Indiana stifles No. 8 Ohio State, and Louisville defeats No. 11 Duke in an entertaining night of women’s basketball

Unranked Louisville and Indiana both won home upsets against top-15 teams. Here’s what you might have missed from an exciting night of women’s college basketball.

Louisville pulls away late to beat No. 11 Duke.

Louisville Women’s Basketball
Louisville defeated No. 11 Duke 70-62 on Thursday night, collecting a crucial ACC win behind a clutch effort from Jayda Curry.

Curry led all scorers with 24 points, including a perfect 9-for-9 at the free throw line, as the Cardinals (19-7, 10-5 ACC) finished the game strong. Louisville trailed 54-52 midway through the fourth quarter before going on a decisive 18-8 run, fuelled by Curry’s deep shooting and smart defence.

Duke (21-5, 11-4) kept up the early tempo, leading 35-29 at halftime with to balanced scoring and crisp three-point shooting. The Blue Devils shot 50% from outside the arc in the first half but struggled to establish offensive rhythm late, going only 2-for-13 from deep. Olivia Cochran and Ja’Leah Williams made consistent contributions for Louisville, combining for 21 points and dominating the paint.

Duke’s Oluchi Okananwa was a bright spot, scoring 17 points off the bench, while Jadyn Donovan and Reigan Richardson contributed eight and ten points, respectively. However, errors proved costly, as Duke’s 19 turnovers resulted in 27 points for Louisville.

Despite shooting 50% from the field, Duke failed to match Louisville’s defensive tenacity in the final minutes. The Cardinals won the game from the free-throw line, going 22-for-25.

With the victory, Louisville improves its resume, while Duke attempts to recuperate ahead of its next game.

Indiana stifles No. 8. Ohio State

Indiana Women’s Basketball
Indiana seized control early and never looked back, defeating No. 8 Ohio State 71-61 on Thursday night in Bloomington. Indiana (21-6, 11-5 Big Ten) shot 54% from the field and outscored the Buckeyes in almost every major category, delivering Ohio State (22-5, 13-3) its first defeat in four games.

Sydney Parrish, Yarden Garzon, and Shay Ciezki all scored 16 points to lead Indiana, which used a strong first quarter to establish the tone. The Hoosiers led 26-17 at halftime and increased their advantage to 18 points in the second half. Indiana’s offence and excellent defence limited Ohio State to 42% shooting and only six assists as the Buckeyes struggled to find their groove.

Ending the quarter with a 𝙎𝙒𝙄𝙎𝙃. @shay_ciezki | #IUWBB pic.twitter.com/aX6uOpaMEL

— Indiana Women’s Basketball (@IndianaWBB) February 21, 2025

Jacy Sheldon led Ohio State with 18 points, while Cotie McMahon added 14, but the Buckeyes could never recover after falling down early. Indiana’s ability to control the tempo and restrict turnovers proved to be the difference, as they forced 21 from Ohio State.

The Buckeyes trimmed the lead to eight in the last minute, but Indiana sealed the game at the free-throw line, earning its first win against a top-10 team this season. With the win, the Hoosiers improve their NCAA tournament resume, while Ohio State hopes to regroup with only two regular-season games remaining.

Why did Sananda Fru choose Louisville Basketball and Pat Kelsey? His agent tells us more

On Feb. 11, Louisville basketball coach Pat Kelsey secured a commitment from big man Sananda Fru, who now plays in Germany’s top-tier Basketball Bundesliga.

Milan Nikolic, Fru’s agent, discussed the recruitment process during a radio visit on ESPN Louisville’s The Drew Deener Show.

According to his agent, Sananda Fru did not make a commitment to Louisville basketball coach Pat Kelsey to “eventually become one of the guys.”

The 6-foot-11, 245-pound German forward, a member of the Cardinals’ 2025 recruiting class, aspires to be the guy right away.

“He’s coming in to have a big role with Louisville,” Fru’s agent, Milan Nikolic, told Drew Deener and Mark Blankenbaker on ESPN Louisville on February 12. “That’s, I think, what everybody expects and what he brings to the table.”

