Thursday, January 7
Blacksburg, VA
8 p.m. ET
University of Louisville
at
Virginia Tech
No. 2 Louisville Returns to ACC Play at Virginia Tech on Thursday
January 06, 2021 | Women's Basketball
The Cardinals and Hokies will tip off at 8 p.m. E.T. on RSN/Fox Sports South.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Louisville women's basketball returns to Atlantic Coast Conference play when they travel to play at Virginia Tech (6-2, 1-2) on Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET. The game will broadcast on RSN/Fox Sports South and 790-AM WKRD.
Louisville (8-0, 1-0) is ranked No. 2 in the latest Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls and is coming off three wins in the past five days.
Dana Evans scored a career-high 29 points in the win over UT Martin on Tuesday. She was 10-12 from the floor and 6-7 from 3-point range, connecting on her first six attempts. She has scored 20-plus points in six of eight games this season. She now has 18 career 20-point games and UofL is 18-0 in those games. She leads the ACC with 20.6 points per game and ranks third with 4.5 assists per game.
UofL shot 13-26 from beyond the arc in the win over the Skyhawks. It marked the first time they have shot 50 percent or better from deep this season. It comes after the Cards shot a combined 7-38 (.184) from deep in wins over NKU and Bellarmine.
The Cardinals are shooting 32.6 percent (56-172) from 3-point range on the season, which ranks eighth in the ACC, and 27 of those 56 makes have come in wins over UTM and DePaul.
Evans ranks seventh in the ACC with 20 made 3-pointers and 2.5 made per game, while her 43.4 3-point shooting percentage ranks ninth. Kianna Smith is shooting 43.4 percent from deep, which ranks sixth in the league, and her 2.2 threes per game ranks 14th.
Olivia Cochran and Elizabeth Dixon are shooting a combined 65-105 (.619) from the floor, while averaging a combined 22.0 points and 12.8 rebounds per game.
UofL's 12.8 turnovers per game are the fewest in the ACC and rank 27th in the NCAA. The Cardinals plus-5.5 turnover margin leads the ACC and ranks 29th in country.
ABOUT THE HOKIES
Virginia Tech returns to action looking for their first win in nearly a month after playing two games since its win against Pittsburgh on Dec. 10. After starting the season with six consecutive wins, the Hokies currently hold a 6-2 overall record and a 1-2 record in ACC play after back-to-back losses against Notre Dame and Florida State. Virginia Tech is led by forward Elizabeth Kitley, who leads the team with 18.8 points, 12 rebounds per game and a 64.8 percent shooting clip. Guard Aisha Sheppard serves as the Hokies' primary perimeter threat, averaging 17.8 points per game thanks in large part to her 41.8 percent 3-point shooting percentage. As a team, Virginia Tech averages 80.5 points per game (4th in the ACC) and allows 64.1 points per game (9th in the ACC).
Series History - UofL is 22-17 all-time against Virginia Tech and 8-10 in Blacksburg. The Cards have won seven straight and are 7-0 since joining the ACC, 3-0 in Blacksburg. The last time UofL lost to VT was Feb. 26, 1995, when the Hokies won 68-60, the last of a four-game win streak VT held against the Cards. The closest ACC game between the two programs came in the 2018 ACC Tournament when the Cardinals edged the Hokies 73-70. When the Cards and Hokies met on Feb. 19, 2015 in Blacksburg (W, 69-49), it marked the first time in 20 years that the two teams had squared off. In the last meeting at Virginia Tech, Louisville won 72-63 on Feb. 10, 2019.
Last Meeting (March 1, 2020) - On senior day, Jazmine Jones, Kylee Shook and Dana Evans scored in double figures to lead No. 5 Louisville to a 70-53 win over Virginia Tech. The Hokies got within 15 points in the fourth quarter, but didn't get any closer as Louisville cruised to the win. Jones led UofL with 18 points, 11 of which came in the first half.
GAME FACTS
Date: Thursday, Jan. 7
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Site: Blacksburg, Va. | Cassell Coliseum
TV: RSN/Fox Sports South (Tom Werme, play-by-play; Kelley Deyo, analyst)
Radio: 790-AM WKRD (Nick Curran, play-by-play; Adrienne Johnson, analyst)
Last Meeting: W, 70-53 (March 1, 2020 at KFC Yum! Center)
Series History: 22-17 (W7, 9-7 Home, 8-10 Away, 5-0 Neutral)
UofL National Ranking: 2nd Associated Press, 2nd USA Today
Next UofL Game: Sunday, Jan. 10 vs. Clemson
For the latest on Louisville women's basketball, visit GoCards.com, follow the team's Twitter account at @UofLWBB or on Facebook at facebook.com/UofLWBB.
