Frigid field-goal shooting ended the University of Louisville women’s basketball team’s season Saturday.
The Cardinals shot just 31.5 percent from the field in their 82-66 loss to Dayton in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament’s Albany (N.Y.) Region. UofL ends its season with a 27-7 record.
Senior guard Andrea Hoover tallied 26 points to lead the seventh-seeded Flyers (28-6), who shot 50.9 percent (27 for 53) from the field to earn an Elite Eight date with top-ranked and top-seeded Connecticut.
Freshman forward Myisha Hines-Allen scored 14 points - all in the second half after sitting much of the first after picking up two quick fouls - to lead the third-seeded Cards, who were just 23 for 73 from the field. Louisville, which struggled to shoot the ball from the outside most of the season, was just 1-for-15 (6.7 percent) from 3-point range.
Junior guard Amber Deane added 15 points off the bench for Dayton, which outscored UofL 52-37 in the second half after leading just 30-29 at halftime.
The first half featured several runs by both teams.
The Flyers jumped out to leads of 5-0 and 7-2 before Louisville went on a 16-4 run keyed by Bria Smith. The senior guard, who didn’t start, scored six points in that surge.
Shawnta’ Dyer’s layup gave UofL an 18-11 lead with 10:14 to play before Dayton responded with a 13-0 surge. The Cards countered with an 11-4 run that was capped off by Smith’s layup, which put them on top 29-28 with 1:12 left. However Jodie Cornelie-Sigmundova, the Flyers 6-foot-4 center, hit a jumper 22 seconds later to give Dayton a one-point advantage at intermission.
The Flyers led the entire second half as they continued their Cinderella run.
Cornelie-Sigmundova finished with a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) for Dayton, which outrebounded Louisville 41-39 and was 26 for 30 (86.7 percent) from the free throw line.
Smith tallied 12 points off the bench while Jude Schimmel and Dyer added 11 and 10, respectively. Schimmel, however, was only 4 for 23 from the field, including 1 of 9 from 3-point range. She wasn’t the only one who struggled from the field, though.
Freshman forward Mariya Moore, who entered leading Louisville in scoring (13.5 points per game), scored only seven points on 1 for 7 shooting, including 0 of 5 from 3-point range. Meanwhile senior forward Sara Hammond tallied three points on 1 of 5 shooting for the Cards, who were making their sixth Sweet 16 appearance - their fifth under coach Jeff Walz.
Louisville will lose Schimmel, Smith, Hammond, Dyer and Sheronne Vails to graduation, but will bring in one of the best recruiting classes in the country (led by point guard Asia Durr) next season.
Photo courtesy University of Louisville Women’s Basketball Facebook Page
