Durr scores 18 as Louisville romps into Final Four

[March 26, 2018]    Junior guard Asia Durr made four 3-pointers during an 18-point performance to help top-seeded Louisville reach the Final Four with a 76-43 victory over sixth-seeded Oregon State on Sunday in a women's NCAA Tournament regional final at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.

Senior forward Myisha Hines-Allen added 16 points and three steals as the Cardinals (36-2) cruised in the Elite Eight contest while winning their 11th straight game. Junior forward Sam Fuehring added 14 points and three blocked shots and junior guard Arica Carter scored 10 points to help Louisville reach the Final Four for the third time in program history.

The Cardinals will face Mississippi State in the Final Four on Friday at Columbus, Ohio.

"I'm speechless right now," Durr said in a postgame interview with ESPN. "I'm trying to soak this all in. We played great tonight."

Senior center Marie Gulich had 14 points and eight rebounds but also committed seven turnovers before fouling out for Oregon State (26-8). Freshman forward Taya Corosdale added 11 points for the Beavers, who committed 17 turnovers and shot just 34.9 percent from the field.

The Cardinals shot 48.4 percent from the field and played mistake-free ball by committing just three turnovers. Louisville also scored 24 points off the Oregon State miscues.

Louisville led by seven points at halftime before putting the game away with a stellar third quarter.

The Cardinals made 11 of 18 field-goal attempts in the period while outscoring the Beavers 28-12.

Louisville started the onslaught with a 10-4 push with Hines-Allen's basket making it 41-28 with 6:29 remaining. Later, sophomore guard Jazmine Jones stole the ball and drove for a layup to cap a 10-3 surge that gave the Cardinals a 52-33 edge with 2:26 remaining.

The lead reached 24 late in the quarter before Louisville took a 59-36 lead into the final stanza.

Hines-Allen buried a jumper to make it 65-36 with 6:19 left in the contest, and the lead topped out at 33 points.

Durr made three 3-pointers while scoring 11 first-half points as the Cardinals held a 31-24 lead at the break.

Louisville forced six turnovers in the opening quarter while taking a 14-8 lead. The lead reached 10 early in the second quarter on a tip-in by sophomore forward Bionca Dunham.

Durr's 3-pointer with 4:48 left in the half gave Louisville a 27-17 advantage before the Beavers crept within seven at the half.

--Field Level Media

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