There was a tense moment after No. 5 Louisville took down No. 4 Texas in the women’s NCAA Tournament Monday night in Austin, Texas.
The Cardinals’ star guard, Hailey Van Lith, who led the way with 21 points, three rebounds and three assists in the 73-51 win, made her way to the handshake line, and the Longhorns’ Sonya Morris was the first to meet her.
Morris made sure to hold on to Van Lith’s hand as she exchanged words with her. While the camera didn’t pick up what was said, Van Lith clearly didn’t like what she heard.
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Hailey Van Lith of the Louisville Cardinals against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the semifinals of the ACC women’s basketball tournament at Greensboro Coliseum March 4, 2023, in Greensboro, N.C. (Lance King/Getty Images)
Van Lith pushed aside Morris’s hand and continued to work her way down the line before eventually looking back and saying something else.
Asked about it in the postgame press conference, Van Lith believed Morris was angry about the loss.
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“I think there was some frustration going on,” she told the Courier-Journal. “I’m not gonna let no one disrespect me. But my teammates got my back. And I don’t have nothing bad to say.
“They’re coached great. They have great players. So, it is what it is. People are sad when they lose. I’d be sad too.”
Rory Harmon of the Texas Longhorns, center left, and Hailey Van Lith of the Louisville Cardinals, center right, bump fists during the second round of the 2023 women’s NCAA Tournament at the Moody Center March 20, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (Scott Wachter/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
Morris is a role player with the Longhorns. She came off the bench in the second-round matchup to play 11 minutes and scored two points. Texas had trouble scoring throughout the contest. Forward DeYona Gaston, the team’s leading scorer, had 12 points over 26 minutes.
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Van Lith averaged 19.5 points per game this season, her best in three years with Louisville. Her efforts over 40 minutes led the Cardinals to their sixth straight Sweet 16 appearance.
Hailey Van Lith of the Louisville Cardinals during the first half of a game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the semifinals of the ACC women’s basketball tournament at Greensboro Coliseum March 4, 2023, in Greensboro, N.C. (Lance King/Getty Images)
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Louisville will next face No. 8 Ole Miss, which upset No. 1 Stanford in the second round.
Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
