Everybody came out a winner Wednesday night when the powerful Louisville Lady Cardinals came calling at Diddle Arena.
*U of L, which appears to be a better team than it was in last year’s national finalist campaign, stayed undefeated with a 74-61 win heading into this weekend’s showdown at Kentucky, which is also ranked in the top 10 in the nation.
*The WKU Lady Toppers showed they could play with the best teams in the nation, since they cut the lead to three points four times against a team ranked third in the nation in one poll and fourth in another.
*Lady Topper forward Chastity Gooch of Franklin-Simpson established herself as a genuine All-American candidate with 21 points and 7 rebounds against a team of all-stars.
*By agreeing to come to Bowling Green, Louisville coach Jeff Walz was able to allow his friend and former assistant, second-year WKU head coach Michelle Clark-Heard, to demonstrate to anyone paying attention that she is laying the groundwork for a return to national prominence for her alma mater.
*The positive relationship between Louisville and Western Kentucky athletics added another successful chapter. The men’s teams are in the second half of an eight-year series of games, two of which are being played at Diddle Arena. Hall of Fame Coach Rick Pitino has been gracious in giving WKU a chance to play against one of the nation’s elite teams each year, and now Walz is doing the same.
*The crowd of 3,725 fans was treated to fun basketball before, during and after the game. Long after the final buzzer, Louisville’s players, including All-American candidate senior Shoni Schimmel, stayed around to talk to friends and sign autographs.
*Old friends and colleagues got to spend time together. The game was a matchup of former colleagues as Clark-Heard and Walz served together at Nebraska under Paul Sanderford, who coached the Lady Toppers to three Finals Fours, and Clark-Heard also served as an assistant to Walz at Louisville during the Cardinals’ 2009 Final Four run. WKU assistant coach Margaret Richards was a graduate assistant to Walz at Louisville while another Western assistant, Candyce Bingham, played on the 2009 national finalist team and coached under Walz as a graduate assistant on the 2013 national finalist team. Finally, WKU assistant Greg Collins previously served as an assistant coach at Louisville.
The Game:
WKU cut a 16-point deficit to three points in the second half, but eventually the Cardinals pulled away. Louisville opened with an 18-2 run to begin the game before the Lady Toppers closed the deficit to three on four occasions at 33-30, 35-32 and 37-34 in the opening half and at 39-36 after scoring the first basket of the second half. An outstanding shooting performance in the second half by the Cardinals allowed Louisville to pull away and record their seventh consecutive win to open the season. The Cardinals shot upwards of 75 percent for a majority of the second half before settling at 56.0 percent for the second half and 55.4 percent for the game. Bria Smith hit 8 of 9 shots, Sara Hammond 5 of 7, and Antonita Slaughter 3 of 4. Schimmel scored 12 points and had 5 assists. Hammond also scored 12 and had 7 rebounds. Smith finished with 16 points and 6 boards.
Alexis Govan struggled to score but finally broke into double figures with 3:32 remaining in the game. She finished with 14 points, the 42nd straight game she has been in double figures.
WKU returns to the court on Sunday, Dec. 1 when the Lady Toppers host Morehead State at 2 p.m.