Louisville coach Jeff Walz discusses team’s victory over Morehead State
Louisville coach Jeff Walz said he has players that can be the best in the league if they play up to their potential after defeating Morehead State.
Sam Upshaw Jr.
Imari Berry‘s favorite spot to shoot is in the corner of the court.
That much was apparent Thursday night.
It didn’t matter who passed her the ball, it seemed she couldn’t miss whether it was the corner by Morehead State’s bench or by Louisville women’s basketball spectators. The same could be said for Ja’Leah Williams, who made both of her 3-point attempts in the first half.
Louisville, which welcomed back Jayda Curry, hit dagger after dagger from beyond the arc in the 107-70 win over Morehead State at the KFC Yum! Center. Berry finished with a team-leading 21 points.
“She’s very talented,” Louisville coach Jeff Walz said. “I think for Imari, what I’m challenging her with is to play with urgency. There’s times in the open floor tonight where she could have crossed over and attacked the basket, and she just plays a little too cool for school.
“… I’m sure a lot of people would be like, man, just be happy with what she did. Well, I know what she’s got, what she’s capable of, and she can do more. If we can get her to max out, then you got a kid that can be an All-American.”
The Cardinals finished shooting 16 for 27 from 3-point range. It’s the most 3-pointers made in a game for the program since making 16 in the 2018 season opener against Western Kentucky.
Last season, Louisville had two players who shot better than 30% from 3-point range with at least 100 attempts. This season, the Cardinals have at least five who could fit the mold.
It’s taken a few games for the Cardinals to actualize more of their potential and will have another deep threat with Curry back. The senior was the team’s best 3-point shooter last year (38.8%) and will be expected to keep it going this season. She hit two 3-pointers and tallied 11 points in her season debut.
The Cardinals opened the season taking 29 of their 75 shots from long distance against UCLA but only made six. Despite falling to Kentucky, U of L made six treys but took 17. The squad did even better against Morehead State with a season-high 10 made 3-pointers by the half. At one point, the team was shooting 67% from beyond the perimeter.
The difference, Walz said, was that the Cardinals passed the ball “with more urgency.”
“We were poor the first four games of holding on to the ball too long,” he said. “When you’ve got a teammate on ball reversal that’s open, we hold the basketball for an extra second before we made the pass. Then by that time, instead of being an open, in-rhythm shot, it’s a contested shot. So, we’ve watched some film, we’ve really talked about it. I thought we did a much better job of getting the ball out of our hands and getting it to shooters at the right time.”
Taj Roberts contributed two of the long-distance shots in the first half and continued her double-digit scoring streak with 11 points against the Eagles.
Berry had five with only three missed attempts — one was near the top of the key. She later made up for it by nailing a shot at the top of the arc to put the Cardinals up, 43-35, with 4:55 left in the half.
“I think she hit two in a row, and it’s like, well, the next play has to be from Imari,” Cardinals forward Isla Juffermans said. “She’s hot. You give it to her.”
Although Louisville cooled off shooting some in the second half, the squad was still effective. Reagan Bender, a Sacred Heart product, notched her first collegiate baskets on back-to-back 3-point shots three minutes into the third quarter to put Louisville up, 88-63.
Louisville (3-2) will look to keep scorching the nets with a two-game road trip coming up, starting with South Florida at 1 p.m. Sunday.Reach Louisville football, women’s basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.
Coverage during the game:
No. 22 Louisville women’s basketball will be home for the first time in almost two weeks when it hosts Morehead State at 7 p.m. today.
The Cardinals return to the KFC Yum! Center on the heels of a 71-61 overtime loss against rival Kentucky. It ended their seven-game winning streak over the Wildcats. Morehead State has lost three straight games. The latest was a 71-53 home loss against Lipscomb.
Louisville has a 17-11 edge over Morehead State and has won four straight in the series. The Cardinals defeated the Eagles, 74-48, last year. Prior to that, the programs hadn’t played since 2008.
U of L then will have another two-week road trip before returning home to play Oklahoma in the SEC/ACC Challenge on Dec. 4.
Stay tuned for updates from Louisville’s contest against Morehead State tonight:
FINAL: Louisville 107, Morehead State 70
The Cardinals made 16 3-pointers, which is the most since the 2018 season opener vs WKU.
Sacred Heart alum Reagan Bender scored her first six collegiate points on back-to-back 3-pointers to increase the Cardinals’ lead.
Although their shooting efficiency cooled off some, seven Cardinals scored during the 10-point third quarter.
Nyla Harris and Taj Roberts have combined equally for eight of the Cardinals 10 third-quarter points.
