Durr scores 34, No. 5 Louisville beats Bowling Green 83-58
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Louisville used a big start to the second half to break away Saturday.
Asia Durr scored a career-high 34 points in less than three quarters and No. 5 Louisville beat Bowling Green 83-58 in the first game of the Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge.
The Cardinals (4-0) used an 18-2 run over the first 2:36 of the second half to break it open. Durr, a sophomore guard, scored the first 13 points herself to make it 49-27 with 8:29 left in the third quarter.
"Every time we came down the court, they were trying to find me," the 5-foot-10 Durr said. "I knocked them down. I was thankful for that."
Some poor first-half shooting by Louisville, which made just 5 of 21 shots in the second quarter, allowed the Falcons to stay close throughout the first half. But when Louisville went on its run in the third, Bowling Green helped by committing 14 of its 32 turnovers during the quarter.
Durr, who came to Louisville as the top-rated recruit in her class and won Parade Magazine's High School Player of the Year award in 2015, went 8 of 13 from 3-point range to top her previous career high of seven. She left the game with 4:30 to go in the third quarter. Her previous scoring best was 24 points, which came in the season opener at Tennessee-Martin.
At this time last season, Durr was experiencing pain after going through surgery to repair a torn groin muscle. The pain was so bad that it limited her game, and Louisville coaches considered redshirting her.
"It's amazing to watch just from last year and to see how she's playing right now," forward Myisha Hines-Allen said. "She's grown so much with her confidence. I knew she was a great player already, but just to see this - actually playing with her on the court - is amazing."
Not everything went well though for Louisville. The Cardinals lost the rebounding battle 40-39 and allowed 11 offensive boards in the second half. That's an issue of concern for coach Jeff Walz.
"When we start playing some teams that have some size to them, it's going to be a long night," he said.
Clare Glowniak led the Falcons (0-3) with 11 points.
Hines-Allen added 13 for Louisville, which shot 45.5 percent, compared with Bowling Green's 35.2 percent.
BIG PICTURE
Louisville: The margin could have been a lot wider, but coach Jeff Walz chose to use his bench heavily to save his starters for the next two days, when they play two more games as part of the challenge.
Bowling Green: For the second straight contest, a big run haunted the Falcons, who let a fourth-quarter lead disappear against Cincinnati on Tuesday.
SHE SAID IT
"We played an elite level team today that can rebound at the elite level, that can press at an elite level. This is a team that's going to go to the Final Four." - Bowling Green coach Jennifer Roos.
LETDOWN
After making 9 of 14 shots and scoring 27 in a 91-72 win at Middle Tennessee Wednesday, Mariya Moore struggled. The junior forward made just 1 of 9 Saturday, but she still found other ways to contribute as she posted a team-best six assists.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Despite some early shooting woes, Louisville came out on fire in the third quarter and put the Falcons away as expected. As long as the Cardinals don't experience any hiccups later on this weekend, their ranking should remain the same.
UP NEXT
Louisville hosts Lafayette on Sunday.
Bowling Green plays Chattanooga on Sunday in Louisville.