Taking down No.5 Louisville was already a difficult task, but it became more difficult when SMU’s second leading scorer, Akil Simpson, got into foul trouble early in the game.

Without Simpson, the Mustangs were forced to use other players for extended minutes. Simpson’s teammates answered the call in the first half, but were unable to maintain their intensity for the full 40 minutes and Louisville triumphed 81-66 at Moody Coliseum on Sunday.

After leading by two at halftime, Keena Mays hit the first bucket of the second half to make the score 37-33. Louisville responded by going on a 21-7 run, making the score 54-44.

The first half belonged to the Mustangs as SMU shot 46.7 percent from the field and held the Cardinals to just 37.5 percent. However, it was a tale of two halves as Louisville came out in the second frame with much more intensity than SMU and dominated until the end of the game.

The Cardinals had five players score in double figures and were led by Tia Gibbs, who had 20 points. Gibbs gave the Cardinals some punch off the bench, hitting four of Louisville’s 10 three-pointers.

Mays got off to a hot start, scoring 14 points in the first half. She finished the contest with 20 points, six boards, five assists and four steals to lead her team in each category. It was also Mays second consecutive 20-plus game and her ninth of the season.

Korina Baker was lights out from three-point range, hitting four three pointers and finishing with a season-high 14 points. Kiara Perry added 12 points to mark the fifth time she has hit double digit points this season.

With Simpson getting into foul trouble early, Mallory Singleton saw extra minutes and answered with nine points and seven boards. Despite her limited playing time, Simpson managed to contribute eight points.

SMU is now 11-7 overall and 2-5 in conference play.The next game for the Mustangs will be on Saturday, when SMU travels to Houston for a 2 p.m. tip off.