Seniors Jayda Curry and Olivia Cochran led the Louisville Cardinals to a strong win over Miami at the KFC Yum! Center on Thursday night, decisively closing out the Hurricanes, 74-56.
Curry thrilled the home crowd with a season-best 21 points, shooting 6-for-12 from the field, including 4-for-9 from 3. She and freshman guard Tajianna Roberts, who continued to prove she’ll soon be one of the most exciting athletes on the court, put on a show in the first quarter. The pair each scored six points in the period, propelling the team to a 23-14 lead at the quarter’s end.
Roberts then rocked the stadium in the second quarter when she landed her second 3 of the night, entered into double figures and pushed the team’s lead to 13 points. The Cards held the Hurricanes scoreless for the final three-and-a-half minutes of the second and went into halftime with a 43-27 lead. Roberts again delighted the crowd with her first steal of the night at the top of the third. Cochran then nabbed another steal that ended in a layup.
Curry roared to life in the third, scoring 12 of her 21 points as the Cardinals continued to lead 65-40. “It felt good,” she told Swish Appeal after the game. “One thing I emphasized to the team the other day was having a team where when we are hot, we feed the hot hand. Taj was super hot in the first half, and we all recognized that and made sure she got touches.”
“It was fun to be that excited,” she added. “It was fun to be back at the Yum and to be able to do that at home.”
In addition to Curry, Cochran and Roberts, senior Ja’Leah Williams was also a huge part of the Cardinals’ win and produced one of her most all-around nights this season with eight points, seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals against her former team. “The game was definitely different for me, especially being on the other side of things,” Williams said of playing her former team. “It was a fun experience for me, and it was great to know my teammates had my back.”
Williams additionally emphasized the importance of building on the team’s positive momentum, saying, “My main focus for the next game is to stay as consistent as possible. The past few games have been amazing for me individually but most importantly as a team. We want to keep working and making progress in practice, because the results are very good for us.”
Roberts echoed Williams, telling Swish Appeal after the game, “As a team, we’re starting to come together, and continuing to be better each and every game.” That was evident throughout, as the Cardinals still made mistakes—but they were new mistakes, showing that the team is testing skills and growing together, unafraid to make an attempt that might not pan out all the way…yet.
Roberts was also clear about her own areas for improvement and what she wants to work on before the team’s next game. “[That’s] mostly being active end to end, being consistent on offense, getting in the lanes more and being a defensive presence.” If there’s one area Roberts is looking to grow quickly in, it’s rebounding the ball more.
Curry also spoke about the team’s immediate future and direction of growth. “At the next game, we have to keep working on defense and being active. As a team, that’s the emphasis the past couple of days. We always get a lot of offensive threats, and if our shots aren’t falling, we focus on the defense because they’ll eventually fall.”
The Hurricanes were not without their own wins of the night. Haley Cavinder racked up a team-high 19 points and Cameron Williams almost hit a double-double with 12 points and nine boards. Hanna Cavinder and Jasmyne Roberts each nabbed five points, while Natalija Marshall brought in nine points of her own.
Louisville will play Wake Forest in Winston-Salem on Sunday (4 p.m. ET, ACC Network), and Miami is up against Virginia Tech at home on Sunday (12 p.m. ET, ACC Extra).
