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After tonight’s game against Central Michigan Coach Walz said, “Sue [Coach Guevara] tells me she has a hard time getting teams to even come in here and play.” After tonight I can see why. The Chippewas gave the Cards everything they could handle and then some. After a tight first half it looked like Louisville might pull away in the third quarter. They built an 11 point lead and then watched it turn into a 1 point deficit with just over 2 minutes to go in the 3rd.
Fortunately for Louisville they have Asia Durr, and she came up clutch in the final minutes of the game. She sank crucial free throws and hit a big shot with 30 seconds to go to push the lead to 66-61. Every last bit of it was necessary because Central Michigan cut the lead to 1 point with 16 seconds left in the game. Senior Sam Fuehring hit two free throws with 1.9 seconds left to put the game out of reach.
.@A_Hooper25 puts Louisville up 66-61 with around 30 seconds left in the game. pic.twitter.com/1mYucFKeec
— Rachel (@snicklefritz35) December 21, 2018
Asia started slow. She got her first 2 points at the very end of the first quarter but ultimately led all scorers with 31 points. Louisville was using their size advantage to feed the post early and Sam Fuehring was the second leading scorer for Louisville with 14 points. Bionca Dunham finished with 8 points all in the first half.
.@SamFuehring with the pick and roll pic.twitter.com/hvNAG0fcKO
— Rachel (@snicklefritz35) December 21, 2018
Louisville only had 7 turnovers for the game. Coach Walz said, “I thought we took care of the ball well....We talked about transition defense. We did a great job only allowing them two points on the fast break. We ended up getting 8. It was a great ballgame.” He added “This is a hard place to come in and play....I think it’s good for our game. I think it’s good for our kids to have the chance to play in this kind of environment. I thought the crowd was fantastic.”
The Cards take a break to go home for the holidays. As Coach Walz said, “Everybody gets a chance to go home which I think is going to be great. They need a break from me. I need a break from them. It’s healthy for all.” Next they’ll be back in the Yum to open ACC play against North Carolina on January 3rd. The game is at 7pm.
Kudos @UofLWBB @CoachJeffWalz and others that take teams to tough places like @CMUWBBall @CoachSueG. A highly entertaining game! @A_Hooper25 31pts & goes over 2000 pts in career. Excellent time & score mgmt by both coaches late game. Durr makes FTs to finish game.
— Debbie Antonelli (@debbieantonelli) December 21, 2018