No. 4 Louisville finished its regular season on a high note, thrashing No. 14 Notre Dame 86-64 in South Bend, Ind. on Sunday.
The Cardinals jumped out to a 31-3 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back, heading into the half with a commanding 54-15 advantage. Sophomore guard Hailey Van Lith led Louisville with 20 points, six rebounds and five assists.
That's a real score 👀@UofLWBB jumped out to a 45-4 lead in a top-15 matchup. pic.twitter.com/LgvDDbu1MX— ESPN (@espn) February 27, 2022
That's a real score 👀@UofLWBB jumped out to a 45-4 lead in a top-15 matchup. pic.twitter.com/LgvDDbu1MX
Louisville held Notre Dame to 41.5 percent shooting for the game, while the Cardinals shot 58.5 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from beyond the arc to seal the win. Louisville also had the advantage on the boards, pulling down 41 rebounds to Notre Dame’s 21.
Louisville guard Kianna Smith logged 20 points on 9-for-16 shooting from the field, and forward Emily Engstler added 17 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, three blocks and two steals.
VAN LITH. THREE. GOOD.📺 ESPN2 #GoCards pic.twitter.com/eg5quFaMt5— Louisville WBB (@UofLWBB) February 27, 2022
VAN LITH. THREE. GOOD.📺 ESPN2 #GoCards pic.twitter.com/eg5quFaMt5
Sunday’s victory marks Louisville’s sixth straight win over the Fighting Irish, who suffered their first home loss of the season.
The Cardinals finished the regular season with a 25-3 record and 16-2 conference record, while Notre Dame fell to 21-7 overall and 13-5 in ACC play. Louisville is still in the running for a share of the ACC regular season title with NC State if Virginia Tech defeats the Wolfpack in their matchup on Sunday night.