LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – The Louisville women’s basketball team could not create the frenetic pace that carried it to another appearance in the ACC Tournament championship game on Sunday, falling 75-67 to No.8 Virginia Tech in a game the Hokies took control of in the first quarter and maintained with solid defense and shooting.
It was the first tournament title for Virginia Tech, in its first appearance. For Louisville, the loss ended a spirited run to the title game that included blowout wins over Wake Forest and Notre Dame. It should send the Cardinals into the NCAA Tournament with some momentum, if not a tournament trophy.
Louisville did make a late push after trailing by 15 in the fourth quarter, bothering Virginia Tech with full-court pressure after made baskets. Its problem, in the end, was that it couldn’t make enough of them.
"We had some good locks especially early in the game around the basket that just did not go in and that's part of the game," Louisville coach Jeff Walz said. "I mean, you know, did we come into this game anticipating winning win an ACC championship? Of course we did. But I'm not walking out of this building (ticked) off at these kids or anything like that, because we fought."
WHAT HAPPENED
Louisville got off to a solid start and led by as many as 4 early, but Virginia Tech held the Cards scoreless for the final 2:47 of the quarter, scoring 7 straight points, including a banked 3-pointer at the end of the quarter to lead 24-17 at the end of the period.
The Hokies extended their lead to 12 midway through the second quarter, as Louisville struggled to find good shots. Virginia Tech led by 10 at halftime, and by as many as 13 in the third quarter.
Walz extended his defensive pressure in a half-court trap late in the first half, and as Louisville’s shooting began to heat up, was able to extend it full-court to some effect in the third quarter.
CC Carr heated up for Louisville in the third quarter, keeping the Cards close. They pulled within 7, but Virginia Tech extended its lead back to 11 after Mykasa Robinson was knocked out of the game with a shoulder to the head on a screen. She returned to the game in the final minute of the quarter, and Louisville ended the period down 7 after failing to convert a chance to score on the period’s final possession.
Virginia Tech’s Kayana Traylor opened the fourth quarter with a second-chance three, and two more quick scores pushed the Hokies’ lead to 14 and forced a timeout by Walz.
From there, Louisville kept battling, but could not pull even. It trimmed its deficit to 8 with 53.5 seconds left and got it to 6 on a Merissah Russell three with 28 seconds left. But that's as close as the Cards could get. Four straight tries from 3-point range fell short in the final 15 seconds.
"I think those last few minutes really showed how hard we wanted to play," Robinson said. "And I think that's just something we have to start start the game with. I think we didn't make shots and we didn't get to the free free throw line as much as we wanted."
BY THE NUMBERS
Virginia Tech held Louisville to 37.3 percent shooting. Hailey Van Lith missed 8 consecutive shots from the midway point of the second quarter stretching into the fourth. By the time she scored on a driving layup and was fouled with 3 minutes to play, Louisville trailed by 15 and the issue was largely settled.
The key stat, according to Walz, was the free throw line, where Virginia Tech outscored Louisville 25-10 (tough that number was inflated when Louisville fouled three times late to extend the game).
"We made our free throws," Walz said. "We just couldn't get enough of them."
PLAYER OF THE GAME
For Louisville, Robinson pulled down a game-high 9 rebounds and scored 8 points. Carr provided an offensive lift with 18 second-half points on her way to a game-high 27, but neither was enough.
Virginia Tech’s top players played like it. ACC player of the year Elizabeth Kitley had 18 points, and guard Georgia Amore -- named the ACC Tournament MVP -- added 23 – and set a record for 3-pointers in an ACC Tournament with 14 in the process.
QUOTABLE
Louisville's Walz on his team: "We're a good basketball team. . . . We're not that far off. I think we showed that in this tournament. I like my squad, and I'll take them into the battle in the NCAA Tournament in a week and a half."
NEXT UP
Louisville awaits its NCAA Tournament fate. The NCAA Selection Sunday women’s draw is a week away at 8 p.m.
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