UM women, playing in memory of Kobe Bryant, lose 79-76 thriller to No. 1 Louisville

The never-say-die University of Miami women’s basketball team paid tribute to the late-NBA star Kobe Bryant on Tuesday by playing one of its gutsiest games and almost knocking off undefeated No. 1-ranked Louisville on the road.

For the second game in a row, the Hurricanes scraped and clawed until the final whistle. This time, they fell a little short, losing 79-76 to the heavily favored Cardinals.

Miami was coming off a thrilling come-from-behind win over Pitt in which the Canes overcame a 23-point deficit. That victory, plus a passionate pre-game pep talk from coach Katie Meier got the Hurricanes fired up on Tuesday.

“I told the team, `First of all, we’re playing the No. 1 team in the country. Second of all, we just found ourselves at Pitt. And third of all, on the day that Kobe passed if you need any motivation to play basketball, to show your love of the game, to dare, to risk, to go for it..if I’ve got to get your heart pumping today, I don’t want to coach you,” Meier said.

Her players heard her loud and clear and heeded her message.

“I could tell before the game they were really locked in, really dialed in,” Meier said. “We were very focused for 40 minutes.”

The Hurricanes stayed within striking range the entire game, held the Cardinals (15-0, 8-0 ACC) to two field goals in an 11-minute third-quarter span, went on a 10-3 run at the end of the third quarter to get within single digits.

They continued to carve away at the lead and keep Louisville’s All-American senior guard Dana Evans in check. Evans was held to no shots and no points in the third quarter. But when it mattered most, in the closing minutes, Evans calmly scored 12 of the Cardinals’ final 14 points on two jumpers and eight free throws.

Miami was led by Kelsey Marshall with 19 points, and French junior college transfer Naomi Mbandu, who finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Mbandu, who came from Florida Gulf Coast State in Panama City, is 6-2 and has a 6-9 wing span that she used to her advantage on Tuesday. Guard Endia Banks also played a big role, adding 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

“She’s a great mismatch for us,” Meier said of Mbandu. “It’s really awesome to be able to score against Louisville because they’re a great defensive team and you have to have a unique player…Those three (Marshall, Mbandu, Banks) were phenomenal.”

Meier said the most frustrating part of the result is that most of Louisville’s fourth-quarter points came from the free throw line.

“We should make them earn it,” Meier said. “We have to do a better job defensively. In a big game like this, if the players hit shots on you, you just go, `OK,’ but we put them on the line. That’s just not as dramatic and not as fun.”

Miami shot well from the perimeter, and that helped the Canes stay close all night. The Hurricanes went 8-of-18 from beyond the arc (44 percent).

Elizabeth Dixon poured in a season-high 21 points off the bench for the Cardinals and grabbed nine rebounds. Evans scored 20 with six rebounds and five assists. And Liz Balogun added 14 points, including four three-pointers.

Miami (7-6, 4-6 ACC) is home Thursday against Georgia Tech.