First Round - Louisville 83, UAlbany 51
Louisville made its 24th in the NCAA Tournament, entering as a No. 1 seed for the third time in the last four tournaments. The Cards are the only team in the country to secure a No. 1 seed in three of the last four tournaments.
Louisville used runs of 13-0, 14-0 and 9-0 in the first half to build a 48-20 halftime lead and the Cards never looked back on the way to victory. Louisville forced UAlbany into tying a season high with 26 turnovers.
Second Round - Louisville 68, Gonzaga 59
The Cards secured an undefeated year at home behind the largest crowd for a First or Second Round game hosted at the KFC Yum! Center.
Hailey Van Lith, who made 8 of 17 shots, was one of four Louisville players in double figures. Emily Engstler overcame a 3-for-13 shooting performance to post 12 points, 11 rebounds and five steals. Kianna Smith scored 10 of her 12 points in the first half, and Olivia Cochran added 11 on 5-of-8 shooting.
The Sweet 16 - Louisville 76, Tennessee 64
"We just kept reminding each other that as long as we get stops and rebounds, we'll be up no matter what, no matter if we score or not. We were able to execute that. All of our players stepped up and got rebounds and made good plays on defense and we were able to pull away.'' - Hailey Van Lith, Sophomore
Van Lith scored 23 points with six assists and was solid at the foul stripe down the stretch, while Emily Engstler had 20 points and 10 rebounds to help the top-seeded Cardinals withstand Tennessee's frantic comeback for a 76-64 victory that sent coach Jeff Walz's bunch back to the Elite Eight for the fourth straight time.
The Elite 8 - Louisville 62, Michigan 50
Hailey Van Lith poured in 22 points to earn regional MVP honors, Olivia Cochran made a series of crucial baskets in the final minutes, and Walz's gutsy bunch of Cardinals answered every body blow from Michigan to secure a bid to the Final Four for the fourth time in program history.
"I've got a group of kids that have fought all year long, and I love every single one of them. I'm tough on them but it's because I care about and love them because we want to get to this situation. We had every opportunity to fold, but we didn't and I was so proud of them. We made big plays." - Jeff Walz
Credits:
Taris Smith | Louisville Athletics