Cal Poly women’s basketball dropped their second straight game to open the season against No. 10 Louisville 72-32 on Tuesday, Nov. 23 inside Mott Athletics Center.
The Mustangs (0-2) struggled offensively as they recorded single-digit points in each quarter, while the powerhouse Cardinals (4-1) continued their solid start to their 2021-22 campaign.
Despite the final score, Cal Poly dominated the first few minutes of the game as they jumped out to an early 4-0 lead. However, this lead did not last.
Louisville then went on a 12-0 run and the nationally-ranked Cardinals never looked back, as they held a lead for the remainder of the game.
Two free throws from senior forward Hannah Scanlan cut that lead to 14-9 and gave the Mustangs some momentum to end the first quarter.
The Cardinals dominated the second quarter in all aspects of the game, outsourcing Cal Poly 20-7 to take a 34-16 lead into the locker room.
The third quarter and entirety of the second half was more of the same, as Louisville proved why they are a top-10 team in the nation.
The Mustangs were outscored 38-16 as the Cardinals continued to extend their lead and ultimately take the 40-point victory at 72-32.
Cal Poly shot just 20.3% from the field on 12-59 shooting compared to the 47% clip of Louisville. Struggles from beyond the arc hurt the Mustangs as well, as they were only able to hit two three-pointers throughout the entirety of the game.
Redshirt freshman guard Sarah Dumitrescu was the lone Cal Poly player in double digits with 12 points. This was a career-high for Dumitrescu, a transfer from Ole Miss.
The Mustangs will continue their homestand with a matchup against University of St. Thomas on Friday, Nov. 26 at noon inside Mott Athletics Center.