UofL writer Alexis Cubit on Louisville’s NCAA Tournament win vs Vermont
Louisville women’s basketball writer Alexis Cubit talks Mackenly Randolph, post depth after the Cards’ NCAA Tournament win over Vermont.
The third-seeded Louisville women’s basketball team left its home-court struggles in the regular season.
The Cardinals shrugged off a slow start and dominated the second half in their 72-52 win over No. 14-seeded Vermont in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center. They move on to play either No. 6-seed Alabama or No. 13-seeded Rhode Island in the second round on Monday.
Here are three takeaways from Louisville’s first-round win over Vermont:
Mackenly Randolph put up solid numbers during the ACC Tournament, earning a spot on the all-tournament first team. But she wasn’t done.
The sophomore wing was the gritty, fearless player that the Cardinals needed to run away with the first-round win. Randolph had her fourth double-double in the last five games, finishing with a career-high 20 points, 11 rebounds and three assists. Midway through the second quarter, Randolph erased Vermont’s 22-21 lead with an assist on Taj Roberts‘ 3-pointer before hitting one of her own. The Cards never gave up the lead after that.
UofL is no stranger to slow starts this season and had another one against the Catamounts. Vermont used a 7-0 run during the first quarter for one of its two leads in the first half. Though Louisville had the 32-28 halftime lead, the team dominated the third quarter.
The Cards slapped the floor in unison when the second half began and proceeded to outscore the Catamounts, 23-10, in the frame. Randolph and Laura Ziegler combined for 16 of the team’s points. UofL also used seven offensive rebounds to tally nine second-chance points in the frame.
Keira Hanson was the Catamounts’ second-leading scorer and entered the game averaging 14.1 points per outing. The senior guard was already at 14 points after the first half, doing most of her damage in the first quarter. At times, Louisville lost her on defense, allowing for open looks during the first quarter. During a three-minute stretch, Hanson outscored Louisville by herself, 9-2, for a 16-12 Vermont lead.
The Cardinals did a better job of containing her in the second half with Reyna Scott and Roberts being the main players guarding Hanson. They did a better job in the second half, holding her to only two points during the third quarter.
Reach Louisville football, women’s basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.
