WBB: #25 Cardinals Pull Away from Tigers, 78-52

Mark BlankenbakerFebruary 28, 2025

The No. 25/RV Louisville women’s basketball team (20-8, 13-4 ACC) rode a dominant second half to a 78-52 win over Clemson (13-15, 6-11 ACC) Thursday night at the KFC Yum! Center. The victory clinches the Cards’ 15th consecutive season with at least 20 wins and guarantees nothing lower than the fifth seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament.

Louisville outscored Clemson 47-22 in the second half and 23-6 in the fourth quarter, shooting 28-for-58 (48.3%) from the field and 8-for-19 (42.1%) from beyond the arc. The Cards outrebounded the Tigers 42-30 and turned 13 offensive boards into 17 second-chance points.

Louisville showcased balanced scoring in the game, with five players reaching double digits. Tajianna Roberts scored 18 of her game-leading 19 points in the second half. Jayda Curry scored 15 and tied her career high with 10 rebounds. Joining Curry with a double-double was Olivia Cochran, who recorded 11 points and 10 boards. It was the third game this season in which two Cardinals posted double-doubles. Izela Arenas posted 14 points and four rebounds, both career highs. Nyla Harris rounded out double-digit scorers with 12 points.

Cochran tied the program record for career games played in the win. She has played 162 games in her Louisville career and is tied with Mykasa Robinson for the most games played in a Louisville uniform.

After a back and forth start to the quarter, Louisville took its first lead with a Curry triple from the top of the key. Baskets by Cochran and Harris kept the Cards afloat amid a hot streak by the Clemson offense, but late baskets by the Tigers gave them a 16-15 advantage after a tight first quarter.

Clemson got off to a hot start in the second quarter, stretching their lead out to as many as five before Louisville came back to take a 27-26 lead on a three by Arenas. The two teams traded baskets in a physical final two minutes, and it was the Cards who took a 31-30 lead into the half.

Both teams finished the first half with 17 rebounds, but it was Louisville’s five offensive boards in the second quarter that helped them keep possessions alive and stay in the game. Curry and Cochran led the Cards in first half points with eight each, while Arenas contributed seven points of her own off the Louisville bench.

Cochran and Curry continued their strong offensive performances to start the second half, combining for the Cards’ first six points of the third quarter. Thanks to a 9-3 run in the middle of the quarter led by Curry and Harris, Louisville gave itself a six-point lead and some breathing room going into the media timeout. The Cards snared their first double-digit lead with a Roberts and-one with just under four minutes in the quarter, leading 49-38. Louisville fought through some tough whistles in the quarter’s final minutes, but led 55-46 with 10 minutes to play.

The Cards put the game out of reach early in the fourth quarter with a blazing 14-2 run to extend their lead to 21 points. The big lead gave the Louisville seniors a chance to earn their individual recognition, checking out one by one and leaving Denny Crum Court for the final time to thunderous rounds of applause. With a few more late buckets, Louisville ended the game with its largest lead of the night, as the Cards tamed the Tigers, 78-52.

The regular season will come to an end for Louisville on Sunday, March 2, with a matchup against No. 3/4 Notre Dame in South Bend. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.