Louisville women’s basketball desperately needed a win on Sunday and secured a runaway victory in a completely unconventional fashion.
Nearing the end of the first half of Louisville women’s basketball’s victory over Syracuse on Sunday, Jeff Walz had seen enough. And coached enough.
Always the demonstrative type roaming the sidelines, the Cardinals coach resigned to allow the team to figure things out themselves. Walz plopped down in his chair at the end of the bench, crossed his right ankle over his left knee, folded his arms, and became another spectator in the JMA Wireless Dome.
During his stretch of “relaxation”, Walz watched his team let a double digit lead slip away during a 19-2 run by the Orange.
By the time the damage was done, Walz called a timeout, placed his hands on his hips as he stood up, and glared into the eyes of his players like a disappointed father.
In his postgame interview after Thursdays inexplicable loss to Wake Forest, Walz didn’t mince words. He remarked that he was unsure why he and his staff spent hours watching tape and giving instruction because his players have resigned to doing things “their way”.
Most coaches would receive criticism for these sort of coaching tactics, but surmise it to say that a man of Walz’s experience and track record has expended every possible option before resorting to criticizing players in the public eye.
Louisville went into the locker room down two and Syracuse opened its lead up to 46-40 with 6:51 to play in the third quarter.
From that point, however, Louisville took over, going on a 25-8 run spanning into the start of the fourth period. The Cards extended their lead to 21 points before calling off the dogs late in the fourth quarter.
Walz’s message may have gotten through to his team. Finally.
A squad with a renewed energy on the defensive end took the floor in the second half, led by an unexpected cast of characters.
Three new players started for Louisville on Sunday. Freshman Nyla Harris, graduate Mykasa Robinson, and senior Norika Konno entered the starting lineup alongside mainstays Hailey Van Lith and Olivia Cochran.
The message was well received from usual starters Chrislyn Carr and Morgan Jones, a duo that led Louisville in +/-, both finishing +26 in 25 and 15 minutes, respectively. Liz Dixon, a typical starter, finished +14 in 25 minutes.
Carr finished with 14 points, 8 assists, and 5 steals in her return to Syracuse- The program where she spent the previous four season.
Most notably, however, was the usage of Van Lith. Louisville’s superstar is likely one of the 10 best players in the country. She sat for the final minute of the third quarter and first 7 minutes of the fourth quarter, only entering the game after an injury to Jones forced her into action.
Van Lith watched from the sideline as her teammates put the lead out of reach by playing their best basketball of the game without their best scorer.
The result was a reinvigorated squad on both sides of the ball. Active on defense, crisp on offense, and playing a brand of basketball UofL fans have been accustomed to seeing.
Keeping Van Lith on the bench showed that she doesn’t have to try to do everything on her own. And it proved to her teammates that when the supporting cast has to step up, they are more than capable without their leading scorer.
Harris had her career breakout in Syracuse. She finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks while going 7/9 from the field and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
Walz called on Harris to be a strong presence up front- One that has been desperately lacking during the middle stretch of the season. The result was a rejuvenated Dixon, Cochran, and Josie Williams.
Message received.
Louisville women’s basketball has one of the more talented squads of the Walz era. The star power of Van Lith is undeniable. The presence of Cochran and Dixon is one that Cards fans have rarely witnessed. The backcourt talent of Carr and Jones brought two of the better guards in the ACC together to form an unstoppable triumvirate alongside Van Lith. And the presence of Robinson as the team’s fearless do-it-all bulldog is the glue that serves to hold everything together.
However, that talent simply had not gelled often enough in the last two months. For a team with the talent to make yet another final four run, that was troublesome.
Walz had one more card to play, and it was one that he hadn’t dared to in years prior.
If the second half on Sunday was any indicator, Louisville women’s basketball is finally getting the message.
