Before No. 20 Louisville women’s basketball’s game against Ball State, guard Reyna Scott joked that it was after her bedtime.
The team’s 9 p.m. tipoff may have been the culprit for its sleepy start. Louisville has normally started games quickly this season but had only eight points while committing three fouls in the first seven minutes of the game.
Advertisement
Louisville (9-3) woke up during the second quarter and will go into Sunday’s top-25 ACC road clash against 11th-ranked North Carolina after beating Ball State, 93-62, on Wednesday night. Skylar Jones had a third straight double-digit performance with a game-high 20 points to go along with seven rebounds, three assists and three steals to help lead the team to victory.
“A lot of it comes down to her body language,” UofL coach Jeff Walz said. “It’s how she’s playing. When you go out there and you play with joy and you have fun, it makes it a lot more enjoyable. I think she’s starting to do that now.”
Louisville is 0-3 against ranked opponents this season but has shown improvement in each contest. The Cards went from a 13-point loss to UConn in the season opener to a 10-point defeat to Kentucky and then lost to third-ranked South Carolina by two points.
UofL has lost the last two meetings with the Tar Heels, who are 0-2 against ranked opponents this season, despite leading the all-time series, 9-6.
Advertisement
Part of Louisville’s upward trend can be attributed to its deep frontcourt. Post players Laura Ziegler and Elif Istanbulluoglu played 32 and 31 minutes, respectively, against the Huskies. A month later, Anaya Hardy entered the starting lineup and played a career-high 23 minutes to go along with Ziegler and Istanbulluoglu playing 26 and 35 minutes, respectively, against the Gamecocks. Yevheniia Putra, who spent the first part of the season between Louisville and the Ukrainian National Team, saw increased time on the court Sunday and had nine points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes in the Cards’ 94-43 win over New Hampshire.
Hardy, who had her third double-double of the season (12 points, 10 rebounds), earned her third straight start. And for the third straight game, she scored Louisville’s first points.
“I’m trying to get her as many minutes as I can to get her comfortable going up and down the floor,” Walz said. “I think it’s going to be important for us because of her ability to get off the floor, her jumping ability. She alters a lot of shots, and it’s just something not many people have.”
Hardy’s added depth allows Louisville to be versatile with Ziegler, who continues to play forward and point guard. Ziegler had a couple early turnovers but helped Louisville build a 50-25 halftime lead with nine points, two rebounds and an assist during the second quarter. She finished Wednesday night’s game with 15 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Advertisement
UofL’s guard play complemented its deep frontcourt as the team put together a strong 3-point shooting performance, going 40% from beyond the arc during the first two quarters — three of which came from Jones, who shot 50% from long distance. Playing complementary ball and team defense are key to Louisville’s success, Walz noted.
“We’re not a team built on 1-on-1. We’re not going to blow by people and score,” he added. “… We’ve got to play team basketball. We have to execute at the offensive end. We have to set each other up, and when we do that, we’re really, really good.”
Mackenly Randolph got Louisville’s second-half scoring started with five points in the first two minutes for a 30-point lead, 55-25. The sophomore wing was one of five double-digit scorers with 12 points, one shy of her career high.
“Ball State’s a much better basketball team than what they played tonight, and I think we had a lot to do with that,” Walz said. “This is going to be a good win.”
Advertisement
Louisville women’s basketball next game
Who: No. 20 Louisville vs No. 11 North Carolina
When: 4 p.m. Sunday
Where: Carmichael Arena; Chapel Hill, North Carolina
TV: ACC Network
Reach Louisville football, women’s basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville WBB routs Ball State ahead of North Carolina road test
