No. 20 Louisville women’s basketball was without a top-25 win. No. 11 North Carolina was without a home loss.
Both of those things changed Sunday afternoon as the Cardinals downed the Tar Heels in overtime, 76-66, at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Louisville had previously gone 0-3 against ranked opponents (No. 1 UConn, No. 18 Kentucky and No. 3 South Carolina), while UNC is still looking for a ranked win after falling to the Cardinals, No. 4 UCLA and No. 2 Texas. Louisville will have six days to prepare for its next top-20 team in No. 17 Tennessee during the Women’s Champions Classic. UofL will return home to play Eastern Kentucky at 6 p.m. Wednesday in preparation for the matchup.
The Cardinals only let UNC lead twice: once in the third quarter and again in the final minute of the game. Louisville trailed, 66-65, in the final 10 seconds of the game before turnovers and missed free throws from both teams forced the extra period. The Cards’ final possession ended with Imari Berry, who finished with 13 points, going 1-for-2 from the free throw for the 66-all tie.
Berry was an integral part of the Cardinals’ bench presence during a game where Anaya Hardy picked up two fouls in the first four minutes of the game. The reserves scored eight of the team’s 10 overtime points, ending the game with 24.
In addition to the bench, three of Louisville’s starters entered double-digit performances, led by Laura Ziegler’s 17 points followed by Taj Roberts (11) and Elif Istanbulluolu (16).
Louisville had nine-point leads that UNC cut away at in the first three quarters. During the first, the 23-14 lead narrowed to two points by the end of the quarter. In the second quarter, Louisville’s 36-27 lead went down to three before Imari Berry’s buzzer-beater for the Cards’ 38-33 halftime advantage. And the third quarter ended with Louisville’s five-point lead after being up, 51-42, at the 3:46 mark of the frame.
UNC controlled the fourth quarter, outscoring the Cardinals, 15-10, but had no answer in overtime.
This story will be updated.
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 basketball defeats North Carolina in top-20 matchup
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