LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Dana Evans set a new career high with 29 points as No. 2 Louisville defeated UT Martin 96-61 for the second time this season on Tuesday afternoon inside the KFC Yum! Center.
The Cardinals improve to 8-0 on the season while the Skyhawks drop to 2-3.
“As the game kept going along, we started to find our groove,” head coach Jeff Walz said. “I was really pleased overall with how we shot the basketball, which had really been our Achilles’ heel the past few ballgames.”
Louisville got out to a fast start, led by Evans, who scored 10 of the Cards’ first 14 points. The senior guard connected on her first eight shots from the field and totaled 22 first half points as UofL took a 49-24 advantage into the half.
The Cards outscored the Skyhawks 47-37 after the break to cruise to the 96-61 victory.
Evans’ 29 points came on 10-of-12 shooting from the field and 6-of-7 shooting from three-point range. She knocked down her first six 3-pointers before missing her final attempt. She also led the team with five assists.
“She (Dana) played really well. I thought she really let the game come to her in the first half,” Walz said.
Kianna Smith added 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting with five rebounds.
UofL continued to get key contributions from freshmen as Hailey Van Lith scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds, while Olivia Cochran scored eight points and led the team in rebounds with six.
Malea Williams scored the last seven points of the game for the first points of her Cardinal career.
Next up, the Cardinals return to Atlantic Coast Conference play when they travel to play Virginia Tech on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.
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