Louisville Cruises Past Cal Poly for Third Straight Win

Liz Dixon and Kianna Smith each finished in double figures for the Cardinals.

Author:
University of Louisville PR
Updated:
Nov 24, 2021 3:53 AM EST
Original:
Nov 24, 2021

Press Release from the University of Louisville:

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Liz Dixon scored 15 points and No. 10 Louisville rolled in its first visit to California in seven years with a 72-32 rout of Cal Poly on Tuesday night.

The reason for Louisville's first game in California since 2014 was Kianna Smith, whose father, John Smith, is the head men's basketball coach at Cal Poly.

Smith, a native of Moreno Valley, California, made three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points for the Cardinals (4-1). Her dad sat courtside as the men's team had the night off before playing a tournament game tomorrow in San Juan Capistrano, California.

"It was great to be able to have Kianna come home and play in front of her friends and family, and the same thing for Hailey (Van Lith) last Saturday at Washington," said Louisville head coach Jeff Walz. "All of our players really get excited for each other and that's what I like about our team."

Louisville moved to 4-1 on the season, while Cal Poly fell to 0-2 with the loss.

After trailing by four in the first two minutes, the Cardinals responded with a 12-0 run capped off by a Smith 3-pointer that put Louisville up 12-4 at the 4:22 mark in the first quarter.

Louisville's defense forced the Mustangs into nine first quarter turnovers and scored nine points off those turnovers to take a 14-9 lead at the end of the first frame.

The Cardinals' offense heated up in the second quarter, as they shot 47 percent and outscored Cal Poly 20-7 to go into the break with a 34-16 lead.

Hailey Van Lith converted a 3-point play and Dixon scored on back-to-back possessions to force a quick Mustang timeout to start the third quarter and the Cardinals cruised the rest of the way to a 72-32 win.

The Cardinals forced 23 turnovers, marking the third time in the last four games they have forced their opponent into at least 20 turnovers. They scored 27 points off the 23 turnovers.

They entered the game holding opponents to 42.2 points, which ranks first in the Atlantic Coast Conference and third in the nation.

Dixon was 7-of-9 from the floor and finished with five rebounds. Van Lith added nine points, four rebounds and three assists for the Cardinals.

"Liz played a really nice ballgame. She's not trying to make too many moves and when she faces up from 8 to 10 feet, that's her shot. I'm really proud of her," added Walz.

Sarah Dumitrescu led the Mustangs with 12 points.

Louisville concludes its three-game road trip on Sunday when they play at Colorado State at 2 p.m. ET.