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University of Louisville Athletics

Thursday, January 13
LOUISVILLE, KY
7 p.m. ET

University of Louisville

vs

SYRACUSE

Emily Engstler Louisville Women's Basketball

No. 2 Louisville Hosts Syracuse on Thursday

January 12, 2022 | Women's Basketball

The Cardinals and Orange will tip off at 7 p.m. ET on ACC Network Extra and 790-AM WKRD.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – No. 2 University of Louisville women's basketball returns to action when it hosts Syracuse on Thursday night. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. ET and broadcast on ACC Network Extra and 790-AM WKRD.

Tickets for Thursday's game are available and fans can enjoy $4 draft beer and $3 sodas. As part of Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night, faculty and staff can purchase discounted $4 tickets when using their UofL email address. All undergraduate students in attendance will receive a free Louisville athletics t-shirt.
 
Louisville is 13-1 on the season and a perfect 8-0 at the KFC Yum! Center. In those eight wins at home, the Cardinals have a +30.9 scoring margin.
 
In the 81-39 win over Pitt last Thursday, Louisville recorded 19 steals and forced the Panthers into 35 turnovers. The 19 steals marked their most ever in an ACC game. The previous high was 18 in a 77-60 win over Boston College on Feb. 26, 2015. The 35 turnovers forced were also a record for the Cardinals in an ACC game. The previous high was 29 in a 75-46 win at Wake Forest on Feb. 26, 2017.
 
Emily Engstler recorded her fourth double-double of the season, 20th of her career, and a near triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven steals vs. Pitt. The seven steals marked her career-high. Her previous high was six, which she accomplished this season against Eastern Kentucky. She also had six steals while at Syracuse against South Dakota State on March 21, 2021.
 
It marked the first time that a UofL player has had seven steals in a game since Bria Smith did it twice during the 2014-15 season, a 77-60 win over BC on Feb. 26, 2015 and an 86-53 win over BYU in the NCAA Tournament first round on March 21, 2015.
 
In eight home games, Engstler is averaging a team-high 12.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.8 steals and 1.5 blocks per game, while shooting 54 percent from the floor and 13-of-21 from 3-point range. On the season, she averages 10.6 points with a team-high 8.4 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.5 blocks per game, while shooting 49 percent overall and 17-of-31 (.548) from deep.
 
She leads the ACC with 2.8 steals per game, third with 6.4 defensive rebounds per game, fifth with 8.4 rebounds and eighth with 1.5 blocks. She has led UofL in rebounds in 12 of 14 games.
 
Louisville is limiting opponents to just 47.6 points per game, which ranks second in the ACC and the country. In nine of 14 games this season and three straight games, UofL's defense has limited its opponent to the smallest point total of the season. In eight of 14 games, they have limited opponents to 49 points or less.

ABOUT THE ORANGE
 
Syracuse enters Thursday's game with an 8-7 record. They are 1-4 in ACC play with their lone conference win an 86-46 victory against Clemson. Their best win of the year is a 97-91 win over Ohio State. The Orange rank fifth in the ACC with 76.1 points per game, but their 69.0 points allowed per game ranks last in the league. Their 10.9 steals per game rank second in the ACC, while their 8.2 3-point field goals made rank third. They are shooting 78.6 from the free throw line, which leads the league and ranks 11th in the country. Syracuse features five double-digit scorers, led by Teisha Hyman's 14.8 points per game, which ranks sixth in ACC, and Chrislyn Carr's 14.2, which ranks eighth. Christianna Carr (13.1 ppg), Naje Murray (12.6 ppg) and Alaysia Styles (10.4 ppg) also average double figures. Hyman ranks second in the ACC with 2.5 steals per game and fourth with 4.5 assists per game. Christianna Carr is shooting 38.4 percent from deep, which ranks fourth in the ACC, and her 2.2 3-point makes per game rank sixth.

Series History - UofL is 15-7 all-time against Syracuse. Louisville has won nine out of the 11 meetings since both programs left the Big East to join the ACC. In those nine ACC wins, the Cardinals have outscored their opponent by an average of 15.6 points. The last time at the KFC Yum! Center, Louisville won 67-54 on Jan. 21, 2021. Louisville dominates the all-time series as hosts, 9-1 at home, including a 5-0 record inside the KFC Yum! Center. The lone home loss came in Freedom Hall, where the Cardinals fell 64-58 on Jan.23, 2010.
 
Last Meeting (March 6, 2021) - Dana Evans scored 13 points, Olivia Cochran added 10 points and 10 rebounds and four players finished in double digits in scoring as the Cardinals advanced to the ACC Tournament championship game with a 72-59 win over Syracuse behind a balanced attack. Louisville got 11 points from Kianna Smith on 5-of-7 shooting and 10 points off the bench from Norika Konno in the win. The Cardinals were 16 of 17 from the free throw line.

GAME FACTS
Date: Thursday, Jan. 13
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Site: Louisville, Ky. | KFC Yum! Center (22,000)
TV: ACCNX (Jeff Greer, play-by-play; Jessica Laemmle, analyst)
Radio: 790-AM WKRD (Nick Curran, play-by-play; Adrienne Johnson, analyst)
Last Meeting: W, 72-59 (March 6, 2021 at ACC Tourney Semis)
Series History: 15-7 (W3, 9-1 home, 4-5 away, 2-1 neutral)
Next UofL Game: Sunday, Jan. 16 at Boston College

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.