by LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The No. 8 University of Louisville women’s basketball team takes part in its fourth top-25 matchup of the season, when it plays host to No. 23 Syracuse on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the KFC Yum! Center.
The Cardinals (18-2, 6-1 ACC) have defeated 30 Associated Press top-25 teams under the direction of head coach Jeff Walz, who is one win shy of reaching 200 for his career. Louisville earned two wins over ranked squads earlier this year, beating No. 22 Iowa on Dec. 4 and No. 24 California on Dec. 21.
The Jan. 29 contest will be broadcast on WKRD 790 AM in Louisville, with Matt Andrews (play-by-play) and Adrienne Johnson (analyst) on the call. Fans can watch the game through CardsTV, either through GoCards.com or the GoCards.com GameDay Live mobile application.
Louisville, which has won 10 of its last 11 games, posted a 68-55 win over Miami (Fla.) on Sunday. The Cardinals hit 18 free throws and held the Hurricanes to just 28.6 percent from 3-point range. Louisville outscored Miami 41-24 in the second half and 30-18 in the paint for the game.
Myisha Hines-Allen came off the bench and scored a game-high 23 points to go along with eight rebounds. Her 10-of-11 performance from the field, a 90.9 percent shooting clip, ranks as the ninth-best field goal percentage in a game in Division I this year. Mariya Moore and Bria Smith each added 13 points, and Shawnta’ Dyer had 10 points and eight boards.
On the year, Moore leads UofL in scoring (13.4) and assists (78) and is one of three Cardinals with at least 30 steals this season. Hines-Allen is averaging 12.6 points and 5.2 rebounds, and Sara Hammond is contributing 11.0 points and 6.2 rebounds.
The No. 23 Orange (15-5, 5-2 ACC) have won their last five games, most recently posting a 66-49 victory over NC State. Syracuse outscored NC State 40-20 in the second half and held the Wolfpack to just 27.7 from the field for the game.
Alexis Peterson scored a game-high 27 points, going 12-for-15 from the free throw line. Briana Day had 11 points, 16 rebounds, and seven blocks, and Brianna Butler added 15 points, seven boards, and four assists.
For the season, Peterson leads the squad in scoring (15.6), assists (92), and steals (47). Butler (12.8) is scoring better than 12 points per game, and Day is averaging a double-double of 10.2 points and 10.8 boards to go with 3.4 blocks per game.
Collectively, Syracuse is averaging 18 offensive rebounds per game, No. 6 in the country, 5.9 blocks shots per game for No. 13 nationally, and 11.3 steals per game for No. 21 nationally.
The Orange are under the direction of ninth-year coach Quentin Hillsman, who has a 182-103 record at Syrcause. It was picked to finish sixth in the ACC Preseason Media Poll after going 23-10 and reaching the NCAA Tournament second round last year.
GAME FACTS – Syracuse at Louisville
Date: Thursday, Jan. 29
Time: 7:05 p.m. ET
Site: KFC Yum! Center/Crum Court (22,000), Louisville, Ky.
Video: The game will be available on CardsTV through GoCards.com.
Radio: WKRD 790 AM will broadcast the game, with Matt Andrews (play-by-play) and Adrienne Johnson (analyst) calling the action.
Series History: UofL leads the all-time series 6-5 (4-1 in Louisville, 2-4 in Syracuse).
Last Meeting: Syracuse defeated Louisville 68-57 on March 4, 2013, in Syracuse, N.Y.
Next UofL Game: Monday, Feb. 2 at No. 17 Duke, Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, N.C., 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
