Louisville Rolls Past Syracuse in ACC Quarterfinals

DULUTH, Ga. - Getting their run in the ACC Tournament started with a matchup against Syracuse in the quarterfinals, the Louisville women's basketball program was all business on Friday, capturing a decisive 87-61 win at Gas South Arena.

The second-seeded and AP-ranked No. 12 Cardinals (26-6, 15-3 ACC) move to 9-3 in the in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament since joining the league, and advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2023. The victory over the Orange (23-8, 12-6 ACC) moves Jeff Walz to 28-17 in conference tournaments during his 19 seasons as the UofL head coach.

Louisville had been in a bit of an offensive funk over the final couple weeks of the regular season, but that was not the case today. They shot 55.9 percent from the field, were 7-of-17 on three point attempts, and assisted on 23 of their 38 made field goal while turning it over just 14 times.

They also weren't half bad on the defensive end, either, Syracuse was held to only 34.3 percent shooting and 4-of-25 on threes, had more turnovers (11) than assists (9), and was out-rebounded 43-to-34.

Six different players broke double figures, led by a 17-point outing from Tajianna Roberts. Reyna Scott added 15 points, Mackenly Randolph notched a 12-point/10-rebound double-double, Skyler Jones also had 12 points, plus Laura Ziegler and Imari Berry each had 11 points.

Louisville got off to an electric start on both ends of the floor. Not only did they connect on 11 of their 16 attempts from the floor in the first quarter, they held Syracuse to an 0-of-7 start, pulling out to a 17-4 lead roughly six-and-a-half minutes into the game. They Cardinals held the Orange to just 6-of-17 in the period, leading 25-12 after the first 10 minutes.

UofL's defense started to slip some in the second quarter, allowing SU to 8-of-15 in the period. But with a 10-of-22 showing of their own, they were at least able maintain their sizable advantage, going into halftime with a 45-33 lead.

It seemed like Louisville might run away with this one early in the second half, as they started the period with a 10-0 run to lead by as much as 20. But Syracuse didn't quit, as they promptly countered with a 14-2 run to get within 10 points - although the Cards were able to score the final five points of the quarter to go up 62-47 heading into the fourth.

Down the stretch, Louisville made sure there would be no last-minute heroics by Syracuse. The Cards held the Orange to 4-of-20 in the fourth quarter, including missing their first eight attempts, while shooting 11-of-16 themselves and leading by as much as 28.

Next up, Louisville will square off with either North Carolina or Virginia Tech in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for Saturday, Mar. 7 at 2:30 p.m. EST.

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