Cards salvage Las Vegas trip with 65-51 win over Nebraska

TUESDAY @ CARDINAL COUPLE:

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-Lady Cards win against Nebraska

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-Beach Party featured two great bands

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-Tailgate @ Tropicana full of Red.

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The University of Louisville's women's basketball team won their final game in the Duel in the Desert Classic with a 14 point win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Shoni Schimmel led the way for Jeff Walz's cagers with 22 points. Monique Reid nearly notched a double-double with 13 points and 9 rebounds and Tia Gibbs (pictured left) added 12 points and seven rebounds.

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Louisville started slowly, as they have the entire time in Vegas, and fell behind the Huskers 8-5. The Cards turned up the defensive pressure though and went on a 13-3 run to take a 18-11 lead halfway through the first half and would never trail again. After Nebraska rallied to cut the Cardinal margin to 18-16, Louisville responded with a 9-0 run and held a 27-16 advantage. The team went into the locker room at halftime with the Cards holding a 35-22 lead.

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Nebraska came out hot in the final half and whittled the Cardinal advantage to 41-38 before a 8-0 'Ville run midway thru the second half gave them a 49-38 lead. The Cards ended this one strong after another Husker rally and went on a game ending 6-0 run for the victory.

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Walz played nine Cardinal in this one and all but Shelby Harper scored. Keisha Hines, frustrated by the Nebraska height in the paint fouled out with only two points but did grab seven rebounds. The Cards shot 40% in the game and narrowly lost the battle of the boards 41-40.

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Nebraska lost all three of their games in the round robin format, Louisville went 1-2. Houston lost to surprising Marist the final day 78-70 to finish 2-1 and the Red Foxes swept all three of their contests.

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The battle of the bands on the Tradewinds Beach in St. Petersburg between Louisville and Southern Miss was a one sided affair. Louisville was selected the winner with an excellent performance before a packed crowd in pleasant temperatures. The Cards also won the LadyBird vs. Eagles dance team competition but the Golden Eagle defeated the Cardinal Bird in the mascot dance off. The Southern Miss tuba section outlasted all the perfomers, though...blasting away on the beach well into the afternoon after the competition ended. The crowd was primarily Cardinal red for the event and CARDINAL COUPLE staff ran into a lot of familiar faces and friends down by the water. The Cards face the USM Golden Eagles today in the Beef O' Brady bowl.

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The evening ended in fine fashion with a great tailgate party Monday night at Ferg's Bar next to Tropicana Field. Cardinal fans dominated the turnout, which featured a free buffet and beverages. The event went well into the evening and had both school's marching bands and a local live rock band. CARDINAL COUPLE saw numerous friends and readers. A great evening of fun and fellowship.

