LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kianna Smith scored 16 points and No. 2 seed Louisville advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 62-53 victory over seventh-seeded Northwestern Wednesday night.
The Cardinals got off to another rough start, trailing 25-7 late in the first quarter. Louisville slowly started to chip away on offense and played stellar defense.
The deficit was 40-28 midway through the third quarter before the Cardinals scored 17 straight points, putting together one of the biggest comebacks in women's NCAA Tournament history.
''We didn't expect to get down that much. They punched us in the face and we responded well,'' Dana Evans said. ''We started to settle down and make shots.'' Evans added 14 points during the game.
According to ESPN, the comeback was tied for the third-largest ever in the women's tournament.
Louisville converted nine of 10 free throws down the stretch, including four by freshman Olivia Cochran, who had 13 points and 15 rebounds.
The Cardinals will face Oregon next in the Sweet 16.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.