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UNCASVILLE, CONN. – No. 2 seed Louisville scored a big semifinal victory over No. 3 seeded USF, hitting a game-winning jumper with 5.9 seconds remaining in regulation to key a 60-56 victory. The win catapulted Louisville into the Championship Finals, and set a date with No. 1 seed UConn for Monday night. 

USF opened the first half on a 20-10 run, hitting seven of their first ten shots. Louisville responded, keyed by three consecutive three pointers by Shoni Schimmel. The Cardinals finished the half on a 23 – 9 run over the final ten minutes to take a 33-29 lead into the locker room.



The second half was a tight affair, with both teams trading blows. USF retook the lead and pushed it to 44-38, but Louisville countered quickly. The Cardinals held the Bulls without a field goal for a seven-minute span down the stretch, but a Courtney Williams jumper tied the game at 56 entering the minute. 

In the waning seconds of a tie game, Shoni Schimmel dribbled up the court and buried a contested mid-range jumper with 5.9 seconds remaining. USF pushed the ball down the floor, but Jude Schimmel stole the ball at half court and buried two free throws to ice the victory.

Shoni Schimmel led the Cardinals with 17 points, including the game-winning basket. Inga Orekhova and Courtney Williams each had a game-high 19 points for the Bulls, who fell just short.

With the victory, Louisville will face top seeded UConn in Monday night’s finals, which will tip off at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.