Lady Cards lose to Houston 92-80

MONDAY AT CARDINAL COUPLE:
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-Louisville loses to Cougars by twelve.
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- Party @ St. Pete a gala affair
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Despite a double-double by Louisville junior Monique Reid (27 points and 10 rebounds) the Lady Cards lose for the second day in a row in the Duel in the Sun Classic in Las Vegas 92-80 to Houston.
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Different day, same start for the Lady Cards who fell behind early in this one 9-2 and 19-8 at the 13:56 mark of the first half. The Cards did manage to go on a 10-0 run later in the half and gain a 22-21 advantage but Houston responded with their own 11-0 run to go ahead 32-22 and never looked back. The Coogs went into halftime up 50-37.
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Houston steadily increased the margin thru most of the final period, leading 87-62 with 5:25 to go. A game ending 18-5 run by the 'Ville made the final look somewhat respectable...but the Cards were outplayed, outscored and outshot most of the way.
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Beside Reid's heroics, Shoni Schimmel produced 23 points for Louisville and Tia Gibbs ended the double figure parade for the Cards with 10. Walz used 10 players in the contest and seven of them scored. Louisville did out rebound Houston 42-34 but the Cards did commit 21 turnovers.
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Louisville shot 42.9% from the field (27-63) and 9-28 from three point range. Free throws were not horrible but they need to improve...with a 17-28 effort.
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Louisville returns to the hardwood today against Nebraska.
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The Renaissance Vinoy was the staging area Sunday afternoon for a gala affair with some Louisville notables. Pictured here, former rock star from the sixties Zoot Von Dolby sits with a young lady early into the event. Zoot wowed the 100+ in attendance until the Vinoy staff and management shut the shindig down for a previously scheduled bar mitzvah/barbeque.
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Can't really go into all the details of the confab...we don't need any lawsuits...but rest assured that the food was plentiful and tasty, the beverages non-stop and conversation lively. Former Cardinal great Mario Urritia was one of the notables in attendance, rehabbing a foot injury but already excited about healing and trying the NFL camps next summer. Tom Jurich sure knows how to put on a get-together. The CARDINAL COUPLE designated attendees didn't even steal the silverware and serving dishes like they usually do.
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It's always great to run into ex-Lady Card Valerie Owens Combs and she was her usual beautiful, friendly and entertaining self last night at the Vinoy. Still our second favorite Lady Card of all time. Drew Deener was also in attendance and if you enjoy him mornings on CARDS RADIO 790 WKRD, having a live chat with him when he's not on the air is twice the fun. Poobah Al Parrish majestically welcomed and entertained the attendees from his table and the affair went a little past the 4-6 p.m. allotted time.
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An earlier party Sunday at the Tradewinds got a little rowdy when UofL and Southern Miss football players exchanged a few taunts and shoves during one of the competition events. Coach Strong, always the enforcer, came in and cleared the team out before things got out of control. Although CARDINAL COUPLE didn't have designated attendees at this one....credible reports back to us suggest the guys were in a dance contest and they did a little more than the 'hustle' and 'bump'. We've got the feeling these two teams don't like each other very much.

Lady Cards fall to Marist 74-68

SUNDAY @ CARDINAL COUPLE

Tough way to start the three day event for Louisville, the Cards not hot early...Shoni Schimmel with 26 points in the loss but Louisville unable to close the margin late because of clutch Marist free throw shooting down the stretch.
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Keisha Hines added 11 for Louisville and Monique Reid 10 for Louisville (8-4). The road doesnt get any easier for the Cards Sunday with Houston up next.

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Asia Taylor, pictured here, returned to the court for Louisville and grabbed a couple of rebounds for the Lady Cards in limited playing time. Louisville grabbed 31 overall, one shy of Marist's total.

Schimmel got her 26 points on 10-26 shooting, including 3-10 from long range. She was the only Lady Card to play all forty minutes. Hines nearly had a double double with nine rebounds to go with her 11 points

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The Cards went 23-54 from the field for 42.6%. They were 7-20 from trifecta range...good for 35%.

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Both Hines and Sherrone Vails fouled out for Louisville...the Cards has 25 fouls whistled on them...compared to 17 for Marist.

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Marist goes to 7-2 with the win. Cornelle Varde had 25 for Marist in the win. They led early, 26-13 at one time in the first half. Louisville drew within one in the second half....before a 10-0 Marist run put the Cards away for good.

Airborne

SATURDAY @ CARDINAL COUPLE

-In flight to Tampa

Welcome to the in flight version of CARDINAL COUPLE. Delta offers free wi-fi, so why not?

MArky-MArk (pictured right) is on the flight with me, but not sitting near me. Instead, I have a businessman to my left and a delightful young lady to my right named Julia. We have been talking about the bowl game, she's headed to Tampa too.

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The sun is beginning to come up and we are high above the clouds. There are a lot of UofL fans on this flight to Atlanta...changing planes there to go to Tampa.

