do a better job on the boards than they did against the Aggies. Walz would probably love to see the 27 turnovers against A&M cut to 12 or lower and three point shooting needs to be at 40% or better.

What else can we expect tonight? There should be a pretty good Louisville crowd at tonight's game...especially Sara Hammond fans, since she played her high school ball at Rockcastle County High School, only 30 minutes south on I-75. Also, look for Walz to play "Schimmel squared" some tonight...with Jude at point and Shoni at the "2".

How do you see it ending? WE think Louisville wins, but maybe not by the blowout some are suggesting. The Cards have been on the road since Saturday with just a brief visit back to campus after the A&M game. If Reid and Gibbs can't go, the freshmen and reserves will have to step up.

PAUL:  85-71 Louisville. Look for the Walz Chinese fire drill tonight with substitution patterns and Shoni unloads for 25 or so. The Cards have tactical height advantage and Cierra Warren will thrive tonight.

SONJA: Cards shake off the frustrations of the A&M loss with a 91-55 romp. C'mon, this team needed a buzzer beater three to beat Cumberland? Doesn't exactly scare me. It's "Sho-time" tonight and I expect her to shake things up.

(WE'LL HAVE A FULL REPORT AFTER THE GAME TONIGHT LIVE FROM THE ARENA.)

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