Content by – Alyx White for
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It felt like a top-25 matchup right from the opening tip, as both teams scored on their first two possessions before finding their footing defensively. Louisville’s Elif Istanbulluoglu and South Carolina’s Tessa Johnson set the tone early. Istanbulluoglu opened the game 3-for-3 from the field for six points, while Johnson went a perfect 4-for-4 and scored 10 points, reaching double figures before the midway point of the first quarter. A basket from Anaya Hardy, followed by a steal and score from Skylar Jones, gave Louisville a four-point lead with 1:30 remaining in the quarter. South Carolina responded, however, with three straight baskets to regain the lead and hold a 27-25 advantage at the end of the first.
In the second quarter, the Gamecocks continued to knock down shots, and while Louisville kept pace, they couldn’t quite regain the lead early on. South Carolina was looking especially dangerous from beyond the arc, shooting a higher percentage from three (57.1%) than from two (55.6%) halfway through the quarter. The Cardinals answered with back-to-back threes of their own from Istanbulluoglu and Tajianna Roberts, tying the game at 37 with 3:28 left in the half. Once again, though, South Carolina was able to respond with three straight baskets and carried a 45-39 lead into halftime.
The Gamecocks built their lead to 11 after a Ta’Niya Latson three-pointer just over a minute into the second half, but Louisville refused to go away. Roberts knocked down consecutive triples, and a Skylar Jones layup quickly cut the deficit to three. From there, Louisville kept South Carolina from stretching the lead any further than five points, and a huge steal and layup by Imari Berry at the end of the quarter trimmed the margin to one, igniting the crowd at the KFC Yum! Center.
That energy carried into the fourth quarter, as Reyna Scott scored to give Louisville the lead. Jones followed with a three-pointer to make it a four-point advantage, giving the Cardinals their largest lead of the night. The two teams then continued trading leads, starting with five straight points from Madina Okot and Johnson to put South Carolina back on top. Louisville answered when Istanbulluoglu hit a clutch three with 6:36 remaining to give them the two-point edge.
After a two minute scoring drought by both sides, Roberts connected on her fourth three-pointer to extend Louisville’s lead to 73-68 with just over four minutes remaining. South Carolina slowly chipped away, pulling within one over the next two minutes. With 1:33 remaining, the Gamecocks had reclaimed the lead at 76-75. Louisville continued to battle, but South Carolina never surrendered the advantage, ultimately escaping with a 79-77 win.
The crowd at the KFC Yum! Center was electric, nearly carrying the Cardinals to a win despite entering the game as 14.5 point underdogs at home. Although Louisville came up just short, they sent a clear message — they have the talent, toughness, and heart to compete with any team in the country. Four Cards finished in double figures: Tajianna Roberts with 20 points, Elif Istanbulluoglu added 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds, Reyna Scott scored 15, and Skylar Jones contributed 12. South Carolina was led by Madina Okot’s 23 points and 13 rebounds, along with 20 points from Tessa Johnson, 12 from Joyce Edwards, and 11 from Raven Johnson.
