The Louisville women’s basketball team didn’t just win on Saturday - they made a statement. In front of a national audience at the Barclays Center, the No.
16/17 Cardinals put together a dominant second-half performance to take down No. 17/18 Tennessee, 89-65, in the SharkBeauty Women’s Champions Classic.
What started as a back-and-forth battle turned into a Louisville showcase, as the Cards closed the game on a 41-17 run over the final 15 minutes to secure their second Top 20 win in just seven days.
That 24-point margin? It’s Louisville’s largest win over a ranked opponent since March 2023, when they beat then-No.
10 Notre Dame by 26. And just six days after grinding out an overtime road win at No.
12 North Carolina, the Cards followed it up with another ranked victory - this time with authority.
What stood out most wasn’t just the final score, but how Louisville got there. This was a total team effort.
Six players scored in double figures, and seven finished with at least nine points. The scoring was balanced, the effort relentless, and the energy contagious.
Tajianna Roberts led the way with 18 points, adding five rebounds, five assists, and three steals in a performance that set the tone on both ends of the floor. Imari Berry notched her first career double-double, finishing with 15 points and a career-best 13 rebounds - a gritty, all-around effort that showed her growth as a two-way contributor. Elif Istanbulluoglu did her part on the glass, pulling down a career-high 14 rebounds and chipping in nine points.
Laura Ziegler was the engine in the middle - dishing out a team-high six assists to go with 10 points and eight rebounds. She was instrumental during a key second-quarter run that flipped the momentum in Louisville’s favor.
Reyna Scott, playing in front of a hometown crowd, delivered a strong fourth quarter, scoring 10 of her 12 points in the final frame to help seal the win. Mackenly Randolph (11 points) and Skylar Jones (10 points) rounded out the double-digit scorers.
Louisville dominated the boards for a second straight game, pulling down 59 rebounds - just one shy of their season-high 60 against Eastern Kentucky earlier in the week. That kind of rebounding effort is no accident. It’s becoming a calling card for this team.
The game opened with both teams trading buckets. Louisville hit four of its first five shots and leaned heavily on its inside game - 16 of its 17 first-quarter points came in the paint. Even with the hot start, the first 10 minutes ended tied at 17-17, with Skylar Jones pacing the Cards early with six points.
In the second quarter, Louisville started to separate. They hit the offensive glass hard, grabbing six offensive rebounds and converting them into 12 second-chance points.
A 12-0 run midway through the quarter - fueled by Ziegler and Berry - helped the Cards flip a three-point deficit into a five-point halftime lead. Louisville shot 50% from the field in the second quarter, matching their first-quarter efficiency.
Tennessee made one final push in the third, tying the game at 48 with just over five minutes left in the quarter. But from that point on, it was all Louisville.
The Cards closed the third on a 15-4 run to re-establish control, then opened the fourth by scoring 12 of the first 14 points to push the lead north of 20. The Vols had no answers for Louisville’s pace, depth, or defensive intensity.
Roberts and Scott combined for 18 points in the fourth quarter alone, putting the finishing touches on a performance that felt like a team hitting its stride at just the right time.
Now at 12-3 overall and 2-0 in ACC play, Louisville heads into the holiday break with momentum and confidence. The Cardinals will return to action in the new year when they host SMU at the KFC Yum!
Center on Thursday, January 1. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
ET and will stream on ACC Network Extra.
If this past week is any indication, Louisville is starting to look like a team that’s not just climbing the rankings - they’re ready to make some serious noise.