LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- One rough quarter proved to be too costly for No. 15 Louisville in a road showdown at No. 3 North Carolina State.
The Cardinals fell 77-67 despite a valiant comeback effort after trailing by 17 points at halftime. Their largest deficit was 21 points, as the Wolfpack outscored UofL 19-8 in the second quarter, giving Jeff Walz's team a hole that was too big to dig out of in the second half.
"We didn't guard the entire first half," Walz said. "It was our worst effort defensively that we've had this season. And it's hard to explain, knowing you're coming into a place against the third-ranked ranked team in the country, and you've got such an unbelievable opportunity on ESPN2 to showcase what what we're all about, and we really just did not defend at all."
The 47 first-half points for NC State were the most Louisville has allowed all season. While Walz said he did not get overly emotional in trying to rally his team at halftime, he added that there was not a major schematic change to get Louisville back in the game in the second half, which saw UofL's deficit shrink to six points in the fourth quarter.
"I'm like, 'Guys, it's a pride issue right now,'" Walz said of his halftime message. "If we didn't score in the first half, we didn't defend. We didn't do anything we've worked on for two solid days. And it showed.
"And then in the second half, it's not like all of a sudden, we put in a new game plan. We actually executed the game plan that we put in. And defensively we were much, much better. But unfortunately, it's a game of two halves."
The overall consistency is something Walz has pointed to often with his now 19-4 team that features seven new players. UofL is in the middle of a stretch that sees the Cardinals play four-straight games against ranked competition. It continues on Thursday night at the KFC Yum! Center against No. 12 Notre Dame.
"My concern is I think a lot of our new ones realized tonight the level you have to bring it at for 40 minutes," Walz said. "You can't just pick and choose. And then you can't get emotional when you miss a shot."
Wolfpack guard Aziaha James was there to answer most UofL runs when it felt like the Cards could break through, leading all scorers with 28 points. Olivia Cochran led the Cardinals with 17 points and 12 rebounds, doing all she could do on both ends of the floor to try and lead a comeback for the Cards. Kiki Jefferson was right behind her with 16 points.
The three-point line proved to be a major difference. North Carolina State shot 48 percent beyond the arc while Louisville made just 26 percent of its long-range shots.Â
UofL entered Monday night's matchup on top of the ACC with an 8-1 conference record and NC State was just behind the Cardinals at 7-2. With another major challenge in the Fighting Irish coming next, Walz continues to emphasize that his group can't afford to take any plays off against any ACC team, no matter where they rank in the conference or nation.
"For the last 10 years, nobody has won more in this league than we have," Walz said. "So believe me, we're a big game for everybody. And it's something that I'm trying to make sure all of our new ones understand."
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