University of Louisville
2-0
BELMONT
1-1
No. 5 Women's Basketball Cruises Past Belmont in Home Opener
November 13, 2016 | Women's Basketball
Asia Durr and Ciera Johnson each had a game-high 18 points.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Asia Durr and Ciera Johnson scored 18 points apiece as No. 5 Louisville defeated Belmont 73-50 in the Cardinals' home opener on Sunday.
Mariya Moore added 13 points for Louisville (2-0), which shot 47.7 percent from the field, compared with 32 percent for Belmont (1-1).
After scoring a career-high of 24 points on Friday, Durr continued her hot start to her sophomore year with 7 of 12 shooting, including 4 of 8 from 3-point range.
Louisville opened the game 7 of 10 from the field and took a 10-point first quarter lead.
In the second quarter, Belmont cut Louisville's lead to nine after a 7-0 run capped by a 3-pointer by Kylee Smith. Louisville coach Jeff Walz called a timeout and the Cardinals ended the final 4:16 of the first half on a 15-2 run.
For the second consecutive game, Louisville surpassed the 20-assist total as a team. Moore had six of Louisville's 21 assists, along with 5 rebounds.
Smith scored a team-high 13 points for Belmont.
BIG PICTURE
Belmont: The Bruins return five starters and their top nine scorers from their NCAA Tournament team last year, but they had trouble scoring against the Cardinals' length and pressure defense. Belmont won't face many teams with Louisville's length and size in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Bruins were selected as the OVC's preseason No. 1 team.
Louisville: After making seven 3-pointers on Friday, Durr made four on Sunday, scoring 11 points in the first period. Possibly overshadowed by Durr's performance, Johnson was a force in the low post, going 6 of 7 from the field and 6 of 9 from the free-throw line.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Belmont: The Bruins received four votes in The Associated Press preseason Top 25, but their four votes weren't enough to earn them a ranking. They are unlikely to be ranked after losing to Louisville.
Louisville: Ranked fifth in The Associated Press preseason Top 25, Louisville is expected to stay behind Notre Dame, Baylor, UConn and South Carolina in the poll released Monday.
RETURN TO LOUISVILLE
Before taking the head coach position at Belmont, Cam Newbauer served as an assistant at Louisville under Walz from 2011-13. Newbauer coached alongside Walz during Louisville's 2013 run to the national championship.
UP NEXT
Belmont: Continues its four-game road trip to begin the season, playing Troy on Wednesday.
Louisville: Will play its third consecutive game against a team from Tennessee, going on the road against Middle Tennessee State on Wednesday. Louisville and Middle Tennessee last met in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2013, where the Cardinals won 74-49.
