No. 20 Louisville vs Gonzaga | 2023 Betty Chancellor Classic: Championship | 11.26.23 скачать в хорошем качестве

No. 20 Louisville vs Gonzaga | 2023 Betty Chancellor Classic: Championship | 11.26.23

KATY, Texas - The No. 20/15 Louisville women's basketball team (6-1) took down Gonzaga (6-2), 81-70, Sunday afternoon at the Merrell Center to claim the Betty Chancellor Classic Championship. Written by Matt Para | GoCards.com Heading into the game, the Cardinals needed to win by eight or more to clinch the championship and they hit their first nine shots of the fourth quarter and outscored Gonzaga 22-14 in the final frame to claim the tournament title. It is the first in-season tournament title for the Cardinals since the 2019 Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands. The Cardinals were led by Kiki Jefferson with a team-high 21 points on 7-for-10 shooting along with four rebounds, tied the team high with five assists and had a team-best three steals. Nina Rickards had another strong game with 16 points on 8-for-8 shooting, with five assists, two rebounds and two steals. Jefferson and Rickards were both named to the All-Tournament team. Jayda Curry was in double figures with 13 points and she hit a season-high three three-pointers. Merissah Russell added nine points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal off the bench. The Cardinals were hot from the floor in the opening minutes, hitting six of their first eight shots from the floor. Louisville ran into the wrong side of the whistle as 10 fouls were called against the Cards in the opening quarter and three players had two fouls each. Gonzaga had 10 free throws to the Cards zero over the first 10 minutes but Louisville trailed by just two at the end of the first. Louisville got back in front early in the second quarter as they scored six of the first eight points over the first two minutes. Gonzaga called timeout after Curry's jumper gave the Cards a 25-23 edge just 1:52 into the quarter. The Cardinals strong shooting continued in the second quarter and they extended their lead to its largest of the half, 12, thanks to a 12-2 run during the middle of the quarter. The Cardinals hit 11-of-19 (57.9 percent) of their shots in the quarter and knocked down four three-pointers. The quarter was capped by an offensive rebound from Alexia Mobley who found Curry for a three-pointer that beat the buzzer and gave the Cards a 47-36 lead going into the half. Jefferson led the Cards with 12 first-half points and had eight of her points in the second quarter on 4-for-5 shooting. Rickards was 4-for-4 from the floor with eight points while Sydney Taylor and Curry both hit two threes in the first half. Gonzaga made a run in the third quarter as they outscored the Cards 20-12 and made it a three-point game heading into the final quarter. The Cards held a 59-56 lead going into the fourth. The Cardinals responded in a big way to begin the fourth quarter as they hit each of their nine shots to begin the quarter. They outscored the Zags 20-6 over the first five minutes plus of the quarter. Gonzaga called a timeout after Curry hit a three in the corner to put the Cardinals up 79-62 with 4:33 left. The Bulldogs cut the Louisville lead all the way down to eight but that is the closest they would get as the Cardinals did enough to close out the game and win the tournament. The Cardinals will return briefly to campus before hitting the road again for the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge. Louisville will head to Oxford, Mississippi for a Sweet 16 rematch against the Ole Miss Rebels. The Cardinals and Rebels will square off on Wednesday at 9:15 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.