Roberts injury looms as Virginia knocks off No. 8 Louisville at home, 74-72

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The Louisville women’s basketball team spent most of Sunday afternoon trying to solve problems that kept multiplying: Virginia’s zone defense, a double-digit deficit, and the sudden loss of its leading scorer.

By the time the Cardinals finally worked their way back in front, there wasn’t enough time left to fix the last one.

Virginia’s Romi Levy hit a three-pointer with 12.2 seconds remaining to hand No. 8 Louisville a 74–72 loss at the KFC Yum! Center, a game shaped as much by what happened early as by what happened late.

The Cardinals (24–5, 14–2 ACC) played nearly the entire game without Tajianna Roberts, who left in the first quarter with an injury after scoring three quick points and did not return. Roberts played just four minutes.

Coach Jeff Walz said the focus now is on getting Roberts healthy for the postseason.

“We’ll see what her status is for Thursday and Sunday,” Walz said. “But we’ve got bigger fish to fry. We need to make sure that we get her back and healthy for the ACC tournament and hopefully the NCAA tournament.”

Louisville still had chances to win without her, but struggled for long stretches offensively against Virginia’s zone and defensively in transition.

The Cavaliers led for more than 34 minutes and didn’t relinquish control until Louisville briefly grabbed a late fourth-quarter lead. Louisville led for less than four minutes total.

After jumping out to a 10–3 lead, the Cardinals allowed Virginia to seize control with an 11–0 run that included the moment Roberts went down.

Walz said the issues went beyond the injury.

“We did not play hard,” he said of the first half. “The number of 50-50 balls that we did not come up with — it kills you.”

Louisville shot just 26 percent in the first half and fell behind 41–30 at the break.

Virginia shot 56 percent over the same span.

Turnovers and stagnant offense were recurring problems against the Cavaliers’ zone.

“We stuck the ball above our head, stared where we were going to throw it,” Walz said. “Against a zone like that, you’re basically surrendering yourself.”

Louisville responded with an 8–0 run to start the second half and gradually chipped away, tying the game early in the fourth quarter. Elif Istanbulluoglu led the Cardinals with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Reyna Scott added 16 and Imari Berry scored 12.

But even as the Cardinals surged, Virginia continued to generate quality looks. The Cavaliers shot 50 percent for the game and scored 38 points in the paint to Louisville’s 22.

After Berry’s free throws gave Louisville a one-point lead in the final minute, Virginia answered with the decisive three on the next possession.

Louisville’s final shots -- a layup attempt by Reyna Scott and a three at the buzzer from Imari Berry -- did not fall.

“We’ve lived on the edge and won a few of these,” Walz said. “Unfortunately for us, it was a loss today.”

The defeat marked Louisville’s fourth home loss this season, an unusual trend for a top-10 team that has traditionally been dominant at the Yum! Center.

Walz praised the crowd of nearly 9,000, which erupted when the Cardinals briefly took the lead late.

“Our fans were great,” he said. “I mean, they got behind us. We take the lead in the fourth quarter, they’re loud and all we’ve got to do is just come with one stop. And we give them two uncontested threes. I feel bad because we work so hard to get our fans to come out, and then we perform like this in big games.”

Louisville has now lost close home games to South Carolina, Duke, and Virginia — all by narrow margins.

“We’re five points away from having won 24 or 25 in a row,” Walz noted. “But unfortunately, that’s the way the game rolls.”

Despite the loss, Louisville remains firmly positioned near the top of the ACC standings and on track for a strong NCAA tournament seed. But Roberts’ status will be a major storyline moving forward.

Walz said the Cardinals have enough offensive balance to compensate collectively, but acknowledged they will need more from several players if she is sidelined.

“No one person has to score all those points,” he said. “I just need one more basket from six players.”

Louisville will travel to Georgia Tech on Thursday for its final regular-season road game.

Sunday’s result, Walz said, should serve as a reminder that rankings and records offer no guarantees.

“I’ve said all year, we’re not just going to walk out on the court and be the best team,” he said. “When we play as a team and we execute, we’ve got seven or eight that can score. So now we put pressure on them. But we did not move the basketball well.”