LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Looking every bit like a preseason top-10 NCAA program, the University of Louisville women's basketball team sped past Lindsey Wilson College 118-41 on Sunday afternoon at the KFC Yum! Center.
Freshman Monny Niamke led Lindsey Wilson with 15 points and senior Ashley Franklin backed her up with nine points and three rebounds.
Louisville was led by Cierra Warren with 18 points and six rebounds, while Shawnta' Dyer chipped in 16 points and nine rebounds.
The Blue Raiders struggled against the defense by Louisville all game, turning the ball over 29 times with just four assists. Lindsey Wilson shot just 27.1 percent from the field, compared to 61.4 percent for the Cardinals.
Rebounding was also an issue for Lindsey Wilson as the Cardinals posted a 53-19 advantage on the glass.
It was a rocky first half for the Blue Raiders as the Cardinals full-court press forced 14 Lindsey Wilson turnovers which the Cardinals turned into 26 points to lead by as many as 39 points in the half.
Louisville jumped out to a 14-5 lead just three minutes in with dominant play in the paint by Warren and a 3-pointer by junior guard Shelby Harper.
Lindsey Wilson got its first points of the game on a jumper by Brimm, followed by an uncontested three by senior Ashley Franklin at the top of the key.
Using two different five-player rotations to start the game, the Cardinals switched its entire lineup at the 15:30 mark, keeping fresh legs on the court to keep up the strength of their press.
In contrast, the Blue Raiders used Gillis, Niamke and Franklin for the first eight minutes of the game without a sub until senior Michelle Copley entered off the bench.
Junior Kasey Litzinger ended a 12-2 Louisville run with a 3-pointer to make the score 26-10, but the positive effect was short lived as Louisville answered with back-to-back baskets by Gibbs and three by Schimmel to pull ahead by 21 points.
Down 38-11, Niamke finished off a nice combination in the back court with a steal and layup as she was fouled. The freshman knocked down the free throw to end the 3-point play.
She continued her solid play in the half with a running jumper in the lane to finish the half with a team-high seven points as Lindsey Wilson went into halftime down 58-19.
A pair of newcomers to the Cardinals' post attack made the biggest impact in the first half as Warren went into the locker room with 10 points and six rebounds and Hammond scored five points and pulled down six boards.
The second half at least started better for Lindsey Wilson as Franklin wasted no time cutting to the basket for a layup to score the first points of the half. It didn't do much to improve the Blue Raiders' chances as each team traded baskets on the first four possessions.
It didn't take long for the relentless pressure by Louisville to strike again as Lindsey Wilson continued to struggle in its offensive sets. The Cardinals didn't take off their press the entire half, helping it to leads as high as 77 points.
The Blue Raiders return to action at 2 p.m. CT on Nov. 5 against Tennessee Temple University in Biggers Sports Center.
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