LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Top-seeded Louisville and No. 8 Marquette fulfilled goals of creating offensive opportunities through tough defense, earning first-round women’s NCAA Tournament routs as a result.
Defense should figure even more in Sunday’s second round matchup, with a berth in next weekend’s regional just down the road in Lexington at stake. The Cardinals (33-2) and Golden Eagles (24-9) both rely on quickness to disrupt offensive flow, a challenge compounded by each team’s multiple scoring options.
Seeing how well both schools made their own luck Friday, the simple objective is keeping it going.
“I liked our pressure,” forward Sam Fuehring said of Louisville’s defensive performance in which it outrebounded No. 16 seed Boise State by 21 and held the Broncos to 23.5 percent shooting in a 74-42 blowout.
“We have to turn that over to Marquette because we can probably force turnovers and we have to stay in front of them as well. We struggled a little bit against Boise State, but being in front of Marquette because they drive a lot is going to help us defensively.”
The Cardinals seek a second consecutive Sweet 16 appearance just 80 miles east, while the Golden Eagles look to reach a regional semifinal for the first time in program history. Louisville leads Marquette 15-9 all time in a series going back to when both were in the Big East Conference.
None of that matters because the schools last met five years ago and have gone in different directions.
Louisville joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2014 and just earned its first regular season and tournament titles. Marquette remains in the Big East and is now coached by Carolyn Kieger, who looks to take the program a step further after a confidence-building opening win.
“We’re taking a different approach now where we’re saying, ’Hey, this is where we deserve to be,’” Kieger said Saturday. “This is where we want to be, and we’re going to keep going through every round we possibly can.”
Following up its impressive defensive effort against No. 9 Dayton can certainly help Marquette.
The Golden Eagles generated just 11 fast-break points in the 84-65 victory, but they scored 22 points off 19 turnovers and held the Flyers to 39 percent shooting. Louisville’s height, athleticism and depth present numerous obstacles, ones they look forward to clearing.
“Understanding what we want to get out of each defensive coverage will be very important,” junior guard Allazia Blockton said.
Marquette junior guard Natisha Hiedeman agreed that shutting down Louisville defensively can help the offense, and she speaks from experience after creating chances leading to a record-setting effort.
Hiedeman made five steals and thrived when the Golden Eagles sped things up, getting free on the perimeter to make eight 3-pointers for a career-high 32 points. Her total also established a school record for an NCAA game.
Open looks might be more difficult for Hiedeman with Louisville expected to rotate several defenders outside. Hiedeman quickly ran off the names of Brockton, guard Amani Wilborn and forward Erika Davenport as teammates capable of contributing offensively.
“They have to be pretty strategic and figure out who they’re going to guard,” Hiedeman said of Louisville.
Louisville coach Jeff Walz agreed, noting that Blockton and Hiedeman are close to joining Wilborn and Danielle King in the 100-assist club. While Marquette’s unselfish play will force the Cardinals to do some things differently on defense, the coach believes his team’s season-long consistency in that area has prepared them for another test.
“Everybody is going to have to be dialed in,” Walz said. “You’ve got to be sprinting the floor, looking over your shoulder, matching up and knowing, heck, if I’m the post player, I might have to go back and get the ball. It’s going to present some different challenges to us, there’s no question.”
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