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This afternoon, the LADY CARDS play Marist in Vegas in the Duel in the Desert Classic. The men play Gardiner Webb in the YUM and we hope to find a place to watch it in Tampa. There is word of a game watch party and I guess we'll find out more about that when we get there.

Nice to be out of the ice and snow. The beverage cart is getting near, so I'm signing off. Julia says "Hi" but not to anyone specifically. I'll update you later.

FIELD HOCKEY HIRES JUSTINE SOWRY

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Pam Bustin leaves UofL for Duke, Cards hire UMass's Justine Sowry.

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Preview of Lady Cards first opponent in the Duel in the Desert: Marist

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WELCOME TO THE FRIDAY EDITION OF CARDINAL COUPLE. TGIF!

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Don't mind telling you that this one caught us a bit by surprise here at CARDINAL COUPLE. After thirteen years as the head coach of the UofL women's field hockey team, Pam Bustin has accepted the head coaching job at Duke University.

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Bustin, pictured right, will be replaced by UMass's Justine Sowry, pictured left. Sowry was the head coach at UMass for four years and went 58-31 there. Her teams won three A-10 titles and made three NCAA Tournament appearances. She began her coaching career at the University of Louisville as Bustin's assistant from 1998-2002. The Australia native earned her bachelor's degree in Physical Education and mathematics from the University of South Australia in 1991.

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Other coaching stops were as a USA High Performance Coach with the U.S. Field Hockey Association from 2003-2007. She also spent a year at Stanford (2003) as an assistant.

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Sowry takes over a Cardinal team that went 13-7 in 2010 but failed to make the NCAA tournament. She brings in assistants Kelly Dostal and Abbey Heard for her staff...both are former USA Field Hockey National team members.

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Bustin actually accepted the Duke job on December 7th. She commented in an official press release:

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" I am thrilled to become a Duke Blue devil. I look forward to leading the field hockey team to many successful seasons and am honored to join the Duke University Athletic family."

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She replaces Beth Bozman, who stepped down on November 12th., 2010 after Duke's 8-11, 0-5 season in 2010. The Blue Devils missed the NCAA Tournament in 2009 and 2010. Duke plays in the powerful ACC conference, where Maryland and Virginia are two of the best teams year after year in women's college field hockey.

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Best of luck, Pam in Dookie-land. Thanks for the years. We'll never forget the gracious interviews and quotes you gladly provided CARDINAL COUPLE since our inception and updates on UofL Field Hockey.

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Coach Sowry... Welcome to Louisville and here's hoping you'll keep up the fine tradition and success that UofL Field hockey achieved under Coach Bustin and create some great new successes here at the 'Ville!

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The University of Louisville womens basketball team has arrived safely in Las Vegas. We saw Jeff Walz on Facebook yesterday marvelling about the free wi-fi on the team's flight to Sin City and let's hope he didn't lose too much coin in the airport one arm bandits...

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The Cardinals will face Marist University on Saturday in their first of three games in Vegas. Here's a look on how their season has gone so far:

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Marist is 6-2 on the season, with key wins over BIG EAST member Villanova 71-60 in Philly and have also knocked off former Louisville foes Vermont and Hartford this season. Other wins were over Grambling State, Dartmouth and Boston University. Their losses have come at the hands of St. John (64-50 in Manhattan, Kansas) and SBU 45-40 at home.

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Marist averages 65.5 points per game, allowing their opponents 52.5 a contest. They are 55-166 this year from three point game (21.2 threes a game) for 33%. They have a balanced scoring attack, with four players averaging 8.9 points per game or better. Players to watch:

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-Correlle Yarde. A 5'8" guard averaging 10.4 points per game. the junior is a starter and also an outside threat for her team.

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-Brandy Gang. The 6'2" junior forward is another starter and puts in 9.8 points per contest. Gang is also one of the leading rebounders for Marist. Another to watch from beyond the arc.

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-Kate Oliver. This 6'4" sophomore forward is the tallest of the Marist players and tallies 9.8 an outing in a starting role. An aggressive rebounder on both ends of the court.

