No. 3 Notre Dame met Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center on Sunday afternoon for a heated game of good, old-fashioned gritty basketball. In the end, the Fighting Irish prevailed, 89-71, securing their 14th-straight win and advancing to 10-0 in ACC play. But, for a good three quarters, the Cardinals gave the visitors all they could handle.
Louisville won the tip off, but almost immediately earned a halfcourt violation that put the ball in Notre Dame’s hands. Olivia Miles, the potential No. 2 pick in April’s WNBA Draft, immediately hit two points that were answered by Louisville’s Olivia Cochran (who also should be on mock draft at this point).
Miles showed off her elite passing early and consistently, tossing a lob over her shoulder that Hannah Hidalgo failed to bring to finish. While the Fighting Irish led through the first quarter, Louisville’s freshmen—led by Tajianna Roberts, Izela Arenas and Mackenly Randolph—began to bring the fight for the Cardinals, hitting 3s (Roberts) and playing tough defense (Arenas and Randolph, with the latter even putting Miles on the ground).
The Cardinals began to rally in a serious way to close out the first with Cochran, Arenas, Randolph, Roberts and Nyla Harris on the court. Louisville’s defense was sizzling, with Notre…
