LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Memphis stayed right with No. 5 Louisville until guard Shoni Schimmel decided to take over.
Schimmel scored 26 of her 29 points in the first-half as the Cardinals (20-1, 8-0) rolled to an 88-61 win over the Tigers on Sunday. It was the Cardinals’ 13th straight win.
With the game tied 15-15 with 10:25 in the first-half, Schimmel went to work over the next seven-plus minutes making all seven of her three-point shots during a 22-4 spurt that gave the Cardinals a 37-19 lead. Her long three from the right corner just before intermission made it 47-25. Schimmel made eight of nine three’s during the first-half.
“We know she’s capable,” said Memphis coach Melissa McFerrin. “I got to think if you watch her in practice everyday she’s probably going to make eight or nine out of 10 from the three-point line if nobody’s guarding her.
“The kids a great player and she got in a zone. You get in a zone, you don’t even see defenses unless they are forcing you to pull the shot back.”
Louisville coach Jeff Walz praised Schimmel’s shot selection.
“What excites me for her is she’s scored this much before in the past, but it’s normally taken here 20, 25 shots,” he said. “She took 16 shots tonight … there weren’t many that were forced. That was the same way at Houston and SMU. She’s starting to let the game come to her.”
Memphis (10-10, 3-5) couldn’t get back in the game after Schimmel’s outbreak. Guard Ariel Hearn led the Tigers with 15 points while redshirt freshman Mooriah Rowser added 14 points off the bench.
The Tigers shot 50 percent from the field (24 of 48) but had 17 turnovers which led to 21 Louisville points.
Fouls plagued Memphis as starting forwards Pa’Sonna Hope and Asianna Fuqua-Bey fouled out as did backup Courtney Powell. The Tigers lost the rebounding battle, 33-21.
“Honestly with our foul trouble the wheels came off,” said McFerrin. “I’m having to juggle lineups and play kids in the post that aren’t post players.”
Memphis lost at No. 1 Connecticut 83-49 last Wednesday. McFerrin said both teams have a lot of weapons.
“They both got so many weapons. They are different,” McFerrin said. “Louisville throws a few more things at you that you have to process intellectually and figure out how to play against. Shoni, she was the deal breaker tonight.”
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