by LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) Mariya Moore scored 17 points and Sara Hammond had 13 points and 10 rebounds as No. 4 Louisville sprinted to an early lead before holding off North Carolina State 65-58 Wednesday night.
The Cardinals (16-1, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) held N.C. State scoreless for more than 10 1/2 minutes, scoring 20 straight points. Louisville led by as many as 17 in the first half before withstanding a Wolfpack rally.
N.C. State (11-6, 2-2) cut Louisville’s lead to 55-51 with 4:11 left but drew no closer. Three free throws, Hammond’s hook shot in the post and Moore’s steal and layup put Louisville up by 11 with 1:52 remaining.
Len’Nique Brown-Hoskin had 18 points and 10 rebounds in the loss for NC State.
Brown-Hoskin’s fourth 3-pointer, with 55 seconds, left made it 62-56 but Moore hit 3 of 4 free throws, finishing 9 of 12 from the line, to seal the win. Moore added had nine rebounds and four assists.
Shawnta’ Dyer had 11 points off Louisville’s bench, her second straight game in double figures. Jude Schimmel (Umatilla) had 9 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals in the contest.
The Wolfpack missed 13 shots in a row and had nine of their 18 turnovers during their first-half drought. They shot 26 percent (7 of 27) in the opening 20 minutes and missed their first 10 3s before making two in the final 1:07 to trail 32-19 at halftime. Louisville shot 47 percent (25 of 53) to N.C. State’s 37 percent (21 of 57).
Louisville starters used a size advantage, averaging more than 2 inches taller at each position, to overpower N.C. State early and earn their eighth win in a row. The Cardinals outscored N.C. State 18-6 in the paint in the first half and 32-22 overall.
N.C. State cut the lead to single digits at 47-38 with 9:11 remaining and to 6 at the 5:58 mark following Dominque Wilson’s drive. Wilson scored 13 points.
