LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville senior forward Laura Ziegler got a late start to warming up for the team’s second-round NCAA Tournament game on Monday because she was going around to fans saying thank you.
No. 3 seed Louisville went on to defeat No. 6 seed Alabama 69-68, sending the Cardinals to their first Sweet 16 since 2023 and 13th overall. No one on the Louisville roster was on the team the last time it reached the Sweet 16.
“We always have a great crowd,” Ziegler said. “… They’re always there for us. They always show up. I appreciate playing in front of this crowd this year so much. They took me in right when I got here, made me a part of the family right away. … We’re grateful we could give them a win for the last home game this year.”
Louisville led for 28:06 of the game and never by more than 7 points. The team went 8-for-16 from the free throw line, including 8-for-14 in the fourth quarter, and sophomore guard Imari Berry hit both free throws with 8.2 seconds left to put the team up 69-65.
“I’ve been doing this for, I think, 32 years now, and I’ve never seen one player get to the free throw line as many times as she has, basically, at crucial times,” Louisville head coach Jeff Walz said.
“… It goes back to our North Carolina game, we’re down 1, and she makes one of two. N.C. State game, we’re down 2, she makes both to send the game to overtime. Duke, she makes one of two, we lose by 1. Duke again in the ACC championship game goes … one of two again. So for her to get another opportunity is pretty remarkable. And the kid stepped up and made both.”
Alabama senior guard Karly Weathers hit a 3-pointer with less than four seconds left — the team’s 12th of the afternoon — to make it 69-68.
After the game, she credited assistant coach Kelly Curry for drawing up the play and her teammates for helping her execute it.
“It doesn’t happen if it’s not a clean hand-off from [Jessica Timmons] and it doesn’t happen if Essence [Cody] doesn’t set me a good screen,” Weathers said. “And so, I might have hit the shot, but there were so many factors that led up to that moment.”
Louisville senior guard Reyna Scott missed the first of two free throws and intentionally missed the second with 2.3 seconds left. Alabama was out of timeouts, couldn’t advance the ball and wasn’t able to get a shot off before time expired.
“I thought it was in our best interest to miss it and not give them the opportunity to set up a play to throw it down the floor,” Walz said. “And if she makes that shot, it’s a tough way to lose, but I thought the odds were more favorable to do that.”
Junior forward Elif Istanbulluoglu and sophomore guard Tajianna Roberts led the team with 18 points each, while Ziegler added 12. Istanbulluoglu hit three 3-pointers, tying her career-high.
Istanbulluoglu said after the game she was on an emotional roller coaster, from being relieved to being so happy she started crying.
After the buzzer sounded, Ziegler told herself not to cry over and over.
“It was a relief getting that win, getting [it] on the home court and just getting to celebrate,” Ziegler said. “I think getting to celebrate with all your teammates that you love, that’s just an amazing feeling. Every athlete knows that.”
After the initial celebration, handshake line and huddle, the team waved to and hyped up the crowd. Istanbulluoglu somehow obtained the Sweet 16 flag and waved it above and behind her head.
The flag later made its way around the shoulders of Scott and Ziegler, who walked around the court together, waving to fans.
Ziegler eventually lay on the ground to kiss the center court logo before using the PA mic to tell the crowd it’s been an honor to wear a Louisville jersey and “L1C4” (Louisville first, Cards forever).
Before being one of the last players to exit the court, she double high fived and hugged Louie the Cardinal, who hyped up the crowd as Laura waved to them and high fived fans as she walked through the tunnel for the last time.
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Ziegler is making an impact in her lone season at Louisville
Ziegler transferred to Louisville from Saint Joseph’s prior to the start of the 2025-26 season. After the team’s win over Alabama, she said she was grateful for her time with the Hawks and that people try to find the right place, and she found it twice. This season, Ziegler is averaging 11.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists, starting every game for the Cardinals.
On March 22, she told reporters some of her earliest memories of watching basketball were watching March Madness at home with her dad in Denmark and dreaming of coming to the United States and playing college basketball.
She was emotional after the team’s win over Vermont and on Sunday afternoon talked about how much her NCAA Tournament experience has meant.
“I’ve been around so many great players that never got the chance,” she said. “So I’m just really, really grateful that I did … Talking to my family yesterday, I was saying it was just almost a little surreal, so I just really appreciate the opportunity for being here, and also just winning. Not just going in here being happy playing one game … but going in here with goals of going really far.”
On March 20, Walz talked about Ziegler’s impact on the court, including scoring (second on the team in points per game), passing (second on the team in assists per game), rebounding (leads the team in rebounds per game) as well as her irreplaceable understanding of the game, leadership, knowledge and experience. He’s excited to get at least one more weekend to see what the pair can accomplish together.
Roberts talked about how much Ziegler has brought to the team on and off the court, including helping her bring up the ball and teaching her to be a leader.
“I don’t know if she knows it, but I’m going to take what she has taught me … to next year,” Roberts said on March 22. “… The way she can communicate and get things across to each and every one of us, I think she’s able to bring out the most in everybody.
“When I’m a little bit down, I think I can lean on her and let her know that I need you a little extra today. And she’s gonna do nothing but bring positivity, encourage me. And you cannot be around Laura and not smile. That’s just the person she is, and I think that’s the most important thing, and that’s helped us with this team.”
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‘Culture doesn’t graduate’ at Alabama
Freshman guard Ace Austin led Alabama against Louisville with 17 points (5-for-8 from behind the arc), and Weathers and redshirt senior guard Jessica Timmons are both excited to see what she can do in the future.
Timmons said Austin “stepped up tremendously as a freshman,” demonstrating maturity, shooting open shots, and making the right plays and reads.
Weathers believes that Austin is not only a talented player but also an incredible teammate.
“You put the ball in her hands, she’s gonna make something happen,” Weathers said on March 23. “… She did all the right things for us today. As a freshman to step into an environment like this and perform the way that she did is huge for us.”
Alabama had three players drafted in the 2025 WNBA Draft and returned 44.2% of its minutes played and 34.8% of its scoring from last season, but after the loss to Louisville, then-head coach Kristy Curry said, “culture doesn’t graduate.”
“Really proud of the locker room and how they went to work in June, and hated we couldn’t find another possession today for ‘em,” she said.
Timmons credited the coaching staff for both their scouting abilities and for making sure the team was connected.
“We hone in on grit, love, gratitude,” Timmons said. “If you guys came to our practices, we have a huddle … at the end of each practice just making sure someone is heard, is felt, and making sure they’re appreciated, no matter if you play one minute or 40 minutes. And I think that’s what basketball is about. We have sisters for life. We have coaches for life. We have people that’s gonna come back and watch our practices and be on the scout team.”
Curry credited the team’s four seniors — Weathers, Timmons, senior guard Ta’Mia Scott and senior guard Waiata Jennings — for making her a better person.
“As a coach, you don’t always remember the score but you remember the kind of people, and it’s the person that makes the player special,” Curry said.
“… They’re all four gonna have their degrees, and I’m just really proud of not only the basketball piece but who they are as student-athletes. They’re [the] epitome of what you should be about. Their journeys are all different, and that’s the joy of coaching. But seeing them become the people that they are and the graduates they’re gonna be and how they’ve represented the front of their chest is really special.”
