Louisville Hosts Eastern Kentucky on Sunday

Sunday, November 29

LOUISVILLE, KY

1 p.m. ET

University of Louisville

EASTERN KENTUCKY

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Dana Evans Mykasa Robinson Louisville Cardinals

November 27, 2020 | Women's Basketball

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The Cardinals and Colonels will tip off at 1 p.m. E.T.

By: Nick Evans

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Louisville women's basketball opens the home portion of its 2020-21 schedule against Eastern Kentucky on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

The Cardinals opened the season with a 74-53 win at Southeast Missouri on Wednesday. Freshman Olivia Cochran led the way for Louisville with 17 points and eight rebounds.

Cochran and fellow freshman Hailey Van Lith became the first freshmen to start the season opener since Cierra Johnson started in a 100-57 win at UT Martin to begin the 2016-17 season. They are the first duo to start since Myisha Hines-Allen and Mariya Moore both started in an 89-69 win at IUPUI in 2014-15.

In addition to Cochran's 17, Van Lith chipped in 13 points - both becoming the first freshmen to score in double digits in the season opener since Asia Durr scored 12 points in a 75-71 loss to California to open the 2015-16 season. They are the first freshmen duo to both score in double figures in their debut since Moore had 22 and Hines-Allen had 11 in 2014-15.

Louisville's true freshmen combined to score 38 points (Cochran 17, Van Lith 13, Merissah Russell 8) in the win over SEMO, contributing 51.4 percent of the 74 points scored. Cochran and Van Lith also led the way with eight rebounds, while Russell added five, meaning true freshmen combined for 21 of the Cardinals 50 rebounds, good for 42 percent.

Head coach Jeff Walz is 11-2 in home openers at Louisville and they have won four straight. The only losses are a 75-71 defeat to California on Nov. 15, 2015 and a 63-50 loss to No. 4 Tennessee on Nov. 12, 2010 to open the KFC Yum! Center.

Last season, they opened their season at home with a 75-56 win over Western Kentucky.

Former Louisville assistant Samantha Williams is in her second season as head coach at Eastern Kentucky. In her first year at the helm, the Colonels showed mass improvement on their way to 11 wins, nine more than the year before. EKU increased their win total over D-I teams by 10. It was the third-best turnaround in the nation in 2019-20 and the largest win improvement by any first-year head coach.

Williams was an assistant under Walz from 2011-2019, and helped the Cardinals reach the Final Four twice, including an appearance in the 2013 national championship game, four trips to the Elite 8 and six Sweet 16s. With Williams on the staff, Louisville compiled a 236-55 record and six top-10 finishes in the national polls.

ABOUT THE COLONELS

Eastern Kentucky opened the season with a 100-51 loss at No. 16 Indiana. They were led by freshman Amerah Steele's team-high 13 points. The Colonels finished 11-18 last year, and comes into the season having had one of the biggest turnarounds in DI basketball a year ago under the tutelage of first-year head coach Samantha Williams, the former Louisville assistant. EKU welcomes in seven newcomers, including six freshmen. EKU's second leading scorer and rebounder Bria Bass returns for her senior year.

Series History - Louisville holds a 19-8 all-time advantage against EKU and is 11-2 at home. This marks the first matchup between the teams since the Cardinals won 76-42 at the KFC Yum! Center on Nov. 28, 2012. This is the second ever matchup at the KFC Yum! Center.

The Last Meeting (Nov. 28, 2012) - Jude Schimmel scored a career-high 12 points off the bench in the seventh-ranked Cardinals' 76-42 victory over Eastern Kentucky. Shoni Schimmel, the Cardinals' scoring leader and a preseason Wooden Award candidate, also had 12 points.

GAME FACTS
Date: Sunday, Nov. 29
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Site: KFC Yum! Center
Louisville, Ky. (22,000)
TV: ACCNX (Don Russell, play-by-play; Sara White, analyst)
Radio: 790-AM WKRD (Nick Curran, play-by-play; Adrienne Johnson, analyst)
Last Meeting: W, 76-42 (Nov. 28, 2012 at KFC Yum! Center)
Series History: 19-8 (11-2 home, 6-5 away, 2-1 neutral)
UofL National Ranking: 5th Associated Press, 5th USA Today
Next UofL Game: Sunday, Dec. 6 vs. UT Martin

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.