Fru, 21, is presently in his fourth season in Germany’s top-tier Basketball Bundesliga and has previously represented his country’s U20 national team in the European Championships in 2022 and 2023. This season, Löwen Braunschweig has averaged 11.3 points on 65.8% shooting, five rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 24.1 minutes per game (17 games, 16 starts). .

“Depending on when their season finishes, or how deep they go in the playoff run, we will decide with staff when it’s best for him to come over,” Nikolic told the crowd. “But his approach is: ‘The sooner the better.'”

A person with firsthand knowledge of the recruiting process told The Courier Journal that Fru “should” have two years of college eligibility. He is Kelsey’s second pledge of the cycle, joining five-star point guard Michael Brown Jr., a McDonald’s All-American whom he battled against two years ago at an Adidas camp in Italy.

How did the Cards arrive on Fru? Nikolic shared his views with Deener and Blankenbaker before accompanying 502 Circle founder Marc Spiegel and president Dan Furman to see him perform in person.

Why Louisville?

Jan 14, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Louisville Cardinals assistant coaches Brian Kloman (standing) and Mike Cassidy give instructions to forward Khani Rooths (9) and guard Reyne Smith (6) and forward James Scott (0) before entering the game in the second half against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Kelsey always lectures about “The Power of the Unit,” which Nikolic claimed was on show during Fru’s recruiting.

“The whole (process) — with the guys from the collective, with the coaching staff, with the support staff, with the managers — everything was top notch,” stated the man. “It wasn’t only what I like to term ‘American friendly.’ It was authentic, honest, and sincere; everything they said made sense.”

Nikolic reported that assistant coach Brian Kloman initiated contact “around summertime.” A series of virtual encounters followed. In early December, he visited Louisville and saw the Cards lose to Duke at the KFC Yum! Centre. The enthusiasm around the program during Kelsey’s dramatic Year 1 turnaround was contagious, even if Fru only got a taste from afar.

“I was sending Sananda pictures and videos throughout the game; and he was super, super excited about it,” Nikolic told me. “The closer the date comes for him to come over, the more excited he gets.”

The ReviVille. 🔁📈 pic.twitter.com/yLjWXkRWsG

— Dan Furman (@Dan_Furman) February 13, 2025

Nikolic informed Deener and Blankenbaker that Tre Mitchell, a former Kentucky forward, sparked Fru’s interest in entering Division I when he joined at Löwen Braunschweig in August. He then pointed out two former European players who are having quick collegiate success this season: Egor Demin at BYU and Kasparas Jakucionis at Illinois His client, he feels, may pave his own route at U of L for a variety of reasons. .

No. 1: Eli Foy, a strength and conditioning coach who helped Deandre Ayton become the top selection in the 2018 NBA Draft while working with Sean Miller at Arizona.

“This is the biggest field of improvement for Sananda,” Nikolic told the audience. “Body-wise, he’s somewhat of a late bloomer.”

“If you go back a year or two and look at him, he still hasn’t filled out his frame, I think,” Nikolic told the reporter. “When it comes to strength and muscles, I believe there is a lot of potential. I’m hopeful that this is a significant factor in his development, particularly when he considers joining the NBA or returning to Europe.

No. 2: Kelsey’s offensive and defensive systems, which reward players who can attack the basket while also posing a 3-point threat, setting a dizzying number of screens, and making the extra pass when necessary — players who can guard multiple positions without sacrificing their physicality in the post.

Louisville Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey watches his team during their game against the Bellarmine Knights on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.

“How they want to play, and how they want to use Sananda, was something that was very, very intriguing for us,” Nikolic told the crowd. “… It was crucial, with who he is and where he’s at in his young career, that simply the basketball fit is right.”

They’re especially keen on Kelsey allowing Fru to fire more regularly from deep. The big man is 4 for 14 from beyond the arc this season with Löwen Braunschweig. In 2023-24, he made a career-high seven of twenty-one attempts. .

“I think it’s an undervalued factor of his game,” Nikolic added. “Working with coach Kelsey and the rest of the staff, I truly hope that this will evolve further.”