No. 6 Louisville Seeks ACC Title at Notre Dame on Sunday

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Louisville women's basketball plays at Notre Dame (10-8, 8-6) on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. ET. The game will broadcast on ESPN and 790-AM WKRD.

With a win on Sunday, No. 6 Louisville (20-2, 13-2) will clinch its fourth straight Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title and its second straight outright title. It will also mark the ninth conference title in program history. Prior to this stretch, Louisville had never won consecutive regular season conference titles.

UofL is 58-7 (.892) in ACC regular season games over the last four seasons. They are 30-4 (.882) in home games and 28-3 (.903) in road games. The Cardinals are 64-9 (.877) in ACC regular season and tournament games combined.

Dana Evans, the Cardinals' lone senior, enters Sunday's game with a career record of 116-13 (.899). With just one regular season game remaining, she is guaranteed to conclude her career at UofL with the fewest losses and best winning percentage in program history. With a win at Notre Dame, she will be the only player in program history to claim four regular season conference championships.

Evans leads the ACC with 20.8 points per game and ranks sixth with 4.3 assists per game. She leads the ACC and ranks second in the country with a 94.6 free throw percentage. She is 70-74 from the line on the season and 50-51 from the stripe in ACC play. She made 43 consecutive free throws from 12/6-2/7 prior to going 5-6 against Notre Dame.

Olivia Cochran had 12 points and nine rebounds at Florida State last Sunday. She has scored in double figures in 13 of 21 games and five times has double-digit rebounds. She is shooting 59.6 percent from the floor, which would rank second in the ACC, but her 4.4 field goals per game are just short of the qualifying mark.

Her 11.2 points per game rank fourth among ACC freshmen, while her 6.8 rebounds per game rank third. She ranks second among ACC freshmen in free throw makes and attempts, shooting 48-64 (.750) from the stripe.

ABOUT THE FIGHTING IRISH

Notre Dame is 10-8 overall and 8-6 in ACC play under first-year head coach Niele Ivey. The Irish are 7-2 at home, compared to 3-6 on the road. Notre Dame fell 71-65 at Louisville on Feb. 7 and then went two weeks without playing a game. They are 2-0 since returning to action with a 59-48 win at Pitt and a 72-64 win against Florida State on Thursday. The Irish rank eighth in the conference with 70.9 points per game and allow the 13th most points per game at 70.2. Notre Dame ranks fourth-best in the ACC with a 45.4 shooting percentage and ranks fourth with a 35.6 3-point shooting percentage. They rank third in the ACC with 8.1 steals per game. Freshman Maddy Westbeld leads the Irish and all ACC freshmen, while ranking ninth in the league with 15.2 points per game. Her 7.9 rebounds per game lead the Irish, rank second among ACC freshmen and rank ninth overall in the ACC.

Series History - Louisville is 9-16 all-time against Notre Dame. The Cardinals are on a three-game winning streak and have won five out of the last seven in the series. