Louisville, Kentucky: No. 7 Cardinals Beat Lindenwood 71-35 as Roberts Scores 15

Tajianna Roberts scored 15 points and No. 7 Louisville beat Lindenwood 71-35 on Tuesday night at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. The win was the fourth in a row to open the season for the Cardinals.

Louisville (4-0) put five players in double figures. Carys Baker scored 12 points, Ariyana Cradle and Amiya Joyner scored 11 points each, and Grace Mbugua added 10 points off the bench. Joyner grabbed 10 rebounds to complete a double-double, the first of her season with Louisville and the 51st of her college career. Imari Berry led the Cardinals with seven assists, and Roberts added three steals and three rebounds.

The Cardinals came into the night averaging 95.3 points per game through their first three wins, according to Courier Journal pregame coverage. Lindenwood held them well below that mark, and Louisville still won by 36 points because of its defense.

Baker passes 1,000 career points

Baker, who played three seasons at Virginia Tech before transferring to Louisville, passed 1,000 career points with a three-pointer in the first quarter, during an early 8-0 run. She made four of six three-point tries in the first half and scored all 12 of her points before halftime.

Louisville made its first six shots of the second quarter and led 37-13 after a layup by Mbugua with 5:26 left in the half. The Cardinals then missed five straight shots before closing the half on a 9-0 run. They made their last four shots of the half and led 47-18 at the break.

Defense holds Lindenwood to a season low

Lindenwood (1-3) is an Ohio Valley Conference school in St. Charles, Missouri, just outside St. Louis. The Lions shot a season-low 26 percent, making 13 of 50 shots, and their 35 points were their lowest total of the season. They went 2 for 21 over a stretch of more than 13 minutes that ran from late in the first half to early in the fourth quarter. Violet McNece led Lindenwood with six points.

Louisville forced 21 turnovers, a season high for Lindenwood, and scored 25 points off those turnovers. The Cardinals finished with 34 bench points and 32 points in the paint, and they have forced at least 18 turnovers in all four games this season. Louisville led 62-24 late in the third quarter.

The shooting line was mixed for the home team. Louisville shot 40.9 percent overall, 27 for 66, but made only 6 of 29 three-point tries and only 1 of 12 from long range in the second half. The defense covered that gap from start to finish.

Forward Elif Istanbulluoglu returned to the starting lineup after missing two games with an ankle injury she picked up in the season opener. She finished with five rebounds and two points. Fellow forward Mackenly Randolph did not play.

What is next

Louisville travels to Muncie, Indiana, on Thursday to play Ball State at 8 p.m. Eastern. The game is on CBS Sports Network. Lindenwood returns home to play Stephens College, an NAIA school, on Friday.