University of Louisville
3-4
Valparaiso
0-6
Women’s Basketball Uses Strong Start to Defeat Valparaiso
December 05, 2015 | Women's Basketball
Five players scored in double figures in the victory.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville is starting to learn that it's best to throw the first punch in the fight.
The Cardinals, who opened the game on a 15-0 run, held a 23-11 advantage at the end of the first period and rolled to a 75-42 victory over Valparaiso on Saturday evening in the KFC Yum! Center. It is Louisville's second victory in two days after earning an upset win over 19th-ranked Michigan State on Thursday night.
Louisville (3-4) shot a 52.9 percent clip in the quarter, including three 3s, and led for 39:13 in the contest. Mariya Moore scored six of her game-tying high 12 points in the frame, while dishing out three assists. Briahanna Jackson and Myisha Hines-Allen, who also had 12 points in the win, added four points each in the quarter.
Two noticeable points of emphasis – rebounding and ball movement – also played an immense role in the Cardinals' second-consecutive victory. Louisville held a 47-28 advantage on the glass and had 20 assists for the third time this season. Impressively, through seven games this season, the Cardinals are earning assists on 66.1 percent of their baskets.
Cortnee Walton collected seven of her game-high 11 rebounds on the offensive end and finished just two points shy of her first career double-double. The redshirt junior has logged more than one-fifth of the team's offensive rebounds, averaging 4.1 per game.
Defensively, the Cardinals stifled the Crusaders in the first 20 minutes of play. Valparaiso (0-6) connected on just 31.8 percent (7-of-22) of its shots and turned the ball over 11 times before the break.
Louisville's freshman class, making its first appearance on the floor as a unit this season, combined for 37 points. Asia Durr recorded her second-straight double-digit point game (10) to go with five rebounds and two assists, while Erin DeGrate – also had six rebounds and two blocks – and Sam Fuehring each added 10 points.
Louisville is idle until Thursday, when it travels to No. 11 Kentucky in the Battle of the Bluegrass. The two programs face each other in Rupp Arena on the SEC Network at 7 p.m.