Louisville (8-0, 1-0) is ranked No. 2 in the latest Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls and is coming off three wins in the past five days.
Dana Evans scored a career-high 29 points in the win over UT Martin on Tuesday. She was 10-12 from the floor and 6-7 from 3-point range, connecting on her first six attempts. She has scored 20-plus points in six of eight games this season. She now has 18 career 20-point games and UofL is 18-0 in those games. She leads the ACC with 20.6 points per game and ranks third with 4.5 assists per game.
UofL shot 13-26 from beyond the arc in the win over the Skyhawks. It marked the first time they have shot 50 percent or better from deep this season. It comes after the Cards shot a combined 7-38 (.184) from deep in wins over NKU and Bellarmine.
The Cardinals are shooting 32.6 percent (56-172) from 3-point range on the season, which ranks eighth in the ACC, and 27 of those 56 makes have come in wins over UTM and DePaul.
Evans ranks seventh in the ACC with 20 made 3-pointers and 2.5 made per game, while her 43.4 3-point shooting percentage ranks ninth. Kianna Smith is shooting 43.4 percent from deep, which ranks sixth in the league, and her 2.2 threes per game ranks 14th.
Olivia Cochran and Elizabeth Dixon are shooting a combined 65-105 (.619) from the floor, while averaging a combined 22.0 points and 12.8 rebounds per game.
UofL's 12.8 turnovers per game are the fewest in the ACC and rank 27th in the NCAA. The Cardinals plus-5.5 turnover margin leads the ACC and ranks 29th in country.
ABOUT THE HOKIES
Virginia Tech returns to action looking for their first win in nearly a month after playing two games since its win against Pittsburgh on Dec. 10. After starting the season with six consecutive wins, the Hokies currently hold a 6-2 overall record and a 1-2 record in ACC play after back-to-back losses against Notre Dame and Florida State. Virginia Tech is led by forward Elizabeth Kitley, who leads the team with 18.8 points, 12 rebounds per game and a 64.8 percent shooting clip. Guard Aisha Sheppard serves as the Hokies' primary perimeter threat, averaging 17.8 points per game thanks in large part to her 41.8 percent 3-point shooting percentage. As a team, Virginia Tech averages 80.5 points per game (4th in the ACC) and allows 64.1 points per game (9th in the ACC).
Series History - UofL is 22-17 all-time against Virginia Tech and 8-10 in Blacksburg. The Cards have won seven straight and are 7-0 since joining the ACC, 3-0 in Blacksburg. The last time UofL lost to VT was Feb. 26, 1995, when the Hokies won 68-60, the last of a four-game win streak VT held against the Cards. The closest ACC game between the two programs came in the 2018 ACC Tournament when the Cardinals edged the Hokies 73-70. When the Cards and Hokies met on Feb. 19, 2015 in Blacksburg (W, 69-49), it marked the first time in 20 years that the two teams had squared off. In the last meeting at Virginia Tech, Louisville won 72-63 on Feb. 10, 2019.
Last Meeting (March 1, 2020) - On senior day, Jazmine Jones, Kylee Shook and Dana Evans scored in double figures to lead No. 5 Louisville to a 70-53 win over Virginia Tech. The Hokies got within 15 points in the fourth quarter, but didn't get any closer as Louisville cruised to the win. Jones led UofL with 18 points, 11 of which came in the first half.
GAME FACTS
Date: Thursday, Jan. 7
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Site: Blacksburg, Va. | Cassell Coliseum
TV: RSN/Fox Sports South (Tom Werme, play-by-play; Kelley Deyo, analyst)
Radio: 790-AM WKRD (Nick Curran, play-by-play; Adrienne Johnson, analyst)
Last Meeting: W, 70-53 (March 1, 2020 at KFC Yum! Center)
Series History: 22-17 (W7, 9-7 Home, 8-10 Away, 5-0 Neutral)
UofL National Ranking: 2nd Associated Press, 2nd USA Today
Next UofL Game: Sunday, Jan. 10 vs. Clemson
For the latest on Louisville women's basketball, visit GoCards.com, follow the team's Twitter account at @UofLWBB or on Facebook at facebook.com/UofLWBB.
