Thursday night at the KFC Yum! Center, Louisville (6-4) showed it’s not time to count the team out.

After two disappointing losses to No. 10 Oklahoma and No. 2 UConn, the Cards came roaring back to defeat Grambling State, 96-57. The team was led by fifth-year senior forward Olivia Cochran, a fan favorite from the 2023-24 season who started all 34 games last year. In 24 minutes Cochran managed a team-best 18 points and team-high 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the season, a feat matched by junior Nyla Harris, who raked in 14 points and 10 rebounds of her own.

The pair were joined by two freshman guards, Tajianna Roberts and Izela Arenas, who each enjoyed double-digit scoring nights. Arenas knocked down 13 points, a season-high that was thrilling to watch in person. Other scorers for the Cardinals included senior guard Ja’Leah Williams and freshman guard Imari Berry, who each had six points, while senior guard Jayda Curry and freshman guard Reagan Bender both finished with seven points. Freshman forward Isla Juffermans and sophomore forward Elif Istanbulluoglu finished five points each, senior guard Merissah Russell contributed three and freshman forward Mackenly Randolph added two to round out the Cardinals’ scoring.

Williams and Arenas, in particular, had an excellent game. Williams, a senior who transferred from Miami after three seasons, appears to have come into a new understanding about her role on the team: It’s all about hitting big shots and playing tough defense. International development trainer Tremaine Dalton, who attended the Louisville-Grambling game and worked with Curry in France this summer, assessed:

It’s clear that Ja’Leah was focused on maximizing her efficiency. She hit a couple of tough mid-range shots in the game and battled Grambling’s point guard, Douthshine Prien. We saw her diving on the floor, playing full-court defense, hitting big shots, making good plays, and getting to the basket under control—all big steps forward.

It is a continued evolution of the skills she brought to Louisville, which Williams also showed off in the Cardinals rivalry game against Kentucky earlier in the season.

Arenas also displayed a newfound confidence. To Dalton, it looked like she was trusting her left hand more, explaining:

It’s likely that for the majority of her career in basketball, people have emphasized using her right hand, even though she’s left-handed. But a lot of left-handed players can learn to lean into the strength of their dominant hand, which allows them to score, go to the basket, and put themselves in positions to get open looks and open shots.

Arenas also showed confidence in her shot from the midrange and long distance, something that she hasn’t frequently exhibited on the court this season. To Dalton, it appeared that, “She challenged herself and took chances, which is huge for a freshman.” The below play exemplifies the confidence Arenas demonstrated, as she does not hesitate when the ball swings to her, draining a 3-pointer. It was one of three triples she made on Thursday.

The results of Williams’ and Arenas’ areas improvement, as well as that of the whole team, were felt in the victory. The Cardinals found themselves in a heated battle during the first quarter, when Grambling—led by the ferocious pairing of Prien, a senior guard, and grad center Lydia Freeman, as well as by head coach Courtney Simmons, a former Louisville player (2006-08)—proved they were more than willing and able to meet the home team’s energy. The Cards, however, soon came back with a 10-0 run in the first quarter.

Though the second quarter started off tight, the Cardinals soon pulled out a 13-0 run toward the end of the first half and maintained a sizable lead for the rest of the game. The team easily took control in the third quarter. Arenas and Curry turned up the magic during the fourth, which helped the team end the game on a triumphant note.

The Cardinals will hope to carry that momentum into Sunday’s home matchup against against No. 22 NC State (1 p.m. ET, ABC).

The No. 14 pick of the 2023 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks, Shaneice Swain is only 21 years old, but she’s been putting the basketball world on notice for a while now. Recently, she’s emerged as the star of the WNBL’s Sydney Flames, where she is the league’s second-leading scorer and shooting better than 40 percent from 3.

She spoke to Swish Appeal about what being Indigenous Australian means to her, the basketball youth system in Australia and how she was scouted by the Sparks, as well as how she developed from a natural scorer into a truly versatile player. Some highlights from our talk include:

On the WNBL’s Indigenous Round being about more than wearing different jerseys:

The guy that designed the jersey for us, he basically put his story through the jersey and then I also got some custom-made shoes, which were really cool. He basically asked me what I want and I told him, “Just keep it family-orientated,” because, obviously, my family plays a big role in my life and during that round I played for my family. In particular, my great grandmothers that had to go through all that, like all the stuff that they went through. And then just representing my last name, same thing, bringing it back to family and just giving back, I mean, just showing the kids out there that are in the communities or finding it hard to get out of where they are, that they can do it. Because I came from a small place like like Cairns and I’m here where I am now.

On being drafted into the WNBA while returning home from the Nike Hoop Summit in Oregon:

I was actually on the plane going back to Australia while the draft was happening, so I didn’t actually get to see my name get called out. But as soon as I got off the plane, I’ve seen it and I actually met up with the Sparks staff in LA, because I had a layover in LA, so I got to meet them quickly. They gave me two t-shirts and we filmed a little bit of content, and then that was it. And then I had to go back to Australia.

Thank you to Courtney Ward of Hoops Capital for arranging the interview.

The first week of EuroLeague Women’s second round provided a glimpse of what to expect from Group E and F as the competition continues. Of the six opening games of the second round, three were decided by four points or less. This made for some exciting games, albeit with largely expected outcomes.

Fenerbahçe, Mersin survive close calls

Fenerbahçe looked mortal for the first time this season.

