Louisville Rallies Past, Holds Off Nebraska in NCAA Tournament Opener

FORT WORTH, Tex. - The Louisville women's basketball program's latest attempt to secure their first national title got started on the right foot.

Facing Nebraska in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, the Cardinals were able to mount a last-minute rally against the Huskers, emerging with a 63-58 victory on Friday from Schollmaier Arena.

Trailing by four points with under six minutes to go, seventh-seeded Louisville (22-10, 13-5 ACC) was able to end the game against 10th-seeded Nebraska (21-12, 10-8 Big Ten) on a 13-4 run - including a 5-0 spurt in the final 30 seconds of a tie game.

Louisville bounces back from last season's first round exit in the Big Dance, which had been the first in Jeff Walz' 18 seasons as the head coach. The victory over Nebraska sets up a matchup with former UofL guard Hailey Van Lith and second-seeded TCU, which is set for Sunday, Mar. 23 at a to-be-determined time.

UofL shot it at just a 37.8 percent clip, which was their lowest in a win this season. But that also came with 18 offensive rebounds, as well as 32 points in the paint. Defensively, they allowed UNL to shoot 44.2 percent from the field, but countered that by forcing 24 turnovers for 27 points on the other end.

Tajianna Roberts led the Cards in scoring with 16 points, with Olivia Cochran adding 14 and Jayda Curry finishing with 13.

The opening half was far from a showcase of offensive basketball. Louisville shot it just 15-of-39 in the first half, including a stretch in the first quarter where they missed nine straight. The Huskers shot it slightly better at 14-of-30 with assists on every made basket, but they also coughed it up 11 times for 17 points the other way.

That being said, it was the Cardinals who went into the locker roof at halftime with momentum. They ended the second quarter on a 15-6 run, including scoring the final nine points to claim a 36-32 advantage at the break.

Louisville had the chance to really put some distance between them and Nebraska to start they second half. They held the Huskers to an 0-for-6 start from the field and scoreless until the 5:07 mark, but the Cardinals themselves started the third quarter 1-for-6. Nebraska found a little bit of rhythm to close out the period hitting three of their final seven, but UofL drained five of their final seven to head into the fourth with a 50-44 advantage.

However, closing out games has not been Louisville's strength this season, and that reared its ugly head against Nebraska. The Huskers made their first four baskets of the fourth quarter while the Cardinals missed their first six, allowed them to start the final period on a 10-0 run.

Fortunately, Nebraska was held to just two field goals in the final six minutes and committed seven turnovers in the fourth overall, while Louisville was able to string together just enough possession to be able to come from behind.

(Photo of Olivia Cochran: Sam Upshaw Jr. - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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