While perhaps a bit less (or just as) ballyhooed as the name A’ja Wilson in South Carolina, the name Asia Durr may become more household in terms of WNBA Draft boards.
If any game may have introduced Durr to a national audience, it was her 47-point performance against the Ohio State Buckeyes which willed her Cardinals to a 95-90 overtime victory.
The 47-point outing set a new Louisville women’s basketball record that was originally set by Angel McCoughtry against Providence during the 2009 season.
It goes without saying that Durr has put herself in some very good company – and given that she is from Douglasville, Georgia – about a 20-minute drive outside of Atlanta where McCoughtry’s Dream are based – it had to be even more gratifying.
I wanted to win. I didn’t care how many points I scored. I’m just so glad we came out on top.
–Asia Durr
When she’s on, she’s on. And I’m challenging her to become more consistent. I want to see that every day in practice. It might not be scoring 47; it might be getting the ball to her teammates.
–Jeff Walz, Louisville women’s basketball head coach
Durr shot over 50 percent from behind the three-point arc, making 9 of her 15 threes in addition to going a perfect six-for-six from the free throw line.
Lost in the “hoop”-la of Durr’s record-breaking performance for the No. 9 Cardinals was the fact that three other Louisville Cardinals finished in double-digits for points – including Myisha Hines-Allen who tallied a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Sam Fuehring had 12 points and Jazmine Jones added ten.
On the Buckeyes’ end of things, Kelsey Mitchell scored 26, Linnae Harper added 21, and Asia Doss tallied 19.
Durr scored 13 of her 47 in the overtime period – which was the result of both teams being all square at 80 after regulation. The 13 included all six of her made free throws plus one of her nine threes. As a team, the Cardinals shot 12 from 20 from three – nine of them coming from Durr.
Even though the Buckeyes out-stole Louisville 8-2, the Cardinals finished the game with a 13-4 edge on the offensive glass.
The Cardinals will head home to the KFC Yum! Center to take on Toledo. Ohio State remains at home on Wednesday as they await Idaho.
By: Akiem Bailum (@AkiemBailum on Twitter, Instagram)
