Louisville Cardinals defeat Ole Miss to advance to Elite Eight 72-62

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 24: Merissah Russell #13 and Hailey Van Lith #10 of the Louisville Cardinals celebrate after defeating the Ole Miss Rebels in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Climate Pledge Arena on March 24, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 24: Merissah Russell #13 and Hailey Van Lith #10 of the Louisville Cardinals celebrate after defeating the Ole Miss Rebels in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Climate Pledge Arena on March 24, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Louisville Cardinals, led by Hailey Van Lith and Mykasa Robinson, are dancing. For the fourth time in six years, the Jeff Walz-led team is advancing to the Elite Eight. In thrilling fashion, the Louisville Cardinals defeated the Ole Miss Rebels 72-62. Ole Miss was the first to score and established an early lead, but Louisville, led by junior Hailey Van Lith, wasn’t going away without a fight. Van Lith contributed seven of the team’s first 9 points.

Louisville and Ole Miss Recap

The game remained close throughout the first quarter, with both teams exchanging baskets and playing solid defense. Louisville ended the first quarter with a narrow 20-15 lead. In the second quarter, the game remained close, with both teams scoring 14 points. The Cardinals played solid defense, preventing Ole Miss from getting easy baskets.

At halftime, Louisville held a 34-29 lead, but Ole Miss refused to give up. The Rebels came out strong in the third quarter, narrowing the lead to 3 points. However, Louisville responded, led by Mykasa Robinson, who added four points and two key assists in the third quarter. Ole Miss continued to fight, but Louisville’s defense proved too much for them.

In the fourth quarter, Louisville maintained its lead and played solid defense, and Ole Miss could never retake the lead. Louisville’s victory was a team effort, with multiple players contributing. Hailey Van Lith led the team in scoring with 21 points, Morgan Jones provided 11 points off the bench, and Mykasa Robinson provided a spark on both sides of the court to seal the victory.

In the post-game press conference, senior leader Mykasa Robinson quickly credited Jeff Walz’s work for the University of Louisville and the women’s basketball program. She also stated her appreciation for prior Cardinal teams’ leadership and hard work:

"“without them, we wouldn’t be where we are. I’m very thankful to be a part of that.”"

Hailey Van Lith’s Homecoming

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – MARCH 24: Hailey Van Lith #10 of the Louisville Cardinals celebrates after defeating the Ole Miss Rebels in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Climate Pledge Arena on March 24, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – MARCH 24: Hailey Van Lith #10 of the Louisville Cardinals celebrates after defeating the Ole Miss Rebels in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Climate Pledge Arena on March 24, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /

One of the underlying storylines of the night in was Hailey Van Lith’s homecoming, returning to her home state of Washington.

"“It was amazing to have friends and family out from the whole state cheering for us,” Hailey Van Lith would say. “I’m a very focused player. Everyone knows that about me, and there were no distractions, but after the game, I went and kissed all the babies and hugged all the people.”"

With their victory over Ole Miss, Louisville advances to the Elite Eight to challenge for the right to move on to the final four. In what promises to be an exciting matchup, they will face the two-seed Iowa Hawkeyes, who are the reigning Big Ten Tournament champions and have not lost since February. The Hawkeyes are led by John R. Wooden Award nominee Caitlin Clark, who averages 26.9 points per game, which is good enough for third in the nation.