Pregame Notes:
Good night Card Nation. Coach Jeff Walz and his no.1 ranked, yes I said it, the top ranked Louisville Women’s Basketball team faces off against Syracuse in a late night tilt in the ACC. Syracuse is coming in as the 23rd-ranked team in the country, and a team whose overall team length can pose a problem for Louisville. Louisville leads the all time series 13-7.
Starting Lineup:
Dana Evans (19.4ppg, 4.4apg)
Hailey Van Lith (12.8ppg, 6.3rpg)
Mykasa Robinson (1.2apg, 3.1rpg)
Elizabeth Balogun (5.5ppg, 2bpg, 4.3rpg)
Olivia Cochran (12.6ppg, 6.7rpg)
1st Quarter:
Freshman Olivia Cochran scored the first basket for the top ranked Louisville Cardinals, as both teams struggled to score early in the quarter. Louisville used a 10-0 run to open up a 14-6 lead with 3:11 left to go in the first quarter. Unfortunately, Syracuse ended the quarter on an 8-3 run and cut Louisville’s lead to 17-14 after one.
2nd Quarter:
The Cards started off the second in a funk as Syracuse continued their run and took the lead. Syracuse got the lead to four, before Dana Evans made her presence known on offense. Louisville retook the lead, but Syracuse came back to tie the game at 29. Dana Evans hit a 3- ball eight seconds before the half. Louisville went into the half up 3, 32-29.
Halftime Stats At A Glance:
FG%: 13-31 (41.9%)
3PT%: 6-16 (37.5%)
FT%: 0-0 (0.0%)
Assists: 10
Turnovers: 6
Total Rebounds: 20-19
Leading Scorer: Hailey Van Lith(9)
3rd Quarter:
Both teams started off the quarter on fire, but the 3s started falling for Louisville and the defense was turned up a few notches. The Cards used an 8-0 run to open a 47-38 lead. Syracuse continued to keep the game close, as Louisville took a 52-44 lead into the final quarter.
4th Quarter:
UofL started the quarter off with a steal and a 3-ball by Van Lith on an assist from Dana Evans. Both teams went back and forth making plays. The Louisville backcourt showed why they are the best in the country, as Dana Evans and Hailey Van Lith made play after play in the quarter and Louisville opened up a 12-point lead. Louisville won a hard-fought 67-54 game.
Final Stats:
FG% 26-56 (46.4%)
3PT%12-27 (44.4%)
FT% 3-4 (75.0%)
Assists: 18
Blocks: 4
Steals: 6
Turnovers: 12
Total Rebounds: 35-35
Offensive Rebounds: 9-14
Bench Points: 10
Post Game Notes and Leaders:
Louisville improved to 13-0. Syracuse was an extremely tough and well coached team. The Syracuse length really gave Louisville problems all game, but Louisville pulled away late and proved why they are the top ranked team in the country. Hailey Van Lith hit six 3s in the game and had 8 rebounds. Dana Evans scored 21 points and added 7 assists.
Next Opponent:
The Cards hit the road to take on Wake Forest at 2 pm on Sunday.
