Louisville Falls to Alabama for First Loss of Season
Press Release from the University of Louisville:
KATY, Texas — The No. 20/15 Louisville women's basketball team (4-1) dropped its first game of the year in a 78-73 result against Alabama (6-0) on Friday afternoon at the Merrell Center in the first game of the Betty Chancellor Classic. In a game that was tied 12 times and had nine lead changes, the Crimson Tide finished the game on a 9-4 win to come away with the win.
Nyla Harris led the team with 18 points as she tied her career high. She added eight rebounds and had two steals. Nina Rickards picked up her fifth career double-double and the first with the Cardinals with 10 points and a team high 10 rebounds. Sydney Taylor was in double figures for the fourth time this season with 17 points and she added four rebounds and two steals.
The first quarter began as a defensive battle as both teams struggled with turnovers in the early minutes. Alabama got hot from behind the three-point line and hit four threes in the first quarter. The Cardinals forced the Crimson Tide into eight turnovers but Alabama held a 23-18 lead after the first 10 minutes.
Alabama continued to shoot the ball well from three as they knocked down two more in the second quarter. As a team from the floor, Alabama shot 51.7 percent (15-29) in the first half. Turnovers were still an issue for both teams as they combined for 25 turnovers in the first half alone. Alabama led by as much as eight in the second quarter but the Cardinals trimmed the deficit to 38-33 going into the half.
Harris led the Cards with eight points in the first half while Sydney Taylor, Jayda Curry and Olivia Cochran tallied five points each. Cochran had a team-best five rebounds and two steals and Taylor also had a pair of first half steals.
Coming out of the half, Taylor started to take over and it started with her first three of the game in the opening minute of the quarter. Taylor ended up hitting three three-pointers and scored 12 points in the quarter to pull the Cardinals within three. Alabama held a 58-55 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of regulation.
The Cardinals regained the lead with back-to-back layups from Harris and Jefferson. Alabama called a quick timeout just 54 seconds into the final frame and the Cards were up 59-58. The lead changed a number of times in the final quarter as it came down to the final few minutes. Alabama held a four-point advantage with 1:26 on the clock but the Cardinals ripped off a 4-0 run with lay-ups from Rickards and Harris to tie the game at 69 with 47.2 left.
Alabama hit an open three on the next possession to regain the lead and they did not look back as they closed the game on a 9-4 run.
The Cardinals will continue the Betty Chancellor Classic on Saturday with their second of three matchups. Louisville will once again have the first game of the day and take on the Liberty Flames. The Cardinals and Flames will square off from the Merrell Center at 12 p.m. ET and be streamed on ESPN+.
(Photo of Jeff Walz, Louisville Players: Sam Upshaw Jr. - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)
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