Cards Hold Off Miami 79-76

What seemed like be an easy afternoon for the Cards ending up being anything but. Louisville went on a 9-0 run to finish the first half and started the second half with momentum. They were up 53-39 and it seemed like they might run away with the game but instead they went several minutes without scoring. Dana Evans didn’t even take a shot in the 3rd quarter but in the 4th quarter Miami was in a position to tie late in the game and Dana scored the team’s final 10 points to secure the win.

Dana said of Liz Dixon, “She’s been stepping up huge for us. She carried us through the third quarter— made her free throws, being physical— and she’s really good on the offensive rebounds.” Liz had 21 points and 9 rebounds and when the Cards made their run in the 2nd quarter she scored 8 of her points.

Coach Walz talked about Liz, “I thought she was fantastic. She moved well. She pursued offensive rebounds.” He added, “I hope it’s a big lift for her. She played really, really well.”

Dana had 20 points, 5 assists, and 6 rebounds. She was helped by a hot-shooting Elizabeth Balogun who had 14 points and 4 assists. Dana said of Elizabeth, “She’s playing really good. She’s getting rebounds. She’s getting deflections and steals. She does it all for us. She’s somebody we rely on to do a lot of the little things that sometimes doesn’t get noticed.”

Coach Walz said, “When E’s able to knock down that 3 it really helps us a ton. It helps spread the floor and get others involved..... I’m really, really proud of the way Elizabeth has been playing.”

The Cards have another quick turnaround and face North Carolina in the Yum on Thursday at 8PM. The game can be seen on the ACC Network.