No. 9 Louisville pulls away early, beats Florida State 88-65 behind Ziegler’s all-around night
Louisville controls tempo from the opening minutes
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — No. 9 Louisville turned a fast start into a wire-to-wire 88-65 victory over Florida State on Sunday night, Feb. 15, 2026, at the KFC Yum! Center. The win moved the Cardinals to 24-4 overall and 14-1 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, while Florida State fell to 9-17 overall and 4-10 in the ACC.
Louisville built separation early, leading 19-10 after the first quarter and 34-20 at halftime. The Cardinals then widened the margin in the third quarter and maintained it through a high-scoring fourth, winning each period while limiting Florida State’s overall efficiency.
Ziegler sets the tone; Louisville’s bench provides scoring balance
Senior forward Laura Ziegler led Louisville with 14 points and also contributed eight rebounds and seven assists, an all-around line that reflected Louisville’s emphasis on ball movement. Louisville finished with 25 assists on 35 made field goals, a strong assist rate that helped it consistently generate shots in rhythm.
Louisville placed five players in double figures, with Imari Berry, Skylar Jones and Reyna Scott scoring 11 points apiece and Grace Mbugua adding 10. Several of Louisville’s top point totals came from the bench, a factor that helped sustain the Cardinals’ pace and production across all four quarters.
Key numbers: shooting, turnovers and points off mistakes
Louisville shot 35-of-71 (49%) overall and finished 8-of-26 (31%) from 3-point range.
Florida State shot 24-of-65 (37%) and went 10-of-27 (37%) from beyond the arc.
Louisville committed 11 turnovers, while Florida State had 16; Louisville converted those mistakes into 26 points.
Rebounding favored Louisville 46-37, helping it extend possessions and limit Florida State’s second chances.
Florida State gets scoring punch from Williams and Kubek
For Florida State, Sole Williams scored 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting and Allie Kubek added 18 points off the bench on 7-of-10 shooting while also collecting 10 rebounds. Despite those efficient individual lines, Florida State was unable to keep pace over 40 minutes, particularly as Louisville’s lead grew to 14 by halftime and expanded further after the break.
The game paired one of the league’s most productive offenses with a Florida State defense that has allowed opponents to score freely at times this season, and the final score reflected that gap.
What’s next
Florida State’s next game is set for Thursday, when the Seminoles host California. Louisville’s next contest is scheduled for next Sunday, when Virginia visits, as the Cardinals continue a late-season push near the top of the ACC standings.