University of Louisville
Xavier
No. 9 Louisville Defeats No. 23 Xavier 65-55
November 22, 2008 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 22, 2008
CINCINNATI (AP)--Louisville stuck to its defensive game plan, which focused on limiting No. 23 Xavier's standout center Ta'Shia Phillips.
The No. 9 Cardinals ran it to perfection, holding Phillips to five points in the 65-55 win on Saturday.
Candyce Bingham scored 23 points and had 10 rebounds, while Angel McCoughtry added 16 points and 11 boards for the Cardinals (3-0).
Xavier's Tudy Reed led all scorers with 31 points, including six 3-pointers in the first half.
Phillips had just one point and five rebounds in the opening half, going without a field goal until 16:39 left in the second. She finished 1-of-4 from the field
"We told our kids that somebody else was going to be Atlantic-10 Player of the Week," said Louisville coach Jeff Walz. "Phillips is such a dominant player, I'll take my chances with other kids having to step up."
Phillips, who had 23 points and a school-record 25 rebounds Wednesday in a loss to No. 4 North Carolina, finished with eight rebounds.
A frustrated Phillips committed her second foul with 9:30 remaining in the first half.
"Every time the ball got into her, we would double-team her, and making sure our weak-side was there for any back-cuts," Bingham said. "We practiced that all week. Coach said to stick with the game plan."
Reed kept Xavier (2-1) close with her long-range shooting. Her fifth 3-pointer highlighted an 8-0 run, helping the Musketeers lead 28-24 at halftime.
"We were fortunate to just be down four," Walz said. "If it's a 15-point game, we probably are going have to change our strategy. We stuck with it."
Bingham hit three consecutive 3-pointers to put the Cardinals ahead 46-36 with 9:21 left.
Reed's put back made it 55-51 with less than three minutes left. But the Cardinals hit their free throws down the stretch, finishing 17-of-22 overall.
Reed was the only player in double figures for Xavier. Special Jennings was the next high scorer with six points.
"They really crowded in (on Phillips)," said Xavier coach Kevin McGuff. "But we did not do a good job getting balance in our offense."
