No. 22/20 Cardinals Outlast No. 12/11 North Carolina in OT, 76-66

Sunday, December 14

Chapel Hill, NC

4 PM

University of Louisville

10-3,2-0ACC

#12/#11 North Carolina

9-3,0-1ACC

OT 1

Louisville

North Carolina

No. 22/20 Cardinals Outlast No. 12/11 North Carolina in OT, 76-66

December 14, 2025 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Walz Postgame Presser

The Cardinals did not allow a single point in overtime

By: Matt Paras

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The No. 22/20 Louisville women's basketball team (10-3, 2-0 ACC) battled back and knocked off No. 12 North Carolina (9-3, 0-1 ACC), 76-66, in overtime Sunday night at Carmichael Arena. Imari Berry hit a clutch free throw with 0.4 seconds left to force overtime after the Cards trailed by three with 19 seconds left. In the overtime period, the Cardinals outscored the Tar Heels 10-0 to come away with the win.

The Cardinals had four players in double figures led by Laura Ziegler with 17. Ziegler also had a team-best eight rebounds to go with two assists and zero turnovers in 42 minutes. Elif Istanbulluoglu had a career-best 16 points and had zero turnovers in 39 minutes. Berry had 13 points and seven rebounds while Tajianna Roberts had 11 points, four assists and four steals.

Louisville got off to a blistering start in the first quarter, as they were 9-for-14 (64.3%) from the floor and 4-for-6 (66.7%) from behind the arc. Ziegler spearheaded the hot start for the Cards as she scored 13 points and was 3-for-3 from deep in the opening 10 minutes. The Cards had seven assists on their nine made baskets and led 26-24 after the first.

Both offenses slowed down in the second quarter as both teams combined for just eight made baskets. After recording four assists in the first quarter, Roberts got her offense going in the second. She scored eight of the Cardinals 12 points in the frame. Berry got a key offensive rebound and her shot beat the buzzer to give the Cards a 38-33 lead into the half.

Carolina got their first lead of the game since the beginning of the game early in the third but the Cardinals immediately responded. Louisville ripped off a 9-0 run to get back in front and it was capped off by a Roberts lay-up and the foul. Roberts made the free throw and had a 47-40 lead at the media timeout halfway through the third. Louisville had a 56-51 lead heading into the final quarter.

Louisville extended its lead as high as seven in the fourth after five-straight points from Istanbulluoglu at the 6:49 mark. Louisville did not make another field goal until 10 seconds left after a layup from Skylar Jones cut the deficit to one. After two missed free throws from the Tar Heels, Berry drove to the basket and forced a foul call with under one second left. Berry sunk her second free throw to force overtime.

In overtime, the Cardinals clamped down on defense and did not allow the Tar Heels to make any of their seven field goal attempts. Berry and Jones both hit shots and the Cards finished out the game in the free throw line as they went 6-for-6 to pick up their second ACC road win of the season.

The Cardinals return home for their final non-conference home game of the season on Wednesday night. The Cardinals host Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday, December 17 at the KFC Yum! Center. The Cardinals and Colonels square off at 6 p.m. ET and it will be broadcast on ACC Network.