The Cards, coming off a 79-66 loss against the No. 1 UConn, defeated the Northern Kentucky Norse. The 25th meeting between the two teams, the last being in 2021, where the Cards rallied to a 64-64 win over NKU.

In the first quarter, Louisville struggled to capitalize on its scoring opportunities, finding itself shooting 30% in FG after the first 5 minutes. Renya Scott (#1) soon found herself on the floor leading the scoring with 7 PTS, 3-3 in FG, and 1-1 behind the arc by the end of the quarter.

In the second quarter, it was evident that the Cards stepped up their defensive efforts, putting the pressure on the Norse behind the arc. But, it did not stop the NKU dominance from the arc, 2-3 in the first 3 minutes of the quarter.

With 5 minutes left before halftime, Northern Kentucky led the Cardinals 27-24. The Cards resecured the lead with 1:30 left in the half with a pair of Randolph free throws. Scott finished the half for the Cards on a takeaway and mid-range jumper to give the Cards a 35-32 lead into halftime.

At the half, Renya Scott leads the team with 11 points, followed by Elif Istanbulluglu with 7 points. The Cards finished the half 3-11 from the 3-PT range, shooting 27.3%, compared to Northern Kentucky’s 55.9%.

At the start of the third quarter, the Cardinals continued with their starting lineup. While the Cards’ first two were left short by attempts by Imari Berry. The first points of the second half were made by Laura Ziegler on a quick jumper, giving the Cards a 37-25 lead, two minutes in.

A 6-0 run by the Cards led to a Northern Kentucky timeout at 6:24 in the third quarter, with Louisville leading 43-38. Similarly, the Cardinals went on another 8-0 run over the course of 3 minutes. At the end of the third quarter, Louisville led 56-48, scoring 21 in the quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Cards took advantage of fast break opportunities and looks from the perimeter. At a Louisville timeout with 5:42 left in the game, the Cardinals led 71-51.

The Cards finished the game in dominating fashion with a 22-0 run over the course of five minutes until under 3 minutes left in the game.

To finish the game, red-shirt freshman Rebekah Graves went from behind the arc to score her first-ever Louisville basket.

With the Cards scoring 31 points in the final quarter, Louisville wins its first home game, 89-61.

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