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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Shoni Schimmel scored 18 points, Sara Hammond had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 7 Louisville opened American Athletic Conference play with a 71-51 victory over Southern Methodist on Sunday.
Bria Smith added 13 points and 11 rebounds to help Louisville (13-1, 1-0) win its sixth straight. Hammond's double-double was her third of the season.
Akil Simpson scored 14 points and Kiara Perry had 13 for SMU (9-3, 0-1). Keena Mays, the Mustangs' leading scorer averaging 20 points a game, finished with seven.
The Cardinals led 47-32 at halftime and opened the second half with a 16-3 run. The Mustangs were unable to close the gap after that.
Simpson scored the first eight points for SMU and the Mustangs kept it close early. Perry's basket gave the Mustangs a 23-21 lead with 7:59 left.
Louisville answered with a 5-0 run and continued to expand its advantage. Schimmel made two straight 3-pointers late in the first half and the Cardinals had their 15-point lead at halftime.
SMU missed its first 11 3-point attempts and was 1 of 18 overall from beyond the arc.
Louisville, fourth in the country in field-goal shooting (49 percent), was 43 percent from the field.
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