Cardinals Comeback Falls Short, 74-71

Thursday, July 13

Toronto, Ontario (Mattamy Athletic Centre)

5:30 PM

University of Louisville

Team Canada

July 13, 2023 | Women's Basketball

Final Live Stats Postgame Presser

Kiki Jefferson tallied a game-high 19 points, Nyla Harris added a double-double

By: Matt Paras

TORONTO — The University of Louisville women's basketball team had a feverous comeback in the final minute and had a shot to tie but ended up falling to the hosts Team Canada, 74-71, Thursday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre. Louisville was down eight with under two minutes left but turned on the press and got it within three with 12.8 seconds remaining. Jayda Curry's three was in and out and Canada came away with the narrow win.

Kiki Jefferson led all scorers in the game with 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting to go with four rebounds and four assists. Nyla Harris led the Cardinals with 11 rebounds and tallied 11 points for the double-double. Olivia Cochran was also in double digits with 15 points and had seven rebounds.

Both teams got off to a fast start as they tried to push the pace offensively. Each team was shooting 75 percent from the floor at the first media timeout with the Cardinals holding a slight 10-7 edge. The Cardinals shooting cooled in the second half of the quarter and the Cardinals faced a 25-20 deficit after the first 10 minutes.

The Cardinals trailed as much as seven early on in the second quarter before they put together a 6-0 spurt. It started with an offensive rebound by Cochran and she finished off the lay-up. On the next possession, the Cardinals had three offensive rebounds and Harris finished it off with a lay-up. Then the Cardinals were able to break the press and Jefferson finished at the rim to pull the Cards within one. The Cardinals regained the lead after two free throws from Eylia Love and took a 39-35 lead into the break.

Harris and Jefferson both had a team-high nine points in the first half. Harris led the team with four rebounds and Jefferson and Curry tied with three assists each over the first 20 minutes. The Cards had a decisive 24-17 advantage on the boards with six offensive rebounds turning into eight second-chance points.

In the second half, Canada battled back and took their first lead of the second half with 4:40 left in the third quarter. The teams traded the lead back and forth over the final few minutes of the quarter and it was Canada that held a slim 51-50 lead heading into the final quarter in regulation.

Canada opened up an eight-point lead to start the fourth but the Cardinals fought back. Jefferson knocked down her third three-pointer of the night to cut the deficit to five. That was the closest the Cards would get until the final minute. Fueled by a full court press, the Cardinals brought it within three after a layup from Harris with under 20 seconds left. Then an ensuing trap and steal gave the Cardinals a chance to tie the game with 12.8 seconds left. Curry's three rattled in and out and ultimately Canada came away with the win.

The Cardinals will be off tomorrow and back in action on Saturday, July 15, for the final game of the group stage. Louisville will face Basketball Africa League Select at 11 a.m. ET and the game will be streamed live on YouTube and the team twitter account. Fans can watch on YouTube live here and on Twitter live here.