LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Romi Levy made a clutch 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining and grabbed Louisville’s missed 3 at the buzzer as Virginia held off the No. 8 Cardinals 74-72 on Sunday.
Imari Berry made 1 of 2 free throws with 31.4 seconds left to put Louisville up 72-71. Virginia (19-8, 11-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) ran time off before Levy spotted up for a 3 on the right side for her second basket in the final 2:08 to give the Cavaliers their fourth win in five games. Levy finished with 15 points, hitting three 3-pointers.
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Reyna Scott missed a layup with 4 seconds left but Louisville (24-5, 14-2) retained possession. Berry had a good look from the right corner as time expired but was short, halting Louisville’s winning streak at three and dropping the Cardinals further behind first-place No. 9 Duke in the ACC.
Kymora Johnson had 16 points including two late 3s, Paris Clark had 14 points and Tabitha Amanze had 11 rebounds and 9 points as the Cavaliers reached 11 ACC wins for the first time since going 13-3 to win the regular season title in 1999-2000.
Elif Istanbulluoglu had 20 points for Louisville, which overcame a 41-30 halftime hole but finished 46% from the field. Scott had 16 for the Cardinals, who lost scoring leader Tajianna Roberts midway through the first quarter with a left leg injury.
Virginia shot 50% and owned the paint 36-22, offsetting a 40-32 rebounding deficit.
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Louisville sped to a 10-3 lead before Virginia surged ahead with 11 unanswered points as the Cardinals went cold and played sloppily for one stretch. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers started 7 of 14 from the field to lead 18-14 through one quarter and shot 56% in the half to eventually build a double-digit advantage and lead 41-30 at the break.
The Cardinals couldn’t fill Roberts’ scoring void, making just 3 of 18 attempts in the second quarter alone (17%) and shooting 26% in the half.
Up Next
Virginia hosts No. 22 North Carolina on Thursday night.
Louisville visits Georgia Tech on Thursday night.
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