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-Erica Allenspach. 5'8" senior starting guard with 8.8 points per game for Marist. Another player that will make you pay from outside.

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Leanne Ockender. The 5'10' freshman comes off the bench for the Red Foxes and this guard is one to watch if open beyond the arc, too.

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Marist is coached by Brian Giorgis, who is in his 9th season at Marist. Going into the season, Giorgis had a record of 194-62 at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference school. Giorgis got his 200th. career win at Marist against Boston Univeresity.

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The Red Foxes teams have made five straight NCAA Tournament apperances and six in the last seven years. Marist has won seven straight MAAC regular season titles and six out of the last seven MAAC Tournaments. They went 15-3 in the 2009-10 season in the MAAC, two games in front of Iona.

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SONJA SEES IT:

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So, it looks like the Cards run into yet another team with height, good guard play and three point ability. Given the scoring average for Marist, it looks like they like to 'take the air out of the ball' a bit as well. The Louisville (8-3) strategy for this season has been to go out and play their game...going for the fast break, transition scenario created by tough defense and guard awareness. The Cards probably won't top 100 point for the third time in this one but expect Schimmel and Burke to have good games against the smallish Red Fox guards. Marist's height in the paint may be some cause for concern, Louisville still isn't rebounding well enough to suit Coach Walz. An increased defensive performance from freshman Sherrone Vails would be just what the doctor ordered on Saturday and if the Cards can utilize their multiple presses to perfection with Vails on the front of the 1-2-2, they could reach another 30 turnovers created in this one. Getting Asia Taylor back on the team will help Louisville's rebounding numbers eventually...but one wonders just how much court time she'll see intially after the three game suspension.

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Can't help but chuckle when I type Red Fox in this report. I'm reminded of the late, great comedian Redd Foxx and role as Fred G. Sanford on the hit television show SANFORD AND SON. I think that Paul's truck is the original from the show...no Volvo for us like UofL CARD GAME observer's son Steve is rolling around in. Make sure and go over and vote for Steve for BIG EAST FAN OF THE YEAR at Charlie's site...www.uoflcardgame.com. You can vote once a day. Steve's in the lead in the contest so far and we're hoping he'll let us ride in the car if he wins.

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"Throw me the ball, LaMont! Get open Aunt Esther...no, Grady...roll off the pick! The "G" stands for GOAL! I'm coming to see ya, Elizabeth. It's the big one..."

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Good luck to the Cards Saturday and let's hope 'luck' is a lady dressed in Cardinal colors...

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Lady Cards 78 - Cincinnati 40

Welcome to the THURSDAY EDITION of CARDINAL COUPLE. If your reading this Wednesday night, it's OK...go right ahead!!! We're taking tomorrow off.

Be careful out there today if you're on the roads in the Louisville
area. Ice is everywhere.

CARDS ROLL PAST BEARCATS 78-40

Louisville used an opening 13-0 run and then went on a 15-0 run to lead U.C. 28-4 in the first 13 minutes of the game tonight in the Fifth-Third Arena in Cincinnati to begin BIG EAST play with a convincing victory. The Cards (8-3) used a suffocating 1-2-2 press to force the Bearcats into 31 turnovers and five Cardinals hit double figures tonight.

Louisville got a game opening three from Tia Gibbs and never trailed in the contest. Gibbs had eight of the Cards first eleven points and Monique Reid added four to put the Cards up 13-0. The next 13-0 run saw Sherrone Vails, Becky Burke and Shoni Schimmel take over the scoring.

Burke would go on to have 10 first half points as Louisville actually was outscored 13-12 in the final seven minutes of the first half. Schimmel, Gibbs and Vails eight each for Louisville in the first half. The Cards created 17 first half Cincinnati turnovers with their stifling defensive pressure.

