The North Carolina women’s basketball team fell to No. 14 Louisville, 87-57, on Sunday for its 11th ACC loss of the season.
What happened?
Both the Tar Heels (14-13, 3-11 ACC) and Cardinals (23-6, 10-4 ACC) started slow from the field in what was a disjointed first quarter. Fouls, turnovers and limited minutes from key players plagued both squads.
Louisville’s ACC Player of the Week last week, Asia Durr, committed two fouls in the first three and a half minutes. In the same vein, UNC sophomore starters Destinee Walker and Stephanie Watts didn't play with injuries. While this was Watts’ first game missed in the regular season, Walker has been out for several weeks.
North Carolina — which is already one of the youngest teams in the country, boasting eight first-years and no healthy seniors — relied on the 3-point shot early and often to stay in the game against Louisville. The Tar Heels didn't hit a field goal inside the 3-point arc until 5:19 left in the second quarter.
Despite the slow start, the Cardinals turned it on at the end of the first half. Two consecutive steals accompanied by easy fast-break buckets kick-started the formidable Louisville backcourt. The Cardinals' lead extended to double digits with just under two minutes remaining in the half, and the Tar Heels cut the deficit to single digits just once the rest of the contest.
Who stood out?
Louisville's Asia Durr couldn't be stopped en route to 28 points in 28 minutes. The sophomore point guard took care of business, pressuring the UNC backcourt and contributing to several of the 17 Tar Heel turnovers on Sunday.
For North Carolina, Taylor Koenen and Paris Kea accounted for the bulk of the team’s offensive production. Kea had 26 points and two assists, and Koenen added 14 points and two assists of her own.
