Despite a late second half comeback, the women's basketball team dropped their Senior Night game to No. 16 Louisville, 63-53 on Monday in Walsh Gymnasium.
The Pirates (8-22, 1-15 Big East) trailed the Cardinals by 18 points, 47-29, with 12:00 remaining in the second half, but the Pirates would slowly crawl their way back into the game, cutting the lead to 13 with 6:47 remaining.
After a Shawnta' Dyer layup, the Cardinal lead was extended to 15.
A 9-2 run by the Pirates brought the team to within eight points. Seniors Tajay Ashmeade and Jasmine Crew combined to score six of the nine points, with two and four respectively.
In the final minute, bank-shot runner from the free-throw line from freshman guard Alexis Brown brought the Pirates to within six.
On the ensuing inbound, Brown grabbed possession of the ball from Cardinal guard Becky Burke, causing a jump ball and giving the Pirates possession.
A turnover from sophomore guard Jazzmine Johnson sent the Cardinals to the line for free-throws. Louisville (21-8, 10-6) iced the game from the line.
Crew, who played her last home game as a Pirate, said that she wants people to remember her for her play on the court.
"Most important thing to me is that I'm a playmaker, and that I'm a team player," Crew said. "That's the way I want people to remember me by."
Crew scored 20 points, dished out three assists with only two turnovers.
The one blemish on Crew's game was the 7-26 shooting from the floor.
"I wish I could have got more shots to fall," Crew said. "I wish we would have got the win, but all you can do is go out, and play as hard as you can."
Head coach Anne Donovan echoed her point guards statements about the need to hit more shots.
"I thought we had a chance, unfortunately we were shooting the ball horrifically today, so it's hard," Donovan said. "They were waiting for Crew in the paint, so she needed to hit more from the outside."
The Pirates, as a team, shot 29.9 percent from the floor, including only 20 percent from beyond the arc.
Sophomore guard Terry Green, hit 3 3-pointers, en route to a 15 point game. Green, however, fouled out with 1:13 remaining.
"We lost one of our best shooters," Donovan said.
The Pirates will next play in the Big East Tournament in New Haven, Conn. on Friday, March 2 at 6 p.m.
