Louisville women's basketball averaged 84.5 points per game in its past six meetings against Kentucky. But the 18th-ranked Cardinals' 28-27 halftime lead over UK on Sunday was a good indicator that they would fall below that average.

Still, Eylia Love’s team-best 14 points along with five rebounds helped the Cardinals (9-1) pocket a hard-fought 73-61 win over Kentucky for seven straight wins in the rivalry series with a meeting at No. 17 UConn looming. The Cardinals are now 2-1 against SEC opponents after beating Ole Miss, 64-58, in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Nov. 29 and falling to Alabama, 78-73, in the first game of the Van Chancellor Classic on Nov. 24.

Love was one of five U of L players to put up double figures. It's the second straight game where the Cardinals have had five double-digit scorers and the fifth time in six games where at least three have put up 10 or more points. Coming into the rivalry contest, the team's 79.6 points per game ranked 38th nationally.

"It's a great group of kids," said Jeff Walz, who picked up his 450th win in 576 games as U of L's head coach on Sunday. "They're as good people as we've had here throughout my 17 years. They actually have joy for each other. They cheer for each other. It's not just them, and I think that's what makes it as special as it is."

Olivia Cochran, who has been an instrumental part of the program during her career and one of the team's leaders this season, hit her 1,000th point in the contest and was one of the double-digit scorers. She ended the game with 10 points, eight rebounds and three assists. The Georgia native will leave Louisville with an undefeated record against UK (4-7), though Walz joked about trying to convince her to stay for a fifth year.

"I don't know why (Cochran) wouldn't want to look at this for another year," Walz said of himself.

Known for her rebounding and physicality, Cochran was one point away from 1,000 heading into the second half. She accomplished the feat at the 2:27 mark of the third quarter on a putback basket that put U of L up 42-39. The Cardinals outscored the Wildcats 8-2 after that, creating some much-needed separation. Cochran received a game ball after the victory.

"O's been as steady as they come," Walz said. "(She's) a four-year starter now. Gets in there and battles. She rebounds. She's not afraid of contact. I'm just really proud of her because the growth that she's made over her four years has really been impressive."

The Cardinals’ early struggles came from 10 turnovers in the first two quarters and shooting 37% from the field. Turnovers continue to be an area of concern for Louisville, which entered Sunday’s game ranked 118th in the country with 15.2 per contest.

Walz believes one possible reason for the team's lack of focus and miscues was because of the atmosphere at the KFC Yum! Center for the rivalry matchup: an announced crowd of 11,291.

"I personally have never played in front of all those people, so I see how big this game is," said Love, who transferred to Louisville in January, just missing last year's game at Kentucky by a month. "... It was just a great atmosphere to be in."

The Cardinals were able to overcome their turnover woes with timely plays against the Wildcats and a 45-23 rebounding advantage while holding UK to six field goals in the third quarter.

Sophomore forward Nyla Harris, who had 13 points and eight rebounds in her second rivalry game against the Wildcats, was the spark that helped Louisville create momentum in the second half. She had the initial layup off a steal to put the team up, 40-39, in the third quarter then added another quick bucket in the final frame to give the Cardinals a 57-46 advantage.

Despite averaging nearly 10 points a game, Harris still believes she has improvements to make in her offensive performance.

"My biggest thing now is just relaxation and not letting the game rush me whenever I catch the ball," she said. "Y'all don't really see that a lot but I'm very good at catching the ball and putting it in the basket. ... Offensively, I'm still getting that 15-footer. I have it, I just need to be able to let it go sometimes and just be patient."

U of L has now won five in a row after the loss to Alabama while UK, which has dealt with its fair share of injuries this season, has lost two of its last three games. After missing the last two contests, Kentucky senior guard Maddie Scherr posted a game-high 22 points in the loss.

"It's been a rough start, but we have enough and that's my message to the team," UK coach Kyra Elzy said. "We have enough. We're going to get our pieces back. We still have three games in the nonconference that we have to go get and let our momentum carry us into SEC play."

Louisville stays home to play Morehead State at 4 p.m. Wednesday before hitting the road to take on the Huskies at noon Saturday in Hartford, Connecticut. Kentucky plays host to Furman at 1 p.m. next Sunday.

Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville WBB: Jeff Walz earns 7th straight win vs. Kentucky Wildcats