College of Charleston
4-5
Louisville
7-5
Louisville Escapes As Cougars' Comeback Effort Falls Short
12/20/2015 10:21:00 PM | Women's Basketball
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The College of Charleston women's basketball team (4-5) seemed poised for an upset with a 14 point lead in the second period, but a strong push in the middle of the game by Louisville (7-5) wound up being enough to topple the Cougars 71-67.
After falling down 5-11 through the opening of the game, the College went on an inspired stretch that encompassed the waning minutes of the first period and the majority of the second period. CofC outscored Louisville 13-2 to close out the first, and pushed the lead as high as 34-20 at the 3:44 mark of the second.
At that point, the Cardinals heeded the wakeup call and bounced back decisively, peeling off a 15-2 run of their own to shred the deficit to one at 36-35 heading in to the locker room. The Cardinals continued pushing the momentum in the second half, taking the lead and stretching it to a game-high nine points at the 3:00 mark before the Cougars could finally start to correct course.
To their credit, CofC fired back and clawed their way back into the game. Humongous three-point shots from the likes of Darien Huff, Jackie Luna-Castro and Kelsey Booth inched the Cougars back in, and they managed to bring the game within two. Ultimately though, forty minutes just wasn't enough time, and the Cardinals managed to stave off the onslaught.
“I'm very proud of the effort our team put in today,” head coach Candice M. Jackson said. “Looking at this game, I think it opened our eyes that we really can play with anybody when we want to. The thing is, we can't just choose to bring it for a team like Louisville. We need to bring it every single game.”
Offensively, Luna-Castro led the way with 19 points on 8-of-18 shooting from the field, adding a block and two steals. Breanna Bolden a productive and balanced stat-line of her own with 15 points, five boards and a steal. Kelsey Booth had a cool 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting before fouling out. Also of note for the Cougars, Nola Henry had a season-high nine assists while freshman Darien Huff did a little of everything, with six points, five boards, five assists, two steals and a block.
As a team, two glaring issues stood out for the Cougars. First, they were unable to get to the free throw line with any consistency, earning a scant six trips compared to the Cardinals' 22. Second, they were thwarted in the battle underneath the boards, pulling down a season-low 20 boards to Louisville's 40. Outside of that however, CofC played UofL tight, essentially tying them in steals and blocks, and even winning the turnover battle (13 vs. 22).
“We have to do a better job at crashing the boards, and being limited to six free throws in 40 minutes is tough because it means you have to rely on a lot more going your way,” Jackson said.
Louisville had stellar games from both Myisha Hines-Allen and Mariya Moore. Hines-Allen was a force in the paint with a 22-14 double-double, while Moore had a slightly different double-double of her own, with 15 points, 12 assists as well as two blocks and two steals.
The Cougars will conclude their lengthy home-stand this Tuesday when intra-state rival Winthrop (2-8) comes to town. That contest is scheduled for 2 p.m. in TD Arena.
