Louisville women's basketball paints pretty picture vs. Bellarmine, tops 100 points in win

Louisville made its home in the paint.

The No.15 Cardinals opened the game with Sydney Taylor passing the ball inside to Olivia Cochran for a quick layup. On the next trip down the court, Cochran found Nyla Harris in the low post for a quick basket.

U of L (3-0) dominated with short shots, good ball movement and solid rebounding in the 111-33 win over Bellarmine (0-3) on Thursday night at the KFC Yum! Center. It was the most points the team has scored since a 116-75 win over DePaul on Dec. 4, 2020, and the program's largest margin of victory (78) under coach Jeff Walz. Sixty-two of the Cardinals’ points came in the paint, with the team making 28 of 34 layups.

"We were going inside-out, and then when we did those things, then all of a sudden we started to get some outside shots because the ball was going in and out," Walz said. "(We got) easier looks at the basket because they didn't have to worry about our post play."

The game was bittersweet for Louisville great Mo Reid, who is in her first season on the Knights’ coaching staff 10 years after helping the Cardinals to their second national championship appearance.

"I think she's got a wealth of knowledge that she can share with those players," Walz said. "She knows coaching's challenging. You're trying to get the best out of each kid and trying to figure out what motivates them, but it was great to see her."

With the current Cardinals looking to replicate that success, Louisville shot 61% from the field in the first half.

Six players scored in the first four minutes for an early 13-4 lead. Cuts to the basket and baseline drives helped Louisville go on a 20-0 run in the final seven minutes of the second quarter.

Taylor led the Cardinals’ balanced offense with 15 points as eight players had double-digit scoring performances. The UMass transfer also totaled a team-high-tying four assists as the squad finished with 23 on 41 made field goals. Merissah Russell and Nina Rickards also chipped in four assists each.

In addition to scoring in the paint, Louisville was efficient under the basket collecting rebounds — an effort led by freshman Elif Istanbulluoglu, who used her lean, 6-foot-3 frame and long wingspan to record her first double-double (10 points and 12 rebounds) in addition to three assists and a steal.

"The IQ that she has as a freshman coming from Turkey ... me, as a sophomore looking at her game, I learn a lot from how she plays because they play differently," Harris said of Istanbulluoglu. "They play with a lot of poise. Just looking at the defense, they don't let anyone rush them. I definitely look up to her game. She plays hard. For her to just now be able to play games with us, she's been hustling every practice no matter what, so to have her on the floor is definitely a privilege."

The Knights, however, had an off shooting night with only four made field goals after the first two quarters as Louisville led, 48-9, at halftime. The Cardinals’ post players limited the Knights’ driving opportunities. Bellarmine, which committed 29 turnovers, made 3 of 9 layups and was held to a season low in points after scoring 65 against San Jose State and 64 against third-ranked UCLA to start its season.

"We did a really good job defensively of making it hard for them to score," Walz said, "because when I watched their game against UCLA, sure it was lopsided if you looked at the final score, but they shot the 3 extremely well. They pushed the ball and did some really good things. So, there were a lot of things that we were concerned about tonight."

The second half was more of the same as Bellarmine missed its first shot after intermission and Kiki Jefferson, who had 11 points and eight rebounds, snagged the board for Louisville. Harris converted the board into a layup on the other end. The Cardinals won the battle of the boards as well, 49-22.

Though Louisville was focused on Bellarmine, the Cardinals used Thursday night's game to prepare for their upcoming Thanksgiving tournament in Katy, Texas, against Alabama, Gonzaga and Liberty.

"That's what we talked to our players about: I don't care who we're playing, what the score is," Walz said. "Are you disciplined enough to continue to do it right or are you going to shortcut it because, you know what, I can probably get this steal even if I'm in bad position? Well, the problem is our next game, all of a sudden, you play someone where the talent might be better. They're a better team, and when you do that same thing, it turns into a layup for them. ... Those are things that we look at no matter who we're playing."

Louisville is scheduled to host Bucknell at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Yum! Center. Bellarmine is set to play at Murray State at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

More: Louisville women's basketball drops in rankings after starting season 2-0

Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville WBB: Jeff Walz's team routs Bellarmine, tops 100 points