Imari Berry has a team-high 17 points for the Cardinals, which ended the half shooting 62.5% from 3-point range and 71.4% overall on the floor. They also outscored the Eagles, 31-10, in the second quarter.
Louisville’s on a 13-1 run, which has included two 3-pointers from Imari Berry.
Ja’Leah Williams hits two quick 3-pointers during Louisville’s 8-0 run to increase the team’s lead.
The Eagles are shooting 63% from the field and 4-for-5 on layups though the Cardinals hand on to a one-point lead after the first quarter.
The Cardinals have turned the ball over three times and the Eagles have used it to score three points in the tie game.
Louisville guard Jayda Curry checks into the game at the 7:29 mark for her first appearance of the season. She knocked down a 3-pointer 29 seconds later to put the Cardinals up, 9-4.
The game won’t be televised nationally but will be streamed on ACCNx.
Nick Curran (play-by-play) and Cortnee Walton (analyst) will have the call on the Cardinal Sports Network (WLCL 93.9-FM and WGTK 970-AM in Louisville).
You can also listen online via GoCards.com.
- Monday, Nov. 4: UCLA 66, Louisville 59 (Aflac Oui-Play Event)
- Friday, Nov. 8: Louisville 75, Southern Indiana 51
- Tuesday, Nov. 12: Louisville 86, UT Martin 64
- Saturday, Nov. 16: Kentucky 71, Louisville 61, OT
- Thursday, Nov. 21: Louisville vs. Morehead State | 7 p.m., ACCNx
- Sunday, Nov. 24: Louisville vs. South Florida (WBCA Showcase) | 1 p.m. in Orlando, Florida, NBC Sports FAST and Peacock
- Saturday, Nov. 30: Louisville at Colorado | 3 p.m., ESPN+
- Wednesday, Dec. 4: Oklahoma at Louisville (SEC/ACC Challenge) | 5 p.m., ESPN2
- Saturday, Dec. 7: Louisville vs. UConn (Women’s Champions Classic) | 9:30 p.m. at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, FOX
- Thursday, Dec. 12: Louisville vs. Grambling State | 7 p.m., ACCNx
- Sunday, Dec. 15: Louisville vs. N.C. State*, 1 p.m. (ABC) | 1 p.m., ABC
- Saturday, Dec. 21: Louisville at Memphis | 5 p.m., ESPNU
- Sunday, Dec. 29: Louisville at Boston College* | 2 p.m., ACC Network
- Thursday, Jan. 2: Louisville vs. Miami* | 7 p.m., ACCNx
- Sunday, Jan. 5: Louisville at Wake Forest* | 4 p.m., ACC Network
- Thursday, Jan. 9: Louisville at Pittsburgh* | 6 p.m., ACCNx
- Sunday, Jan. 12: Louisville vs. Georgia Tech* | 4 p.m., ACC Network
- Thursday, Jan. 16: Louisville vs. Syracuse* | 7 p.m., ACCNx
- Sunday, Jan. 19: Louisville at Virginia Tech* | 4 p.m., ACC Network
- Sunday, Jan. 26: Louisville at Virginia* | 2 p.m., The CW
- Thursday, Jan. 30: Louisville at SMU* | 8 p.m., ACC Network
- Sunday, Feb. 2: Louisville vs. Notre Dame* | Noon, ESPN2
- Thursday, Feb. 6: Louisville vs. California* | 8 p.m., ACC Network
- Sunday, Feb. 9: Louisville vs. Stanford* | Noon, ESPN2
- Thursday, Feb. 13: Louisville at Florida State* | 6 p.m., ACCNx
- Thursday, Feb. 20: Louisville at Duke* | 7 p.m., ESPN2
- Sunday, Feb. 23: Louisville vs. North Carolina* | 2 p.m., ESPN
- Thursday, Feb. 27: Louisville vs. Clemson* | 6 p.m., ACC Network
- Sunday, March 2: Louisville at Notre Dame* | TBA, ESPN
*ACC game
- Izela Arenas (freshman, guard)
- Imari Berry (freshman, guard)
- Nyla Harris (junior, forward)
- Mackenly Randolph (freshman, forward)
- Rebekah Graves (freshman, guard)
- Anaya Hardy (freshman, forward)
- Eseosa Imafidon (redshirt freshman, center)
- Elif Istanbulluoglu (sophomore, forward)
- Ja’Leah Williams (senior, guard)
- Merissah Russell (graduate senior, guard)
- Isla Juffermans (freshman, forward)
- Reagan Bender (freshman, guard)
- Tajianna Roberts (freshman, guard)
- Jayda Curry (senior, guard)
- Olivia Cochran (graduate senior, forward)
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Reach Louisville football, women’s basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.
