The University of Louisville women’s basketball team is back at the KFC Yum! Center this week to close out the regular season, starting with a visit from the Miami Hurricanes on Thursday, February 23 at 6 p.m. ET. The game will be aired nationally on ACC Network, and it will be Louisville’s Celebrating Black Culture game in part with Black History Month. The Cardinals will have special programming throughout the game and will wear special jerseys for the occasion.
Louisville is coming off a 62-52 win over Boston College last Sunday, clinching their 13th-straight 20-win season and extending the program record. They won their ninth road game of the season, the second-most in the ACC behind Duke. With only one game left in the regular season, the Cardinals are gearing up for the ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament, which begins on March 2.
Hailey Van Lith had another strong game against Boston College, leading the team with 17 points, four rebounds, three steals, and two assists. It was her fifth-straight game where she scored 17 or more points and fourth-straight game with two or more steals. Louisville also got a big boost from their bench, with Liz Dixon leading the team with 12 rebounds and 13 points for her seventh career double-double. Merissah Russell had a career-best game with a career-high 13 points, nine of which came in the fourth quarter.
The Cardinals will face the Miami Hurricanes, who are 17-10 on the season and 10-6 in ACC play heading into Thursday’s matchup. Miami is fifth in the ACC this season with a .435 field goal percentage, and the Hurricanes are a strong passing team, ranking fifth in the league with 14.9 assists per game. The Hurricanes are just one game behind the Cardinals in the ACC standings, and both teams have an opportunity to improve their positioning before the regular season ends on Sunday.
This will be the 11th meeting between the two schools, and the Cardinals hold a 7-3 all-time series advantage. Louisville has won seven out of the nine games against Miami since Jeff Walz took over in the 2007-08 season. Each of the last three games played between the two teams has been decided by three points or less.
The Cardinals have had an impressive regular season, and the team looks to carry that momentum into the upcoming ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament. The game against Miami will be an exciting final regular season matchup, with the Cardinals looking to close out the regular season on a high note. The entire Louisville community is looking forward to watching the Cardinals take on the Hurricanes and celebrate Black culture.
