Louisville got 2Q points from Kianna Smith and Hailey Van Lith and went on a 18-5 game ending run to defeat the Orange Thursday night in front of a crowd of 7307 in the KFC YUM CENTER
It was a game where the Cards looked like they were ready to put the Orange away several times, but the 8-8 (1-5) visitors seemed to find a way to get back in the contest until UofL's final run.
The contest started out as a close one, Louisville holding just a 15-13 lead after the first 6-1/2 minutes. Buckets from Emily Engstler an Chelsie Hall allowed the Cards to stretch that out to 19-13, and the quarter ended on one of the Carr sisters sinking a three-point jumper to cut Louisville's lead to 23-18. Chrislyn and Chtistianna Carr had 12 of Syracuse's 18 points and Van Lith led the way for the Cards with 4-5 shooting for nine points. The Cards were scoring inside and held a 16-8 points in the paint advantage.
The second quarter was even in point production with both squads scoring 17 points. A Carr three cut the Cards lead to one with 7:17 until half, but Louisville responded over the next five minutes and enjoyed a 38-28 edge after Lix Dixon sank a jumper in the paint with 2:16 until half. Syracuse answered back, though, with a 7-2 run to close the quarter -- the Cards missed two attempts to score as the half ended for the 40-35 halftime tally.
Van Lith led all scorers with 13 points in what may have been her best half of the season, going 6-10 with a three-pointer and two assists. The Cards were getting production in the paint, too -- with Dixon and Olivia Cochran adding six points each. It was a slow half scoring former Syracuse star Emily Engstler, who had just two points, but she did have four rebounds and four assists. She did have three of the Cards five fouls, though -- including a technical whistled on her with 1:11 left in the half for protesting a questionable foul whistled on her, which gave Christianna Carr four free throws (she sank three of them).
The Cards and Orange played the first five minutes of the third quarter fairly even -- Louisville holding a 49-42 lead at the media timeout after A K.Smith jumper. The Orange were not ready to go home, though and used a three-minute 13-6 run to grab a 56-55 lead on a Teisha Hyman jumper with 1:44 left in the quarter. UofL would shut the Orange out the remainder of the quarter, though, and a pair of Engstler free throws and floater in the paint with four seconds left gave Louisville a 59-56 lead after three.
Engstler and Smith had 13 of Louisville's 19 third quarter points. Syracuse leading scorer Hyman woke up and produced nine third quarter points on 4-5 shooting.
The first three minutes of the fourth quarter gave us a tie contest after a Chrislyn Carr jumper made it 62-62. That was the closest Syracuse would get, though, the Cards would get baskets from Smith, Van Lith and Cochran over the next three-minutes and a Cochran free throw made it 73-66 with three minutes to go. That lead increased to 77-66 after another Van Lith jumper and rwo Engstler free throws. It was a 15-4 Cards run and this one was pretty much over with 1:29 to play. Engstler sank the final points of the contest with two free throws and 21 seconds on the clock. 84-71 was the final and #2 Louisville had improved to 14-1 and 4-0 in the ACC.
A 25-15 final quarter in favor of UofL. Kianna Smith's two three-pointers in the fourth were huge and she, Van Lith and Engstler had 20 of the Cards 25 fourth quarter points.
Louisville won the points-in-the paint battle 46-22 and points-off-turnover stat 24-11. The Cards forced 20 'Cuse turnovers and had 11 steals.
Next, the Cards travel to Boston College for a rematch on Sunday.
--sonja--
It was a game where the Cards looked like they were ready to put the Orange away several times, but the 8-8 (1-5) visitors seemed to find a way to get back in the contest until UofL's final run.
The contest started out as a close one, Louisville holding just a 15-13 lead after the first 6-1/2 minutes. Buckets from Emily Engstler an Chelsie Hall allowed the Cards to stretch that out to 19-13, and the quarter ended on one of the Carr sisters sinking a three-point jumper to cut Louisville's lead to 23-18. Chrislyn and Chtistianna Carr had 12 of Syracuse's 18 points and Van Lith led the way for the Cards with 4-5 shooting for nine points. The Cards were scoring inside and held a 16-8 points in the paint advantage.
The second quarter was even in point production with both squads scoring 17 points. A Carr three cut the Cards lead to one with 7:17 until half, but Louisville responded over the next five minutes and enjoyed a 38-28 edge after Lix Dixon sank a jumper in the paint with 2:16 until half. Syracuse answered back, though, with a 7-2 run to close the quarter -- the Cards missed two attempts to score as the half ended for the 40-35 halftime tally.
Van Lith led all scorers with 13 points in what may have been her best half of the season, going 6-10 with a three-pointer and two assists. The Cards were getting production in the paint, too -- with Dixon and Olivia Cochran adding six points each. It was a slow half scoring former Syracuse star Emily Engstler, who had just two points, but she did have four rebounds and four assists. She did have three of the Cards five fouls, though -- including a technical whistled on her with 1:11 left in the half for protesting a questionable foul whistled on her, which gave Christianna Carr four free throws (she sank three of them).
The Cards and Orange played the first five minutes of the third quarter fairly even -- Louisville holding a 49-42 lead at the media timeout after A K.Smith jumper. The Orange were not ready to go home, though and used a three-minute 13-6 run to grab a 56-55 lead on a Teisha Hyman jumper with 1:44 left in the quarter. UofL would shut the Orange out the remainder of the quarter, though, and a pair of Engstler free throws and floater in the paint with four seconds left gave Louisville a 59-56 lead after three.
Engstler and Smith had 13 of Louisville's 19 third quarter points. Syracuse leading scorer Hyman woke up and produced nine third quarter points on 4-5 shooting.
The first three minutes of the fourth quarter gave us a tie contest after a Chrislyn Carr jumper made it 62-62. That was the closest Syracuse would get, though, the Cards would get baskets from Smith, Van Lith and Cochran over the next three-minutes and a Cochran free throw made it 73-66 with three minutes to go. That lead increased to 77-66 after another Van Lith jumper and rwo Engstler free throws. It was a 15-4 Cards run and this one was pretty much over with 1:29 to play. Engstler sank the final points of the contest with two free throws and 21 seconds on the clock. 84-71 was the final and #2 Louisville had improved to 14-1 and 4-0 in the ACC.
A 25-15 final quarter in favor of UofL. Kianna Smith's two three-pointers in the fourth were huge and she, Van Lith and Engstler had 20 of the Cards 25 fourth quarter points.
Louisville won the points-in-the paint battle 46-22 and points-off-turnover stat 24-11. The Cards forced 20 'Cuse turnovers and had 11 steals.
Next, the Cards travel to Boston College for a rematch on Sunday.
--sonja--
