LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - No. 2 Louisville got back on track with a solid performance against Georgia Tech.
Asia Durr led the way.
Durr scored 21 points and the Cardinals bounced back nicely from their first loss of the season, beating the Yellow Jackets 61-44 on Sunday.
The Cardinals (15-1, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) shot 38 percent from the field in Thursday’s 82-68 loss at top-ranked Notre Dame. But they put together a fast start against Georgia Tech and then used their defense to put away the Yellow Jackets after they made a charge in the third quarter.
Louisville opened the game with a 15-2 run, making seven of its first nine shots. Durr scored 10 points during the early spurt.
Durr was pleased with how her team responded to the loss to the Irish.
“You got to keep going,” she said. “You got to keep playing. That wasn’t the last game of the year. It was a big game, but we have more games to play.”
Sam Fuehring had 13 points and a career-best 14 rebounds for Louisville. It was the second double-double of the season for the senior forward.
Durr, who went 7 for 47 from 3-point range in her previous six games, shot 3 for 8 from beyond the arc.
Georgia Tech (12-5, 2-2) shot a season-worst 26.2 percent from the field. Chanin Scott’s putback got the Yellow Jackets within nine with 1:59 left in the third, but the Cardinals held them to just two points over the next 7:11.
“They kept the ball out of our ballhandlers’ hands,” Yellow Jackets coach MaChelle Joseph said. “That was hard for us to get in a flow offensively.”
Freshman Elizabeth Balogun had 13 points and 10 rebounds for Georgia Tech. It was her second double-double in four games.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
It remains to be seen how far Louisville drops in Monday’s Top 25 poll after the loss to Notre Dame. But the performance against Georgia Tech should help.
WORTH NOTING
Louisville scored just eight points in the third quarter. It marked just the second time this season that the high-scoring Cardinals managed less than 10 points in a period.
The Yellow Jackets’ 44 points were the fewest they have scored all season, and their three worst scoring games have come against teams ranked in the AP top 10 (Notre Dame and Maryland).
BIG PICTURE
Georgia Tech: A young Yellow Jackets team seeking its second victory of the season against a ranked foe got into an early hole because of turnovers and poor shooting. Georgia Tech committed nine of its 21 turnovers in the first quarter. It followed that up by making just 2 of 12 shots in the second quarter.
Louisville: The Cardinals did many things right against Georgia Tech, but Louisville was beaten 46-32 on the boards. Even as Louisville built its big early lead, the Yellow Jackets still found their way to the glass, especially on the offensive end. It’s something the Cardinals will need to address as they seek a return trip to the Final Four.
UP NEXT
Georgia Tech visits Clemson on Thursday night.
Louisville hosts Virginia on Thursday night.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.