No. 7 Louisville women hold off rival No. 14 Kentucky 67-66

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kylie Shook scored five consecutive points to put No. 7 Louisville ahead, and the Cardinals withstood a late charge by No. 14 Kentucky for a hard-fought 67-66 victory on Sunday.

The Cardinals (10-1) rallied from a 55-45 third-quarter deficit with a 13-0 run entering the fourth and led 62-57 before Kentucky tied it on Rhyne Howard’s jumper. Shook answered that and a second jumper by Howard with a medium shot and a 3 for a three-point edge.

Sabrina Haines made two of three free throws with 1:33 remaining and the Wildcats got a final shot after Dana Evans’ missed 3 with 15 seconds left. Jazmine Jones then grabbed Howard’s 3-point attempt with 3 seconds left that bounced off the rim to preserve Louisville’s fourth straight win in the rivalry series.

Shook finished with 11 points and three 3s with 13 rebounds. Evans had 18 points and 10 assists while Jones and Bionca Dunham had 10 points each as Louisville dominated scoring in paint 36-16.

Howard had 26 points for the Wildcats (10-1). Tatyana Wyatt and Haines scored 12 each while Keke McKinney had nine.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Louisville could move closer toward the top five with its second victory over a ranked opponent this season. Kentucky may not make a big drop in the poll but missed a chance to move closer to the top 10.

BIG PICTURE

Louisville: The Cardinals could have faded in the third but steadily fought back to lead and then limit Kentucky in the fourth. They shot 52% in Rupp Arena, where they clinched a Final Four berth last season.

Kentucky: The Wildcats struggled in the fourth with 3 of 10 shooting and finished 44% from the field. They were dominated 37-17 on the boards, including yielding the final rebound that sealed the loss.

UP NEXT

Louisville concludes a four-game road swing at UT Martin on Thursday before starting ACC play against Syracuse on Dec. 29.

Kentucky wraps up 2019 on Saturday at California.