Friday, March 22
Baton Rouge, La.
1:30 PM
University of Louisville
24-10,12-6ACC
69
vs
71
No. 11 Middle Tennessee
30-4,16-0CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
Middle Tenn.
12
15
24
20
71
Louisville
28
10
12
19
69
No. 6 Louisville Falls to No. 11 Middle Tennessee, 71-69
March 22, 2024 | Women's Basketball
The Cardinals three-quarter court heave bounced off the rim and out at the buzzer
BATON ROUGE, La. — The No. 6 seed Louisville Cardinals (24-10) had its season end in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after the 71-69 loss to No. 11 seed Middle Tennessee (30-4) Friday afternoon in Baton Rouge. The Cardinals raced out to an early lead after the first quarter but Middle Tennessee kept clawing away at the lead and took its first lead late in the third quarter. The Cardinals fought back in the final quarter but were unable to overcome the deficit.
Olivia Cochran led the team with 17 points and 10 rebounds for her 14th career double-double. It was her third career double-double in the NCAA Tournament. Merissah Russell led the team with four assists and added nine points and five rebounds.
The Cardinals got off to a fast start as they scored the first six points of the game. After Middle hit a few shots, the Cardinals responded with a 9-0 run to grow the early lead to double digits at the first media timeout of the quarter. The Cardinals finished the half in a fury, hitting seven of their last nine shots, including Russell's steal and lay-up to beat the buzzer. At the end of the first quarter, Louisville had a 28-12 advantage.
The Cardinals shooting cooled a bit in the second quarter and the Blue Raiders chipped into the Louisville lead. Heading into the half, the Cardinals were up 38-27.
As a team, Louisville shot well in the first half, as they were 15-for-32 (46.9 percent) from the floor. All eight players that entered the game scored and Olivia Cochran led the Cards with nine first half points and seven rebounds.
In the third quarter, Middle Tennessee took the lead for the first time all afternoon in the final few minutes. At the end of the quarter, the Blue Raiders held a 51-50 lead with just 10 minutes remaining in regulation.
Middle Tennessee extended its lead in the fourth to its largest of the game, eight, as we entered the final few minutes of the game. Louisville put together a 6-0 spurt to trim the deficit back down to two with less than a minute left. It was down to two with a few seconds remaining as the Cardinals three-quarter court heave hit the rim and fell off at the buzzer to end the game.
Olivia Cochran led the team with 17 points and 10 rebounds for her 14th career double-double. It was her third career double-double in the NCAA Tournament. Merissah Russell led the team with four assists and added nine points and five rebounds.
The Cardinals got off to a fast start as they scored the first six points of the game. After Middle hit a few shots, the Cardinals responded with a 9-0 run to grow the early lead to double digits at the first media timeout of the quarter. The Cardinals finished the half in a fury, hitting seven of their last nine shots, including Russell's steal and lay-up to beat the buzzer. At the end of the first quarter, Louisville had a 28-12 advantage.
The Cardinals shooting cooled a bit in the second quarter and the Blue Raiders chipped into the Louisville lead. Heading into the half, the Cardinals were up 38-27.
As a team, Louisville shot well in the first half, as they were 15-for-32 (46.9 percent) from the floor. All eight players that entered the game scored and Olivia Cochran led the Cards with nine first half points and seven rebounds.
In the third quarter, Middle Tennessee took the lead for the first time all afternoon in the final few minutes. At the end of the quarter, the Blue Raiders held a 51-50 lead with just 10 minutes remaining in regulation.
Middle Tennessee extended its lead in the fourth to its largest of the game, eight, as we entered the final few minutes of the game. Louisville put together a 6-0 spurt to trim the deficit back down to two with less than a minute left. It was down to two with a few seconds remaining as the Cardinals three-quarter court heave hit the rim and fell off at the buzzer to end the game.
Team Stats
MTSU
LOU
FG%
.392
.397
3FG%
.348
.316
FT%
.697
.900
RB
34
41
TO
14
15
STL
6
6
Game Leaders
Pts
17
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
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