Louisville began the second half with a 6-0 run, then saw the Bearcats go on a 6-0 run with 15:50 to go in the game and the score 46-23. Louisville then took off on a 11-0 run over the next four minutes and led 57-23. The Cards increased that margin to 72-33 after an Antonita Slaughter three with four minutes to go, led by 40 when Shelby Harper hit her first three of the year with 50 seconds in the game and ended up winning by 38.

All eleven who played for Louisville scored. Burke and Reid with 13 each, Gibbs with 11 and Schimmel and Vails 10 to round out the double figure scorers. Slaughter added 7, Keisha Hines had 4 points, Charmaine Tay 4 points, Harper 3, Rachel Story 2 and Polly Harrington 1.

La Toya Johnson did not play because of illness and Asia Taylor sat out the final game of her three game suspension. Both will accompany the team to Las Vegas for the Duel in the Desert classic that starts Saturday.

Louisville shot 29-56 from the field (51%) and 10-24 from three point range. The Cards dished out 21 assists, had 20 turnovers but created 31 Cincinnati miscues and Louisville ended up with 15 steals.

A surprisingly big win on the road against a Cincinnati team that had played Xavier and Dayton fairly close in their two previous losses. The Cards expected a slow down pace from the Bearcats but scored the most points against U.C. this year and held the Bearcats to their lowest point total of the season.

With the expected inclimate weather due to hit the region tonight, let's hope the Cards get out of Cincy safely and to Sin City for the 3 games. Louisville opens against Marist, faces Houston on Sunday and finished with Nebraska on Monday.

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HARPER HITS ONE!

Shelby Harper finally hit her first three of the year as the game ended and we all breathed a sigh of relief here around the radio. She does a lot for the Cards, especially when at the top of the Cardinal 3/4 court press, but the ball just wouldn't go thru the net for her so far this year from long range. She nailed five from beyond the arc last year in Freedom Hall against the Bearcats.

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BATTERED BEARCATS

Cincinnati played all eight players Janelle Elliott had available for action tonight. The Bearcats are going thru similar dire straights that the Cards did last year...with a short bench and not much experience. Shareese U'lis is a talented point guard and Tiffany Turner grabbed a dozen rebounds against Louisville tonight but besides the outside shooting of Shelly Bellman and Reeves, the Bearcats don't have much on the table. Their "slow it down" weave approach on offense will keep them in a few BIG EAST games this year against the lower echelons of the BIG EAST schools like Seton Hall, Providence and maybe Pittsburgh and Villanova...but anyone with an effective press and a decent transition game won't have much trouble with Cincy.

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ASIA RETURNS ON SATURDAY

Glad that Asia Taylor has finally served her suspension and will be back in a Cardinal uniform for the rest of the season. Taylor adds rebounding strength and inside scoring prowess to the Cardinal roster. Plenty of that on the way next year with Cierra Warren, Quaneisha McCurty and Sara Hammond coming in and hopefully a healthy Shawnta Dyer on the court...but the Cards definitely could use Taylor's "paint" skills the rest of this year.

Always a sad thing when a player has to go through this kind of thing...but responsibility is a full time thing, on and off the court. We're confident she's learned from the situation and hope she'll look at the time off as a learning experience and go on and have a great career at the 'Ville.

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A quick quiz...no prize but if you get it right, have another cup of coffee and parade around the computer like you're a champ (or chimp).

Which state has the most teams playing in College Football Bowl Games this year?

a) California

b) Texas

c) Ohio

d) Florida

(No peeking)....

Wait for it....

NO GOOGLING!

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The correct answer is both (b) and (d). FIU, USF, FSU, UCF, Florida and Florida State represent the Sunshine State. UTEP, Baylor, SMU, TCU, Texas Tech and TexasA&M from the Lone Star state. Six each. What's the chances of either state going 6-0?

(Astronomical...)

WBB: Lady Cards open BIG EAST play Weds. Night

HUMPDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Lady Cards at Cincy to begin BIG EAST

-Seven BIG EAST teams in top 25.