With six minutes left on the game clock, Praha was up 64-63 thanks to another solid game by Brionna Jones, who ended up with 19 points and nine boards. The performance was another example of why she’s been the most dependable player on Praha’s roster, which includes new Golden State Valkyrie Maria Conde, the November EuroLeague MVP, who struggled against the reigning champs, shooting just 18 percent from the floor. On the other side of the court, another MVP candidate, Emma Meesseman, also was struggling, as she made just 33 percent of her shots and dished out two assists, but she was still able to grab nine boards.

Despite a bad shooting day, it was Meesseman’s two late makes that put her team up for good, while her teammates’ defensive play forced crucial turnovers and allowed Fenerbahçe to escape with a win and remain undefeated. Tina Charles led the defending champs with 18 points, while game MVP Gabby Williams had 14 points, five boards, four assists and four steals.

Perfumerias Avenida also had the Turkish vice-champs on the ropes, as ÇBK Mersin won by just two points to maintain their perfect record. Despite another impressive performance by Yvonne Anderson for Mersin—21 points, five boards and four dimes—the score remained close. In the last minute of the game Anderson drew two crucial fouls and drained all four free throws, keeping the unbeaten streak alive.

Slocum lifts Landes over Bourges

Destiny Slocum was already turning heads with her long-distance shooting last season for UNI Győr. The Hungarians are no longer in the competition, while Slocum moved to France in the summer and was an integral part of Basket Landes making it to the second round of group play. In the game between two French teams, she scored 14 points, 12 of which came from 3-point land.

The talented shooter also drained two free throws with five seconds left on the game clock. Bourges had just scored a big 3, leaving Landes up 74-71. After inbounding the ball, Slocum was able to draw a foul. She went to the line, made both shots and the win was pretty much secure. Morgan Green managed to get a quick layup for Bourges, but there simply wasn’t enough time to tie the game. Basket Landes are now 5-2 and remain one of the more compelling underdog stories of the season.

Week 7 scores

Group E

Fenerbahçe Opet (7-0) 75, ZVVZ USK Praha (4-3) 71

Casademont Zaragoza (4-2) 64, Umana Reyer Venezia (3-3) 56

Valencia Basket Club (6-1) 66, KGHM BC Polkowice (1-6) 56

Group F

Basket Landes (5-2) 76, Tango Bourges Basket (4-3) 73

Žabiny Brno (2-5) 68, Beretta Famila Schio (5-2) 76

ÇBK Mersin (7-0) 75, Perfumerias Avenida (3-4) 73

On paper, No. 2 UConn versus No. 8 Notre Dame was as hyped as a regular season college game can be, and it did not disappoint. In the end, the Fighting Irish were just a bit better than the Huskies, beating them 79-68 at home.

For Notre Dame, it was all about Hannah Hidalgo. The sophomore sensation scored 29 points, had 10 rebounds and eight assists—only two dimes shy of a triple double. She shot 8-for-17 from the field, hitting six 3-pointers. Hidalgo will get some well-deserved flowers, but she didn’t do it alone. Liatu King was big in the post with a double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing a team-high 12 rebounds, and Olivia Miles had 16 in the win.

UConn won’t be pleased with the result, but they played well. Paige Bueckers kept them in the game, scoring 25 points on 11-for-20 shooting, and freshman Sarah Strong stepped up with 14 points.

How Hidalgo and the Irish proved unstoppable

From the opening quarter, Notre Dame established this was their house, and they were in control. Miles started the scoring with a 3-pointer, and the Fighting Irish never trailed in the opening frame. Hidalgo was hot from the jump as well, hitting back-to-back 3s as part of a 9-0 run by Notre Dame to close out the quarter and lead 18-12 after ten minutes of play.

In the second quarter, the Fighting Irish remained in control, but the Huskies stayed within striking distance. Bueckers scored four-straight points early in the second to cut the deficit down to five, but the Irish countered with a 7-0 run to bring the lead back up to double digits.

Hidalgo went on another scoring burst in the closing minutes of the half, scoring five-straight points and assisting King with another bucket to enter the half up 39-26. At the break, Hidalgo already put up stats that looked good for the end of a game: 17 points, five assists and eight rebounds.

Midway through the third quarter, UConn made its push. The trio of Bueckers, Strong and KK Arnold all scored to bring the Huskies within two points with 1:23 left to play in the period. Hidalgo, however, had other plans and hit back-to-back 3-pointers to regain control and give Notre Dame a four-point edge entering the fourth.

The Fighting Irish scored the first six points in the fourth quarter, and suddenly, the Huskies were competing against Notre Dame—and the clock.

Bueckers kept scoring, keeping her team close enough to have some hope in pulling off the comeback, but Notre Dame never let them become a serious threat the rest of the way. After another 6-0 run by Notre Dame, the lead was up to a dozen with 90 seconds left, and that all but ended the game. Both teams exchanged baskets the rest of the way, and the upset was officially complete when the clock struck zero. Notre Dame got the 79-69 win, their third-straight over UConn.

Key takeaways

If you were skeptical before, this game should end any doubts regarding how good Notre Dame truly is. This is Notre Dame’s third victory against a top-five ranked team, and each one has been more impressive than the last. Hidalgo is making an argument as the best player in the country, and with a balanced inside-out game, Notre Dame is a team no opponent wants to face right now.

For UConn, they didn’t get enough from all players not named Bueckers. Yes, Azzi Fudd is out with a knee injury, but even in her absence, they need more from their core versus the best teams if they want to win their first national title since 2016. The good news for the Huskies is that there is still time to learn and regroup. Although their undefeated streak ends after nine games, their main goal remains very much alive.

Both teams return to their home courts on Sunday, with Notre Dame meeting Eastern Michigan and UConn facing Georgetown.