Antonita Slaughter Out for the Season
December 06, 2013 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 6, 2013
Louisville, Ky. - University of Louisville women's basketball senior Antonita Slaughter will miss the rest of the season after being diagnosed with a blood clot in her lung.
Doctors at Jewish Hospital determined the senior had a cardiac event when she collapsed while on the bench early in Tuesday night's victory against Missouri State. The clot was discovered during several days of testing to find out what caused the event.
Slaughter was the fifth-leading scorer (9.3 points per game) and most consistent 3-point shooter, who played a key role in the Cardinals' run to the 2013 NCAA Tournament final. Slaughter started 30 of 38 games as a junior, averaging 10.1 points and 4.9 rebounds while leading the Cardinals at nearly 36 percent from beyond the arc.
Slaughter tied a career best with seven 3-pointers in the stunning upset of top-ranked defending champ Baylor in the regional final.
(Head Coach Jeff Walz statement on Slaughter)
"On Tuesday night Antonita Slaughter had a seizure like episode that occurred on the bench during the first half. The episode was not due to a seizure problem. After extensive testing, they determined she had a cardiac event which caused the episode. In the process of determining the problem with her heart, they found a blood clot in her lung. We are very fortunate this was discovered through testing. With the clot Antonita will be started on blood thinners immediately, that will put an end to her season. As far as the specifics to the heart condition, that is still being evaluated by the doctors. Once released from the hospital, which we are hoping will be some time today, we look forward to having Antonita rejoin her teammates and basketball family. We are very grateful to the arena staff, the medical staff and all the doctors who have been working diligently to figure out what happened Tuesday night. Our number one concern is to make sure Antonita is taken care of. Her teammates have been very concerned for her and are saddened to know that Antonita will no longer be able to finish out the season with them on the court. As a team we will be there for Nita and make sure she knows we are there for her at all times."
