Louisville routs Southeast women's basketball team 97-43

The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team was steamrolled Friday night by the 2008-09 NCAA runner-up.

Louisville scored the first 16 points and built a 33-point halftime lead on its way to a 97-43 romp in Louisville, Ky.

The Cardinals of the Big East Conference improved to 3-1 while Southeast fell to 1-3.

Tia Gibbs hit three straight 3-pointers and All-American candidate Monique Reid added five points during the Cardinals' 16-0 opening blitz.

Southeast finally got on the board with 14 minutes, 48 seconds left in the first half on a jumper by sophomore forward Brittany Harriel.

The Cardinals answered with a 20-5 run over the next eight minutes to put away the game early at 36-7. It was 52-19 at halftime, and Louisville's biggest lead was 88-30.

Reid, a junior forward who was the Big East's leading scorer during conference games last season, paced the Cardinals with 16 points.

Sophomore forward Bailie Roberts led Southeast with nine points and seven rebounds.

Louisville shot a sizzling 56.4 percent from the field, hitting 31 of 55 attempts. Southeast shot just 24.6 percent (14 of 57).

The Cardinals also had a big advantage from the free-throw line, making 28 of 38 compared to 8 of 9 for the Redhawks.

Southeast committed 25 turnovers, 19 coming off Louisville steals. The Cardinals had 19 turnovers.

The Redhawks continued to play short-handed as sophomore forward Patricia Mack missed her second straight game with a knee injury.

Sophomore guard Jasmine Davis, Southeast's leading scorer last year before suffering a season-ending knee injury, played only four minutes. She did not see action in the Redhawks' previous game because the knee was bothering her.

And Brooke Taylor, a freshman forward from Bismarck, Mo., who was Southeast's top recruit, has not yet played due to an iron deficiency problem. Coach John Ishee doesn't know when Taylor will be ready to play.

Southeast returns to action Tuesday when Division II Maryville University from St. Louis visits the Show Me Center for a 7 p.m. tipoff.