Louisville women's basketball rebounds from first ACC loss, shows toughness on boards

Kiki Jefferson is one of the ACC’s best free-throw shooters, but sometimes she misses.

It actually worked in No. 16 Louisville’s favor Thursday night against Boston College. When the guard missed the back end of two free throws, Elif Istanbulluoglu was there for the putback for an unconventional-but-effective 3-point play and 17-10 Cardinals lead during the first quarter.

When Istanbulluoglu, who finished with a career-high 11 points, missed her second free throw a quarter later, Merissah Russell was there for the rebound. And Nina Rickards ended the possession with a layup for a 21-15 advantage.

The Cardinals were outrebounded by North Carolina, but they didn’t let it happen again. Jefferson didn’t miss too many more shots, scoring a season-high 27 points, and Louisville’s effectiveness on the boards led to an 88-60 win over Boston College at the KFC Yum! Center. It was Jefferson’s highest-scoring game since she scored 30 points for James Madison in its 73-68 win over Old Dominion on Feb. 18, 2023.

"She's a really, really, really good basketball player, and I appreciate the fact that she's as physical as she is," U of L coach Jeff Walz said of Jefferson, who was three rebounds shy of a double-double. "She's willing to get in there and mix it up and rebound the ball."

Despite Olivia Cochran's post looks being limited, she still scored 10 points and tied Jefferson with a game-high seven rebounds.

"It's not all about scoring. I like to rebound," Cochran said. "I like to play defense as well, so if it's not my scoring night, I have to help my team win in a different way."

Beating the Eagles on the glass (38-28) and scoring 21 second-chance points required a level of toughness that Walz is still trying to build in his team.

“You’ve got to challenge their pride, and the easiest way to do it is by showing film,” Walz said Wednesday. “It's like, ‘Is this what you want others to see?’ We also have had the good film to show because they've all shown moments of being aggressive, and like, OK, here's what we need more consistently from you.”

Walz saw his team take a step in the right direction during the second half. From rebounding to holding BC to three made field goals in the third quarter, Louisville (17-3, 6-1 ACC) will have plenty of moments to pull from its latest victory against a Boston College team that, much like every other ACC team, shouldn’t be taken lightly.

The Eagles were just as scrappy — if not more than North Carolina — with ball pressure and man-to-man defense. But Louisville matched the intensity and outscored BC, 22-13, in the third quarter. The aggression was good but costly at times, though, with the Eagles going 7 for 14 at the free-throw line after having only two free-throw attempts in the first half.

Although the Eagles (11-10) are 3-5 in conference play, one of those wins was against Miami, which handed seventh-ranked N.C. State its second loss of the season. The Wolfpack’s other loss was to a 19th-ranked Virginia Tech team that lost to Duke, which Louisville beat handily 61-44.

The ACC parity increases every year and is rewarded this season with nine teams in ESPN’s latest bracketology, which ties the Big Ten for most in the nation. The Wolfpack leads the league as a No. 2 seed. Louisville is currently a No. 4 seed, with Duke and Miami on the bubble.

The NET rankings have five ACC teams in the top 25: Notre Dame, N.C. State, Virginia Tech, Louisville and Duke, respectively — which is second only to the Pac-12’s seven teams.

Having competitiveness in the ACC has its advantages, Walz said Wednesday, because it gives the league’s teams a “chance to play yourself in(to the NCAA Tournament).”

“Anybody in our league, no matter where you are, you've got an opportunity to win a lot of good ballgames,” he said. “You can be 1-6 right now — if you're Miami, you're 2-4, and you win four games, and all of a sudden, you can be in the talk of being in the top 25 if you beat the right four teams. So, there's a lot of games left to be played, and there's gonna be a lot of movement within our conference standings.”

Though Louisville’s road loss to North Carolina moved it out of first place, beating Boston College kept the Cardinals near the top of the standings. Pitt and Syracuse (17-2, 7-1) are scheduled to play Louisville on Sunday and next Thursday, respectively, at the Yum! Center.

Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville WBB: Jeff Walz's team defeats Boston College in ACC game