Jazmine Jones scored 14 points and Kylee Shook had a double-double to lead Louisville women’s basketball past in-state opponent Murray State, 76-40, on Friday night at the KFC Yum! Center.
The 9th-ranked Cardinals improved to 2-0 on the season, while the Racers dropped to 0-1.
The Cards immediately set the tone defensively in the first quarter, not allowing a single point for the first seven minutes of the game. Elizabeth Balogun hit two 3-pointers as the Cards outscored the Racers 16-4 in the opening stanza. UofL outrebounded Murray State 20-8 in the quarter and held the Racers to just 11.8 percent shooting from the field, while forcing seven Racers turnovers.
The defensive battle continued into the second quarter until UofL opened up their offense with a 14-0 run highlighted by eight straight points from Dana Evans. UofL took a 38-13 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Evans led the Cards in scoring in the second stanza with 10. UofL again flexed their defensive muscle, coming up with seven more steals and holding Murray State to just 3-of-12 shooting in the quarter.
UofL carried their momentum into the third quarter, using a 20-0 run punctuated by five straight Shook points to give Louisville a 61-20 lead. The Cards ended the quarter with a 63-23 lead as Shook scored 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting to lead the Cards offensively in the stanza.
Murray State began the fourth quarter on a 12-0 spurt to cut the Cardinals’ lead to 28. UofL quickly responded with a 7-0 run of their own to extend the lead back to 35 and effectively put the game on ice.
The Cards went on to win the game, 76-40.
Shook led the Cards in the second half with 13 points and nine rebounds. She finished the game with 13 points and 12 rebounds for her seventh double-double of her career.
Jones had a team-high 14 points on a perfect 6-6 from the floor, while adding five steals and four rebounds. Evans finished with 12 points, while Balogun added 11 points and knocked down three 3-pointers.
Louisville held Murray State to 25 percent shooting for the game and forced 24 turnovers.
Next up, the Cards will host the Chippewas of Central Michigan on Thursday at 6:00 p.m.
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