Then Louisville showed why it’s a national title contender one game removed from the Final Four.
The Lady Toppers kept it close for 20 minutes, but the No. 5 Cardinals pulled away and eased to a 102-80 win in the season opener for both teams Tuesday at E.A. Diddle Arena.
Preseason All-American Asia Durr scored 33 points in three quarters for Louisville before Jeff Walz emptied his bench in the fourth quarter to secure his 300th win in the building where his coaching career began as a graduate assistant in 1996-97.
Louisville (1-0) used a 26-2 run over six minutes of the third quarter to down the Lady Toppers (0-1) in the head coaching debut of Greg Collins.