Pregame Notes:
Good night Card Nation. Your 4th-ranked Louisville Cardinals took on the Colonels of EKU. Louisville is on an eight game winning streak and are looking to continue their winning ways before heading into a weekend tilt with UConn. The Cards boast one of the country’s best defenses and are currently 8-1. They are coming off a victory against their crosstown rivals in the blue and white. Louisville is 20-8 all-time versus Eastern Kentucky, and 12-2 at home in the series.
Starting Lineup:
Chelsie Hall (6.9ppg, 2apg, 3.6rpg)
Hailey Van Lith (10.6ppg, 3.6rpg)
Emily Engstler (9rpg, 9.9ppg )
Kianna Smith (11.2ppg, 3.1rpg)
Liz Dixon (5.9ppg, 3.8rpg)
1st Quarter:
EKU got the first points of the game, but Liz Dixon got the scoring started for Louisville. The Cards used an 11-1 run to take an 11-3 lead. Louisville held a 15-point lead at the end of the quarter with the score 25-10 after the first quarter.
2nd Quarter:
The scoring really picked up for both teams in the second quarter. The bench came in for the Cards and they were able to contribute in a major way. Payton Verhulst added 7 points and was 3-3 from the field. UofL hit 8 of their last 9 shots to end the half. The Cards led 51-28 heading into intermission.
Halftime Stats At A Glance:
FG%: 21-35 (60.0%)
3PT%: 5-14 (35.7%)
FT%: 4-4 (100.0%)
Assists: 14
Turnovers: 5
Total Rebounds: 22-13
Leading Scorer: Kianna Smith (10)
3rd Quarter:
Louisville started the quarter off with a different starting lineup and Konno immediately took a charge. Verhulst hit a 3-ball on the offensive end. The depth and talent for Louisville began to show in the third. The Cards defense was suffocating the Colonels, as the Cards led 61-31 with under 4 minutes in the quarter. Louisville led 70-33 heading into the final quarter.
4th Quarter:
Louisville continued their strong defensive play in the second half as EKU struggled to score. No Cardinals player played more than 25 minutes and the Cards held EKU to 5 points for the second consecutive quarter. UofL won 82-38.
Final Stats:
FG% 33-65 (50.8%)
3PT% 11-27 (40.7%)
FT% 5-6 (83.3%)
Assists: 23
Blocks: 5
Steals: 15
Turnovers: 12
Total Rebounds: 43-29
Offensive Rebounds: 13-9
Bench Points: 26
Post Game Notes and Leaders:
Louisville improved to 9-1 on the season and was clearly the more talented team tonight. A lot of players were able to get some live game experience. The Cards dominated the backboards tonight and moved the ball well on offense. UofL had 23 assists on 33 field goals. Louisville was led in scoring by Kianna Smith with 22. Hailey Van Lith added 13 and Payton Verhulst added 12 off of the bench. The Cards really crashed the glass as Engstler led the team in rebounds with 10 and Verhulst added 7 boards off of the bench. Verhulst had a career night with 12 points and 7 rebounds.
Next Opponent:
Louisville takes on the Connecticut Huskies Sunday, December 19th at 3:30 pm in the Mohegan Sun Arena.
