Pregame Notes:
Good evening Card Nation. Louisville is coming off a 69-66 come-from-behind victory over Miami on Tuesday night. The game was rescheduled from earlier in conference play. Kianna Smith led all scorers with 21 points and Olivia Cochran had a huge fourth quarter to help Louisville to victory. She had 18 points and 5 rebounds. Louisville is currently 9-1 and 2nd in the ACC standings. Tonight, the face the Clemson Tigers. Louisville leads the all-time series with the Tigers 9-3, including 9-0 in ACC play.
Starting Lineup:
Chelsie Hall (5.8ppg, 2.2apg, 3.2rpg)
Hailey Van Lith (12.2ppg, 3.1rpg)
Emily Engstler (11ppg, 8.5rpg )
Kianna Smith (11.8ppg, 3.3rpg)
Olivia Cochran (9ppg, 5.3rpg)
1st Quarter:
Chelsie Hall knocked down the corner 3 to get the Cards on the board first. Louisville scored the first 5 points of the game, but Clemson went on 14-3 run and was able to take a 14-12 lead at the media timeout. Louisville had 8 assists on 11 field goals and shot 73% in the quarter, as the Cards used an 15-2 run to take a 25-16 lead into the second quarter.
2nd Quarter:
Mykasa hit a wide open mid-range jumper to give the Cards a brief 27-16 lead. The offense for both teams picked up in the quarter, although Louisville’s defense showed flashes of effectiveness. Louisville held a double-digit lead multiple times this quarter, but in the end took a 44-39 lead heading into intermission.
Halftime Stats At A Glance:
FG%: 19-36 (52.8%)
3PT%: 3-8 (37.5%)
FT%: 3-5 (60%)
Assists: 13
Turnovers: 10
Total Rebounds: 22-12
Leading Scorer: Hailey Van Lith(10)
3rd Quarter:
Clemson started the quarter on a 5-0 run and tied the game at 44. Hailey Van Lith went on a 5-0 run of her own to give the Cards back a 5-point lead. HVL and Engstler took matters into their own hands and made sure Louisville wasn’t going to stay behind for long. Engstler and HVL combined for 24 points in the quarter (8 and 16 points respectively). The Cards used their defense to slow down Washington in the quarter and took 73-54 lead into the final quarter.
4th Quarter:
Louisville continued to improve on their great offensive execution from the 3rd period and opened up a 23-point lead midway through the quarter. The Louisville bench and depth was great yet again for the Cards. Russell, Parker, and Schetnan all saw playing time tonight as the Cards win 93-71.
Final Stats:
FG% 39-67 (58.2%)
3PT% 10-20 (50.0%)
FT% 6-10 (50.0%)
Assists: 25
Blocks: 4
Steals: 11
Turnovers: 14
Total Rebounds: 37-33
Offensive Rebounds: 14-14
Bench Points: 30
Post Game Notes and Leaders:
Louisville improves to 10-1 in ACC play tonight and will look to maintain their second place ACC standing with a win over Syracuse on Sunday. The Cards have played 4 games in 8 days. They were led in scoring by Hailey Van Lith with 34 points. That is a new career high for Van Lith. Emily Engstler led the team with 8 rebounds and also added 10 points. Kianna Smith didn’t have her usual point production, but had a career high 8 assists. Liz Dixon came off the bench and added 12 points and 3 rebounds for the Cards.
Next Opponent:
Louisville continues their road trip as they take on Syracuse on Sunday, February 6th at noon in the Carrier Dome.
