Louisville women fall 70-65 in overtime to Duke as ACC Tournament title decided in final minute

Duke claims conference tournament crown after extra-session finish in Duluth, Georgia

Louisville’s women’s basketball team came up short in the ACC Tournament championship on Sunday, March 8, losing 70-65 in overtime to Duke at Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia. The title game finished tied after regulation before Duke outscored Louisville 10-5 in the extra period.

Louisville opened with a 21-14 first quarter advantage, but Duke’s steadier scoring across the middle quarters tightened the matchup. By the end of regulation, neither team had separated, setting up overtime in a game defined by alternating runs and half-court execution.

How the game unfolded

The scoring by period reflected the back-and-forth nature of the final: Louisville led 21-14 after one quarter, then Duke edged the second (16-11) to cut the halftime gap to two points. The third quarter was even at 17-16 in Louisville’s favor, and Duke won the fourth 14-11 to force overtime. Duke then posted 10 points in the extra session while holding Louisville to five.

Both teams finished regulation with similar overall shot volume, with Louisville shooting 42% from the field for the game and Duke finishing the overtime contest with the five-point margin. Louisville hit seven 3-pointers and went 6-of-9 at the free-throw line, while Duke’s overtime efficiency proved decisive.

Key performers and rotation notes

For Louisville, reserve guard Imari Berry followed up her strong semifinal performance with an 18-point outing in the final, providing a consistent scoring lift off the bench. Tajianna Roberts added 12 points, while Laura Ziegler scored 10. Mackenly Randolph logged major minutes and contributed across the stat line, finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Louisville’s starting group featured Anaya Hardy, Randolph, Elif Istanbulluoglu, Ziegler and Roberts, with Berry anchoring the primary bench production. The Cardinals totaled 34 rebounds and 13 assists, but also committed 16 turnovers, a figure that limited late-game possessions in a one-possession contest entering overtime.

Path to the final: Louisville’s weekend run

• Quarterfinal (March 6): Louisville advanced with an 87-61 win over Syracuse.

• Semifinal (March 7): Louisville defeated North Carolina 65-57 behind Berry’s 22-point, 10-rebound double-double.

• Championship (March 8): Louisville fell to Duke 70-65 in overtime.

The ACC women’s tournament was held March 4-8 at Gas South Arena in Duluth, concluding with Duke’s overtime win in Sunday’s championship game.

What it means moving forward

The loss ends Louisville’s tournament run with a second-place finish in the conference championship. With postseason selections next, Louisville’s body of work includes a semifinal win over North Carolina and a decisive quarterfinal performance, followed by a title-game overtime defeat to Duke.

Duke, the tournament’s top seed, secured the ACC’s automatic berth by winning the championship game in overtime.