For one week, No. 21 Louisville women’s basketball worked on taking charges and had more over the last three games than the previous five games combined, according to coach Jeff Walz.
And leading up to the Cardinals’ game against third-ranked South Carolina, the squad emphasized boxing out for rebounds. UofL had one of its best rebounding performances against one of the nation’s best teams with 34 and 10 second-chance points on 11 offensive rebounds. But it couldn’t convert enough rebounds into points.
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Louisville’s ACC/SEC Challenge game against South Carolina featured 13 lead changes and six ties before the Gamecocks escaped with a 79-77 victory Thursday night at the KFC Yum! Center. Despite the loss, Elif Istanbulluoglu had a career-high 15 points to go along with nine rebounds. Taj Roberts led the Cardinals (7-3) with 20 points, three shy of her career high.
The Cards’ two-point loss is the closest margin of defeat for the team against ranked teams. They lost to top-ranked UConn, 79-66, in the season opener and fell to then-No. 18 Kentucky, 72-62, less than two weeks ago.
“I hope it shows them that we can compete with anybody if we play for four quarters,” Walz said. “You just can’t take a quarter off. And then I hope it also shows them how we have to get in better shape so we don’t miss some easy ones because of fatigue. I thought we pushed the ball well. I thought we got up and down the floor well. But, unfortunately, we just didn’t make the big stop at the right time.”
Louisville played South Carolina (8-1) closely the whole game and not only battled for rebounds but took charges and dove for loose balls. But the squad played on a different level in the third quarter, overcoming an 11-point deficit at the beginning of the frame. After South Carolina had its largest lead, 50-39, Roberts and Skylar Jones combined for 15 points over a five-minute span to narrow South Carolina’s lead, 57-56.
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The Cardinals outscored the Gamecocks, 23-18, in the third quarter and used that momentum for a 5-0 run at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The Yum! Center crowd of 10,012 — well above its season average of 7,831 — erupted when Jones hit a 3-pointer that put Louisville up, 67-63, to match the team’s largest lead.
“We just had a chip on our shoulder, being that they are the No. 3 team,” said guard Reyna Scott, who finished with 15 of the team’s 34 bench points to go along with four assists, three rebounds and a steal. “We knew we had to come out there and give the fans what they’ve been looking for all season. And just to show we belong. We’re here.”
South Carolina stormed back and took a 78-75 lead with 33 seconds left before Walz called a timeout. Imari Berry was fouled and made two free throws before South Carolina coach Dawn Staley called a timeout 10 seconds later. The Gamecocks ran the next 14 seconds off the clock before going 1 for 2 from the free-throw line for the 79-77 lead.
Louisville had one more possession, but Roberts missed the final shot from the same spot where she had previously drained it, finishing 50% (4 for 8) from 3-point range. The sophomore was overcome with emotion and had to be consoled by her teammates as center Madina Okot made the final free throw for South Carolina.
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South Carolina shot 49.2% from the field, and Louisville was at 47.7%. But the final missed shot became the ultimate separating factor.
“She got a great look. We executed perfectly,” Walz said of Roberts. “(Istanbulluoglu) set a great screen. (Anaya) Hardy jumped up and caught the pass, made a beautiful pass to her. Everything was perfect. The ball just did not go in. It’s part of the game.”
The Gamecocks were one of the tallest teams the Cardinals have faced so far this season, and Walz went with a bigger lineup to start the game. Hardy got her first career start alongside fellow post players Istanbulluoglu and Laura Ziegler. The sophomore scored the team’s first points, but from there it was all Istanbulluoglu, who also played a career-most 34 minutes in leading the team’s post presence.
“My teammates found me in good places, passes, good positions,” Istanbulluoglu said. “I think that’s because of that. We did a great job on the court as a team.”
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Ziegler had four rebounds and was held scoreless for the first time this season with only two shot attempts while trying her hand at playing point guard. Walz commended the job Ziegler did as a point guard-forward hybrid. Staley viewed Ziegler’s lack of scoring as the difference in the game.
“I think Ziegler was really a player that we just kind of keyed in on because she’s got big-game capability,” Staley said. “… I think because of her lack of contribution as far as shots and made shots and production, we win the game because of that.”
Louisville stays home for its next two games, playing New Hampshire at noon Sunday and Ball State at 9 p.m. Wednesday.
Reach Louisville football, women’s basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: South Carolina defeats Louisville WBB in ACC/SEC Challenge
