Cardinals Sweep Pitt With 77-58 Victory

The No. 18/16 Louisville Cardinals extended their undefeated home streak with a dominant 77-58 victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers. This win improves the Cardinals’ home record to a perfect 11-0 for the season and a remarkable 56-0 all-time against unranked ACC opponents.

In a balanced scoring attack, all 11 players on the Louisville roster contributed points in the win, marking the third time this season that this feat has been achieved. Leading the way for the Cardinals was Jayda Curry, who tallied a team-high 15 points on efficient shooting from the field and beyond the arc. Curry has been in excellent form during the month of January, scoring in double figures in four out of her last five games.

Kiki Jefferson also had a solid outing, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Louisville initially started slow, failing to score in the first two minutes of the game. However, back-to-back three-pointers from Sydney Taylor and Jefferson provided the necessary spark for the Cardinals. They ended the first quarter on an 11-0 run and never relinquished control of the game from that point on.

The Cardinals displayed impressive defensive skills, recording a total of 12 steals, with five different players contributing two or more steals. Eylia Love stood out defensively, leading the team with three steals in just 19 minutes of playing time. Nyla Harris grabbed six rebounds and contributed eight points, while both Taylor and Merissah Russell finished with nine points and two steals each.

The Cardinals closed out the game by shutting down Pittsburgh, preventing them from recording any field goals in the final 6 minutes and 26 seconds of regulation. Jala Jordan led the Panthers in scoring with 17 points, while Liatu King recorded the only double-double of the game with 16 points and 14 rebounds.

Looking ahead, the Cardinals will conclude their three-game homestand with a highly-anticipated ranked matchup against No. 22 Syracuse. The game is set to take place at the KFC Yum! Center on Thursday, February 1 at 7 p.m. ET and will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.