#22 Cards Beat Florida State 70-55

Mark BlankenbakerMarch 1, 2024

The No. 22/23 Louisville women’s basketball team (23-7, 12-5 ACC) notched a 70-55 win over Florida State (20-9, 11-6 ACC) Thursday night inside the KFC Yum! Center.

Olivia Cochran and Sydney Taylor led the offensive output with 16 points each, with the former adding 11 rebounds and a block to tally her fourth double-double of the year. Kiki Jefferson totaled 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists, and Nyla Harris rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points and a career-best 15 rebounds to earn her team-leading sixth double-double of the year. The 15 rebounds were the most by a Louisville player in a single game this season. The Cardinals tallied 57 rebounds in the win, the most rebounds ever in a single game against an ACC opponent since they joined the league in 2014-15.

The Cardinals had two players with double-doubles in the same game for the first time since Dana Evans and Kylee Shook accomplished the feat in the win over Kentucky during the 2019-20 season.

Louisville additionally honored Taylor, Jefferson, and Nina Rickards with Senior Night festivities as the trio played their final regular season home game as Cardinals.

The Cardinals got off to a hot start, scoring the game’s first eight points as Harris made back-to-back layups to cap the run off, but Florida State responded with a 8-2 run to cut their deficit to two at 10-8 about midway through the frame. Free throws by Jefferson would give the Cards the 18-16 advantage going into the second period.

The Seminoles came out firing in the second quarter, scoring the first six points to take their first lead at 22-18, but Louisville then reeled off a 25-4 run to close the frame as the Cardinals took a 43-26 lead into the half. Taylor tallied 10 points in the second period alone, making all three of her three-point attempts. The Cards additionally held the Seminoles to their second-lowest first half scoring output of the season at just 26 points.

The Cards continued their stifling defense in the third frame, holding Florida State to just 11 points in the quarter. On the offensive end, Cochran recorded six points in the period to help Louisville increase their lead to 59-37 at the start of the final frame.

The Cardinals maintained their steady lead through the fourth quarter, with the Seminoles coming no closer than 14 points as Louisville closed out the 70-55 win in the final home game of the regular season.

The 55 points scored for the Seminoles were the second lowest they have scored in a single game and only the third time this season they have been held to fewer than 60 points. Florida State came into the game averaging an ACC-best 81.0 points per game.

The Cardinals are set to close out the regular season on Sunday as they travel to South Bend for their second game of the season with Notre Dame. The Cardinals and Irish previously met on February 8 at the KFC Yum! Center and the Cards came away with a 73-66 victory. Sunday’s matchup between the two teams will start at 2 p.m. ET and it will be aired nationally on ESPN.