Louisville Women Triumph Over Tennessee with Roberts and Berry Leading
In a wild showdown at the Barclays Center, No. 16 Louisville stormed past No. 17 Tennessee with an emphatic 89-65 win in the Champions Classic. That’s five straight wins for Louisville, and they’ve now beaten Tennessee in the last four meetings.
The game really was a rollercoaster. It stayed tied midway through the third quarter, but then Louisville’s decisive run blew things open.
Key performances from Tajianna Roberts, Imari Berry, and the rest of the Cardinals’ lineup made a huge difference in this one.
Key Performances and Game Highlights
Table of Contents
The Cardinals looked sharp all night. Tajianna Roberts led the way with 18 points.
Imari Berry had a breakout game, grabbing her first career double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
- Reyna Scott: Dropped 10 of her 13 points during a crucial fourth quarter stretch.
- Mackenly Randolph: Finished with 11 points.
- Laura Ziegler and Skylar Jones: Each chipped in 10 points.
- Elif Istanbulluoglu: Pulled down 14 rebounds and scored nine points.
On the Tennessee side, Zee Spearman notched her first double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 boards. Talaysia Cooper added 14 points, while Mia Pauldo finished with 10.
Turning Point in the Game
The game stayed tight until midway through the third quarter. Then Louisville closed the period on a 15-4 run, taking advantage of seven Tennessee turnovers.
That momentum carried into the fourth. A little skirmish led to technical fouls for Spearman and Randolph, and after that, Louisville rattled off 12 straight points. Suddenly, they were up by 22 as Tennessee missed its first six shots of the quarter.
First Half Recap
The first half was a tug-of-war. Both teams were tied after the opening quarter and swapped leads in the second.
Louisville strung together a 12-0 run for a nine-point edge, but Tennessee clawed back to cut it to five by halftime. Louisville led 41-36 at the break.
Upcoming Games
Tennessee will host Southern Indiana on Monday. Louisville heads back home to face SMU in ACC play on January 1.
For more details and a full recap, check out the original article on MyMotherLode.
Louisville showed some real resilience in this game. They took advantage of Tennessee’s mistakes and kept their energy up from start to finish.
Both teams will probably keep tweaking their strategies as the season moves on. Honestly, it’s going to be interesting to see how they adapt and push for more wins.