Norika Konno's 'special' night with family ends with Louisville women's basketball win
Periodically in Section 107, Norika Konno’s head would rise from out of the crowd.
It would bob up and down above Louisville women’s basketball fans at the KFC Yum! Center on Thursday night, then disappear into a seat below.
On the court, Konno logged a quiet seven minutes in the Cardinals’ 86-77 win against Syracuse, a perfectly fine floor game that saw her score three points and dish out an assist without a turnover.
But when the game was over, she was among the night’s biggest and best stories.
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That Fathead-style facsimile of Konno’s face, it turns out, was a family accessory, a sign pointing to the seats across from the Cards’ bench where Konno’s parents, Koji and Kaoru, and sisters Yuki and Saki sat.
It was the family’s first visit to Louisville since Konno’s official recruiting visit in high school, Louisville coach Jeff Walz said.
“It was special,” Walz said. “I mean, it was really, really neat.”
The distance — especially during the COVID-19 pandemic — has been “taxing” for Konno, Walz said, noting that many college students don’t visit home during the year because they choose not to. Konno hasn’t had the option.
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“You get a long weekend and you're 6,000 miles from home, you're not just going to jump on a plane and fly to Japan (and) get there on Saturday,” Walz said. “Just stay in the airport, because you're flying right back.”
Konno’s appearance Thursday was her 74th in four seasons at Louisville. She missed the final 14 of her freshman year with a knee injury, then played in all 30 as a sophomore, a career high.
Her playing time has diminished since, and Walz said Konno sometimes admits she’s not mentally ready to play on any given night. Walz called her willingness to do so “admirable.”
Konno is about 19 hours away from a marketing degree, Walz said. She’s “doing great” in the classroom, he said.
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“Has basketball necessarily been like I had anticipated or possibly how she had anticipated?” Walz said. “No, I don't think so. But I'm proud of her.”
And he was thrilled for her Thursday.
"It was a huge lift for her to see her family, to see her parents and her her sisters,” Walz said. “And you know, they've had a great few days here. Unfortunately they're flying home tomorrow, but overall I think a wonderful, wonderful experience.”
Here are a couple takeaways from Louisville’s sixth consecutive win:
‘Self-inflicted wounds’
There was little drama as the Cardinals (11-4, 2-0 ACC) built a lead and held it against Syracuse (10-3, 1-1).
Louisville took its first 10-point lead with 8:35 to play in the third quarter, and Syracuse (10-3, 1-1) trailed by double digits until the final minute, a late three-point play setting the final margin.
“It’s a win,” Walz said. “I’ll take it. I thought we played extremely well at times.”
The “at times” is doing some heavy lifting for the Cards’ coach.
Walz wasn’t satisfied with his team’s 18 turnovers — too many of which, he said, came when Syracuse ripped rebounds out of Louisville’s hands. He didn’t like the lapses that led the Orange to quickly trim an 18-point lead to 12 in the fourth quarter.
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“We just got to get to a point where we don't have so many self-inflicted wounds,” Walz said.
For the most part, though, it was hard to complain.
Hailey Van Lith scored 24 points for U of L. Morgan Jones and Olivia Cochran had 15 each and Syracuse transfer Chrislyn Carr 12. The Cardinals overcame 27 points from Syracuse’s Teisha Hyman, who led four Orange in double-digit scorers.
And Louisville controlled the middle quarters, outscoring Syracuse 48-34 in the second and third combined.
“They were throwing some junk defenses at us, and we just calmed down and we just hit the open person,” Van Lith said. “Before, we were trying to force things, to run our sets. But we really just needed to make the read, because they were throwing doubles, junk, zone. Once we calmed down and just played within ourselves, I thought we executed really well.”
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A school reunion, too
Carr saw some familiar faces Thursday night.
But it took her some time to look like the player her old Syracuse teammates came to know.
Carr — the 5-foot-5 point guard who transferred to Louisville in the offseason after spending last season at Syracuse — was 1 for 7 from the floor in the first half, including 1 for 4 from 3-point range.
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Her third quarter looked a little more typical.
Carr had six points on 2-for-4 shooting in the quarter, making 2 of 3 3-pointers. She finished with 12 points and three assists on 4-for-13 shooting.
Carr played her first two seasons at Texas Tech, then transferred to Baylor five games into her junior year. She never played for the Bears and transferred again, spending 2021-22 at Syracuse.
She started all 29 games at point guard for the Orange last season, averaging 14.2 points and 2.6 assists.
She transferred again in April, choosing Louisville for her graduate season.
Reach Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brett Dawson at mdawson@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @BDawsonWrites.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville women's basketball beats Syracuse: Konno has 'special' night
