In Louisville’s second game without Payton Verhulst, the Cardinals exploded for a dominant win over Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville with a final score of 105-32. The Cardinals handed the Cougars their seventh straight loss and have extended their losing streak to eight dating back to last season’s loss to Murray State in the quarterfinal of the OVC Tournament.
The Cougars still have yet to secure their first win of the season, while Louisville improved their record to 6-4 with the win. This win ended the Cardinal’s losing streak at two games and marks their first win in three games.
Often times in sports the superior team on paper does not always come away with the win in reality, but that was certainly the case in this scenario. The SIUE Cougars never found their way into this game as they headed into halftime trailing 62-11.
SIUE’s Sofie Lewis led the way for the Cougars with nearly a third of their final point total, finishing the game with 10 points. Her shooting percentage from the free throw line was the most positive stat on her stat sheet. She went 2-for-2 from the line, while her field goal percentage was 25%.
However, her 25% field goal percentage nearly eclipsed the team’s percentage for the entire game, which was 23.5%. Louisville not only affected them in their ability to score, but the Cardinals also had a huge impact on their ability to dribble.
Louisville’s Morgan Jones led the way with eight steals in a game where they totaled 17 steals. The Cardinal defense stifled their ability to drive and shoot, which ultimately allowed such a drastic difference on the scoreboard.
SIUE would finish the game with 30 turnovers to just ten by the Cardinals. A clear advantage in the turnover battle gave the Cardinals more chances to score and less possession time the other way. It was an all-around dominant performance for the team for a much needed win in a time where Louisville needed some positive momentum.
Hopefully, they can ride this momentum into their next matchup against Kentucky on December 11, 2022 at 1:00 PM EST on ESPN.