No. 6 Louisville looked well on its way to an easy win on Friday, opening a 38-20 first-half lead over No. 11 Middle Tennessee State.
The Blue Raiders had other ideas.
Middle Tennessee cut its deficit to 38-27 at halftime then took over in the second half for a 71-69 stunner to send the Cardinals home in the first round of NCAA tournament play. The comeback from an 18-point deficit tied for the third-largest in the history of the women’s tournament.
It marked the first time in Louisville head coach Jeff Walz’s career that his Cardinals lost in the first round. Each of Louisville’s 15 previous tournament teams under Walz won at least one game. Louisville had advanced to the Elite Eight or beyond in five consecutive tournaments.
A Savannah Wheeler layup with 50 seconds remaining in the third quarter gave MTSU its first lead of the game at 50-48. The Blue Raiders expanded that lead to 64-56 on an Anastasiia Boldyreva layup with 2:07 left in regulation.
But the Cardinals weren’t done. They cut their deficit to two points with 4.9 seconds remaining in the game and had a look at a potential game-winner. After an intentional foul, MTSU’s Ta’Mia Scott missed two free throws with 3.2 seconds remaining on the clock, giving the Cardinals one last shot.
But Merissah Russell’s desperation heave from beyond halfcourt bounced off the rim to ensure MTSU’s upset win.
