Cardinals Drop Tight Battle to Virginia Tech, 70-65

Sunday, January 19

Blacksburg, VA

4 PM

University of Louisville

Virginia Tech

January 19, 2025 | Women's Basketball

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Louisville trimmed the deficit to one in the final minutes

By: Matt Paras

BLACKSBURG, Va. — The Louisville women's basketball team (13-6, 6-2 ACC) attempted to storm back in the fourth quarter but the comeback fell short as the Cards dropped to Virginia Tech (13-6, 4-3 ACC), 70-65, Sunday night at Cassell Coliseum. The Cardinals were down by 13 heading into the final quarter and got the deficit all the way down to one but were unable to come all the way back.

Olivia Cochran led the Cards with 14 points and a team-best eight rebounds. Ja'Leah Williams had a team-best four assists to go with 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting. Jayda Curry joined the pair in double figures with 13 points and three assists.

Virginia Tech jumped out to an early lead in the first and forced the Cardinals to burn a timeout. Coming out of the timeout, the Cards scored the next eight points, with five coming from Merissah Russell, to get back into the game. At the end of the first quarter, the Cardinals trailed 17-14.

Another run came from the Hokies halfway through the second quarter that pushed the Virginia Tech lead to nine and the Cardinals used another timeout. The Cards responded by trimming the lead back down to three before the teams went back and forth over the final few minutes of the quarter. At the break, Virginia Tech held a 34-27 lead.

Olivia Cochran started to heat up in the third quarter, as she scored eight of Louisville's 11 points at the media timeout. Virginia Tech extended its lead at the end of the third and the Cardinals faced a 58-45 deficit heading into the final quarter.

The Cards forced a scoring drought early in the fourth to get back into the game. They trimmed the lead to seven after a Nyla Harris lay-up and forced Virginia Tech to burn a timeout. The Cards continued to cut into that lead with a 7-0 run that brought the game within three after a Tajianna Roberts step-back jumper. It got all the way down to one with 1:48 left but that is the closest the Cards could get.

The Cardinals will be back on campus this week as it has the first of two bye dates set for Thursday. Louisville is back in action next weekend as the Cardinals head back to the state of Virginia. The Cardinals will square off with Virginia on Sunday, January 26 at 2 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on the CW.