Louisville Falls in Overtime to Gonzaga for First Loss
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Eliza Hollingsworth scored 18 points while Kaylynne Troung had a big performance in overtime to help Gonzaga upset No. 6 Louisville 79-67 in Saturday night’s first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Truong scored 10 of her 16 points in the OT for the Bulldogs (4-0), who dominated the extra period in the second straight top-10 upset of the tournament’s evening slate. It followed Marquette’s win against No. 3 Texas.
Hailey Van Lith scored 16 of her 18 points after halftime for the Cardinals (3-1), though she made just 5 of 20 shots on the night. That fit the overall picture for the Cardinals, who shot 39.1% for the game and made just 3 of 16 3-pointers.
As the final seconds ticked away, Gonzaga’s McKayla Williams couldn’t wait to celebrate with her team and headed toward the bench to jump around while the players there held back for the horn. Once it sounded, they ran out to mob each other with hugs, then went skipping off the court toward the locker room by the dejected Louisville players making their way off the court much more slowly.
The strong OT performance started with Truong, a 5-foot-8 guard who surpassed her season scoring average (8.7) in the extra period.
Truong banked in a score in the paint on an aggressive drive to open the overtime, then came through with a driving score along the right baseline while being fouled by Olivia Cochran for a three-point play and a 67-61 lead with 3:30 left.
She also assisted on a layup by Hollingsworth after the Zags had beaten the Cardinals’ trapping pressure, part of an overtime that saw Gonzaga make all four of its shots while making 10 of 13 free throws.
Louisville made just 2 of 10 shots in the extra period.
BIG PICTURE
Gonzaga: The Zags were facing the Cardinals for the second straight year going back to a March road loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The preseason West Coast Conference favorite made a statement with this win, the kind that could land it in the next AP Top 25.
Louisville: The Cardinals had outrebounded all three of their opponents, but they were beaten badly on the boards (50-31). And that led to a 24-3 edge in second-chance points for the Zags, who shook off 29 turnovers that led to 28 points for the Cardinals.
UP NEXT
Gonzaga: The Bulldogs advanced to Sunday’s semifinals to face Marquette.
Louisville: The Cardinals will face No. 3 Texas in an unexpected consolation-bracket pairing Sunday.
(Photo via University of Louisville Athletics)
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