Brooklyn, NY — No. 16 Louisville turned a tightly contested matchup into a statement win, pulling away in the second half to defeat No. 17 Tennessee 89–65 on Saturday in the Champions Classic at Barclays Center.
The Cardinals used a dominant final 15 minutes to secure their fifth consecutive victory and eighth win in their last nine outings. Louisville also extended its recent dominance in the series, winning for the fourth straight time against the Lady Vols.
Tajianna Roberts led the charge with 18 points, setting the tone offensively as Louisville steadily took control. Imari Berry delivered a breakthrough performance, posting 15 points and 13 rebounds for the first double-double of her career. Reyna Scott provided a late spark, scoring 10 of her 13 points in the fourth quarter, while Mackenly Randolph added 11. Laura Ziegler and Skylar Jones chipped in 10 points apiece, and Elif Istanbulluoglu was a force on the glass with 14 rebounds to go along with nine points.
Tennessee was paced by Zee Spearman, who recorded 18 points and 12 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Talaysia Cooper finished with 14 points, and Mia Pauldo added 10 for the Lady Vols.
The game remained tight deep into the third quarter before Louisville seized momentum with a decisive 15–4 run to close the period, capitalizing on seven Tennessee turnovers. Any hope of a Lady Vols rally faded early in the fourth quarter following offsetting technical fouls, as the Cardinals rattled off 12 unanswered points in just over two minutes to build a commanding 22-point lead.
Louisville overwhelmed Tennessee in the final period, outscoring the Lady Vols 26–13 and dominating the second half 48–29. The Cardinals finished the night shooting 49% from the field, controlled the boards by a 59–37 margin, and converted those extra possessions into 24 second-chance points.
Louisville carried a 41–36 advantage into halftime after a back-and-forth first half that featured multiple lead changes and a late 12–0 Cardinals run before Tennessee trimmed the deficit at the break.
Up Next:
Tennessee Lady Volunteers returns home to host Southern Indiana on Monday.
Louisville Cardinals resumes ACC play at home against SMU on Jan. 1.
