No. 14 Vermont women’s basketball put up a valiant effort against No. 3 Louisville in the first round of Women’s NCAA Tournament at the KFC Yum! Center, trying to become the first 14-seed to beat a 3-seed.
The upset bid fell short after Louisville turned up the tempo in the third quarter and earned the 72-52 win to advance to the second round, ending the 2025-26 Vermont season.
For the second straight season, Vermont flirted with a monumental upset before the host team ran away with the game in the second half. Vermont falls to 1-9 in March Madness.
Louisville led 32-28 at halftime with Keira Hanson and Nikola Pride combining for 24 of those points. A two-dimensional offense for Vermont was not enough.
How did Louisville take control of the second half?
The Cardinals took control of the game in the third quarter, outscoring Vermont 23-10 while shooting 10-of-18 from the field. Louisville outrebounded the Catamounts 14-3 with seven offensive rebounds and nine second chance points.
The Cardinals did not take commit a turnover while Priede and Hanson finished the third quarter a combined 3-for-6 from the field. No one was able to step up in the process. Senior Jadyn Weltz got into foul trouble early meaning Jacklynn Hosier got an extended leash.
Both Hosier and Emma Haan didn’t take many shots, leading to Priede and Hanson to do most of the work.
With no one else producing offensively, Vermont’s defense got away from them. Louisville shot 54.8% from the field in the second half. Louisville’s Mackenzy Randolph and Lauren Ziegler took over. The duo combined for 21 of the Cardinals’ 40 second half points while Louisville racked up nine assists.
The Cardinals also avoided fouls. Three Louisville players had two fouls at the end of the first half, but the team just committed three fouls in the second half.
In their final games in a Vermont uniform, Hanson (22 points) Priede (16 points), and Weltz (11 points) balled out, combining for 49 of the team’s 52 points. Malia Lenz finished with 13 rebounds.
Contact Judith Altneu at JAltneu@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.
