DePaul Edges Louisville to Reach the Round of 16
January scored 18 of her season-high 25 points in the first half, and the Blue Demons held off No. 3-seeded Louisville, 73-72
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Jessica January’s strong start put her team ahead, but it was her final point that sent No. 6 seed DePaul to the round of 16.
January scored 18 of her season-high 25 points in the first half, and the Blue Demons held off No. 3-seeded Louisville, 73-72, on Sunday in Louisville, Ky., during a second-round Dallas Region game in the women’s N.C.A.A. tournament.
The last point by January, a junior guard, proved the decisive margin as she made the second of two free throws with 14.5 seconds left.
“All the credit is to my teammates that were getting me the ball,” January said. “And just feeling comfortable and feeling like my teammates trust me to take shots.”
That trust was well earned, as DePaul (27-8) now heads to Dallas and its third round of 16 since 2011 — its fourth in Coach Doug Bruno’s 30-year tenure.
Louisville (26-8) trailed by 10 points with 8 minutes 36 seconds to play but fought back to tie the game at 69 with 2:51 remaining.
Briahanna Jackson led the Cardinals with 20 points, 16 in the second half. Her reverse layup tied the game at 72 with 15 seconds left. She fouled out attempting a steal on the following inbounds pass, sending January to line.
Louisville had a chance to win, but Myisha Hines-Allen was called for a charge with 1.7 seconds left after driving to the basket.
“We have ran that play before and it was just — I couldn’t finish the shot,” said Hines-Allen, the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year.
DePaul advanced the ball with a timeout. The Cardinals stole the inbounds pass, but Mariya Moore’s heave from three-quarters of the court away was well short.
Ashton Millender scored 12 points for the Blue Demons — hitting all five of her shots — as did Chanise Jenkins, who had 10 in the second half.
Only six Cardinals scored. Asia Durr had 15 points, with 7 coming early in the fourth-quarter comeback. Hines-Allen and Moore each finished with 14.
The Cardinals had multiple chances to take the lead in the final minute. Hines-Allen missed a jumper with 36 seconds left, and Jackson could not convert the putback.