No. 3 Louisville Hosts No. 2 UConn on Thursday Night

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – No. 3 University of Louisville women's basketball (19-1, 7-1 ACC) hosts No. 2 Connecticut (18-1, 7-0 AAC) on Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET.

With the Cardinals' 70-42 win over Pitt on Sunday, they extended their winning streak to five games and have held opponents below 50 points in all five games. It marks the first time in program history that Louisville has held opponents below 50 points in five straight games.

After holding Georgia Tech to 44 points, Virginia to 43, Wake Forest to 49, Florida State to 49 and Pitt to 42, UofL's scoring defense has improved from 64.3 to 59.6 points per game and moved from 182 to 74 nationally.

In the win over Pitt, Louisville held the Panthers to just six points in both the first and second quarters, which marked the lowest scoring quarter for an opponent this season. They held Pitt to 3-21 (.143) shooting in the first half.

They have held opponents to at least one single digit scoring quarter in each of the last five games. Overall, they have held opponents to nine single digit scoring quarters this season. Last season, UofL held opponents to a program-record 32 single digit scoring quarters, including holding NC State to a program-record one point in the first quarter on Dec. 31, 2017.

At 19-1, UofL is seeking its 11th 20-win season in the last 12 years. Walz's 10 20-win seasons already mark the most in program history. In the nine-year stretch that begins with the 2010-11 season, Louisville has compiled a 244-64 mark (.792).

UofL has won at least 20 games eight consecutive seasons, the longest stretch in program history. The longest run previously was three, achieved just twice in school history.

ABOUT THE HUSKIES

UConn enters Thursday's game with an 18-1 record, 7-0 in the American Athletic Conference. They have won seven straight since their 68-57 setback at Baylor on Jan. 3, 2019.

They rank in the top 10 nationally in several categories - +28.5 scoring margin (2nd), 1.66 assist-to-turnover ratio (3rd), 221 turnovers (4th fewest), 224 fouls (4th fewest), 49.0 field goal percentage (6th), 53.4 points allowed per game (7th), 33.4 field goal percentage allowed (7th), 19.3 assists per game (7th), 11.6 turnovers per game (8th fewest).

All five of their starters average double figures - Katie Lou Samuelson (18.8), Napheesa Collier (18.6), Megan Walker (12.9), Crystal Dangerfield (12.9), and Christyn Williams (11.1).

Collier is averaging a double-double as she is pulling down 10.0 rebounds per game. She has 10 double-doubles on the year, which ranks 20th in the country. Collier ranks 25th in the country with a 58.4 field goal percentage.

Dangerfield's 5.7 assists per game rank 20th in the country and her 3.11 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks 10th. Samuelson is their biggest threat from deep as she has knocked down 49 3-pointers and is shooting 36 percent.

Series History - UofL is 1-17 all-time against UConn and has lost 17 straight. They are 0-14 in the Walz era. Last season, the two teams met in Storrs on Feb. 12, 2018. UConn jumped out to a 24-6 first quarter lead, UofL rallied but fell, 69-58. It marked just one of two times where UConn was held below 70 points a year ago (scored season-low 55 points vs. UCF on Feb. 7, 2018).

The two teams last squared off at the KFC Yum! Center on March 3, 2014, with UofL falling, 68-48, in front of 22,163 fans, the largest women's basketball crowd in KFC Yum! Center history. Louisville is 0-5 against the Huskies at home and 0-2 at the KFC Yum! Center (March 3, 2014 - L vs. No. 1 UConn, 68-48; Feb. 7, 2012 - L vs. No. 3 UConn, 56-46).

Date: Thursday, Jan. 31
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Site: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Ky. (22,000)
Radio: WKRD-790, Nick Curran, play-by-play; Adrienne Johnson, analyst
Video: ESPN, Adam Amin; Kara Lawson, Rebecca Lobo, analysts; Holly Rowe, sideline
Last Meeting: L, 69-58 (Feb. 12, 2018 at UConn)
Series History: 1-17 (0-5 Home, 0-6 Away, 1-6 Neutral)
UofL National Ranking: 3rd Associated Press, 3rd USA Today

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.

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