WBB: Cardinals Fall to Duke in ACC Quarterfinals

Mark BlankenbakerMarch 7, 2025

The No. 6 seed Louisville Cardinals (21-10, 13-5 ACC) dropped its quarterfinal matchup, 61-48, to No. 3 seed Duke Blue Devils (24-7, 14-4 ACC) Friday night at the Ally ACC Women’s Tournament. Playing their second game in a row without their leading scorer, the Cardinals struggled from the field for a majority of the night against one of the best defensive teams in the league.

Mackenly Randolph had a career game with 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting and was 1-for-1 from behind the arc. Olivia Cochran picked up her team-leading sixth double-double on the season with 11 points and a team-best 11 rebounds. It is her third double-double in the last five games.

It was a tough shooting quarter for the Cardinals to start the game. They went 5-for-16 from the floor in the first quarter and faced a 15-11 deficit after the opening 10 minutes of play.

Turnovers were a problem for the Cards in the second quarter, as they gave up the ball six times. They turned Duke over five times in the second but went into halftime trailing 31-18. It was the fewest points the Cardinals have scored in a first half this season.

The Cardinals tried to pick up some momentum at the tail end of the third quarter. They scored 9 of the final 11 points over the final three minutes in the quarter. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Cardinals trailed 45-30.

The run continued into the fourth as the Cardinals scored the first seven points in the frame. Randolph knocked down the triple to pull the Cardinals within single digits and forced Duke to burn a timeout. The Blue Devils responded with the next four points and the Cardinals were unable to get the deficit below double digits the rest of the game.

The Cardinals will return to campus and shift their focus to Selection Sunday. The 2025 women’s basketball selection show is set for Sunday, March 16. It will be broadcast nationally on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET.