This season, Louisville’s women’s basketball team was led by Kianna Smith. The freshman came into the program as a promising transfer and projected to be in the rotation. She left as a 1,000-point scorer and a favorite of fans. Here are some of her favorite plays from last season. If you’re wondering if she can repeat her success in 2018, look no further. The rest of her story is the stuff of legend.
Hailey Van Lith
Hailey Van Lith is an American college basketball player who plays for the Louisville Cardinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference. She was one of the top scorers in the ACC in the 2013-14 season. Her athletic ability and talent have earned her numerous honors. Among the top players in the ACC, Van Lith has been named all-American in both the 2011 and 2012 seasons. While playing for Louisville, she has a number of honors to her name.
Her offensive depth has helped Louisville win games this season. Van Lith has scored at least 20 points on six consecutive games. But she does not force her shots. Her teammates have been encouraging her to shoot more threes, and she’s doing it. Her team’s success is a direct result of her efforts and her consistency. She wants to become the best in the nation. The Cardinals’ other bigs are also talented, but they lack the depth to stop Van Lith.
Hailey Van Lith, a Christian, belongs to the Caucasian ethnic group. She has not revealed any details about her love life. The Louisville Cardinals women’s basketball player began playing the game as early as the second grade. She went on to play varsity basketball for three seasons and achieved the double-triple, scoring 30 points, ten rebounds, and ten assists.
In the second half, Van Lith was a crucial factor in Louisville’s victory over Gonzaga. Van Lith scored nine of her team’s final points during a 13-0 run. After that, Louisville had a 48-20 advantage and never looked back. This blew away the Bulldogs, who average 48.6 points per game. The Cardinals also got 17 points from Emily Engstler, adding seven rebounds and seven steals.
Asia Durr
The junior guard from Louisville has been a consistent force for the Cardinals’ offense. Last season, she tied her career high of 47 points, making 11 of 17 three-pointers on her way to her fourth straight double-double. Durr is also the top scorer for the Cardinals, ranking second on the team in assists and steals. She is also ranked 15th in the country in scoring. Last month, she tied her career high of 47 points, leading No. 3 Louisville to a 92-62 thrashing of No. 10 NC State.
She has received a great deal of support from friends and family, including health care professionals and Louisville fans. Since her diagnosis, Durr has lost 32 pounds, regained some of it, and been hospitalized more than once. Fortunately, she has a supportive group in Louisville
and Liberty fans. The team is working to find a solution for her. She hopes to return to basketball at a later date.
After testing positive for the COVID virus on February 8, the former Louisville Cardinal has been unable to play basketball for two full seasons. She has been dealing with long-term issues due to the COVID virus. She has since been cleared to return to basketball but still faces many challenges. While she is able to return to basketball, her career could be on the line. During the season, she averaged 9.7 points per game.
As a junior, Durr was named the WBCA and Associated Press First-Team All-American. She was also a finalist for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and the Citizen Naismith Trophy. She is the most decorated player in Louisville’s history. Last season, she averaged 17.5 points, 4.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds and shot 42 percent from three-point range.
Kianna Smith
Redshirt senior guard Kianna Smith was named the ACC Player of the Week this week after a stellar week in the ACC. Smith averaged 15.0 points per game while shooting 8-18 from beyond the arc and dishing out 21 assists to just one turnover. Her performance was particularly impressive considering her limited role in the program. She scored a season-high 21 points in the opening game against Miami, shooting 8-13 from the floor and 3-5 from three-point range. Smith’s seven assists in the win over the Hurricanes was also impressive.
The program was 29-5 and reached the Final Four for the fourth consecutive season. In the end, the Cardinals fell to eventual national champion South Carolina. Smith is already a rising star in the league. Kianna Smith, a senior, will be honored on Sunday with her teammates. The three other seniors are Chelsie Hall and Emily Engstler. The only notable absence is Liz Dixon, who has yet to decide whether she will return next year.
Despite her limited role, Smith was a key contributor in the team’s NCAA Tournament run. The junior center scored nine points and grabbed five rebounds against Marist in the Sweet 16 on 2/14. She finished in double figures 16 times this season. Last week, she tied a career-high with 21 points against North Carolina. She is one of the few players who has the potential to make a long-term impact in the WNBA.
A few key players are returning for the Cardinals this weekend. Sophomore Ahlana Smith will use her extra year of eligibility to transfer to another school, while freshman Mykasa Robinson is set to return for her senior season. Both Smith and Mykasa Robinson have a lot to prove in their final collegiate seasons. But they’ll be joined by a few other players in the ACC for the 2022-23 season.
Nikki Cochran
The injury to Syracuse’s women’s basketball team’s point guard Nikki Cochran may have been the most frustrating part of her season, but it was far from the worst part. Cochran had to play the remainder of the game with four fouls and a strained left foot, but she didn’t retreat. When All-American Naz Hillmon got her shoulder in the paint, Cochran fell to the floor. Despite the foul, the referee called it a charging foul and voided Hillmon’s shot. Cochran’s game was saved, but her team’s season is far from over.
Van Lith and Cochran both played together on the USA’s 3-on-3 World Cup team, which went 7- 0 and took home the gold. Both played for Kara Lawson, who coached the team. One other returning player is Mykea Gray, who earned All-ACC honors last season as a defender. Gray led the ACC with 64 steals and averaged 2.2 steals per game.
Jordan McDaniel has double-doubles in five games this season. In the second round of the NCAA Tournament, she recorded a season-high 15 rebounds, which tied her career high for the most rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game. On the road, she posted her fourth double double with eight rebounds and one block against Syracuse in the ACC Semifinals. In the ACC Championship game, she posted a career-high 24 points. She also posted a double-double with nine rebounds in 17 games.
Louisville has two new top-20 players. While they are a young team, they lost three key starters last season: Jazmine Jones, Kylee Shook, and Bionca Dunham. However, Olivia Cochran and Dana Evans are still the top scorers for the Cardinals. Nevertheless, they have some exciting talent in their backcourt. They’ll need all of them to be successful.
Hailey Dixon
Freshman Jordan McLemore was twice named ACC Freshman of the Week. In three games, the 6-foot-1 guard averaged 11.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.7 steals. In addition to her efficient scoring, McLemore shot a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line and 52 percent from the field, including six of 12 attempts from deep. McLemore is the first UofL women’s basketball player to receive ACC Freshman of the Week honors since Asia Durr in 2016.
In addition to Haley Dixon, Louisville has three other key seniors that will be heading to the WNBA. Emily Engstler is expected to be a first-round pick in the draft. She averaged 11.9 points per game and 9.4 rebounds per game. She also earned First Team All-ACC honorable mention and Associated Press All-American honorable mention honors. Her absence leaves the Cardinals without much depth.
Despite a strong finish, Louisville’s sloppy play continued to affect the team’s ability to win. The Lady Vols turned the ball over a season-high 11 times against Wake and 13 times against Miami. While they forced 11 turnovers against Wake, they committed 22 fouls against Miami. The scoreboard was ugly, but the Irish made it less so in the second half. In fact, they were able to score more than 80 points.
Despite missing out on three conference games, Louisville’s women’s basketball team managed to go undefeated in four consecutive games. After losing to Miami and NC State last week, the Cardinals won their next three games. They played three road games in seven days and a win would have made it to the NCAA Tournament. In fact, they’ll face top-ranked Florida State, Miami, and Duke on the road.