-That thud you heard was Pitino's crew

-We love something we are hearing, though

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The University of Louisville women's basketball team hops on the bus and takes I-71 to Cincinnati (unless they go via US 42) for Wednesday night BIG EAST basketball. It is the opener for both teams in BIG EAST play. Let's take a look at what the Bearcats have done so far this year.

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UC is 5-2 on the season and last played at home against Xavier. The Muskies topped the Bearcats 70-59. Cincy's other loss came on the road against Valpo. The Cards and the Bearcats

share one additional opponent beside XU...they've both played Dayton...UC losing to the flyin' Flyers on the road.

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The Bearcats work around a rotation of eight players who average 15 minutes a game or more. Leading the way so far for Janelle Elliott's team is senior Shareese Ulis, the returning point guard from last year, who averages 15.7 points per game. The youth movement is evident with the Bearcats, too...freshmen Kayla Cook and Tiffany Turner are next in scoring...Cook at 9.0 a game and Turner with 8.7 and 7.4 rebounds a contest. Daress McClung, a sophomore, tosses in 8.0 a game. Shelly Bellman is a redshirt senior that is back from knee injuries and on the court for the first time since the 2006-07 season. She adds 8.0 a game.

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Cincy averages 61.9 points a game and is holding opponents to 52.7 per contest. They shoot .433 from the field and are 51-144 from three point range...averaging just over 20 three point attempts a game. They also commit 15.6 turnovers a game.

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UC gets an average of 1784 in the Fifth-Third to watch games. Against Louisville, they are 13-11 when defending the home court but trail in the series 35-24. Last year the two teams split the series...Louisville winning at Cincinnati 63-49 but losing in Freedom Hall 74-68 in overtime.

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Jim Kelch will do the play by play on 790 AM/101,7 FM WKRD. Paul Sanderford is scheduled to describe all the colors present in the Fifth-Third arena. There's a remote chance that there could be a CARDINAL COUPLE associate at tonight's game in Cincy. We'll know more about that later today. Geaux Cards!!

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Seven BIG EAST teams are now ranked in women's college basketball's top 25. They are:

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# 1 Connecticut

#7 West Virginia

#17 Notre Dame

#18 St. John

#20 Georgetown

#22 DePaul

#24 Syracuse

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Louisville was picked to finish eighth in the BIG EAST this season and when you have seven top 25 teams in front of you...yeah, that's a hard row to hoe. Out of the seven, four are in the YUM and three are on the road (UConn, Notre Dame and Syracuse).

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Wow, did the UofL men's team look flat last night in losing to Drexel 52-46. Pitino's bunch got out rebounded by 20 and lost for the first time in the KFC YUM Center. It's the second time the schools have played each other in history..the first coming in the 1986 NCAA Tournament. They were first round opponents and when asked about them, Milt Wagner spoke the quote that lives in infamy:

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" I don't know much about them but I think they're one of those academic universities."

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The Cards won that game en route to the 1986 National Championship. Drexel probably had a better G.P.A.

Louisville men need some work on free throw shooting as well and Rick needs to find a few aggressive front line bangers. The Mike Marra hot shooting hand has gone cold as the weather we've been having around here lately.

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We hear from a pretty reliable source on campus that Louisville forward Asia Taylor may be out of Jeff Walz's doghouse soon and back on the hardwood. Maybe even in time to go to Vegas with the team for the Duel In the Sun three day invitational round robin tournament. Still no word on what Taylor actually did...but Walz has said it was not court related and a recent check of police records don't show Taylor being arrested for anything. We seriously doubt it was anything illegal either...just a poor judgement choice is what we're thinking. It'll be good to see her back on the court. She could have taught the UofL men a thing or two about rebounding last night. Hopefully, she's learned her lesson and will fly straight and in the right flight path for these Birds the rest of her time here....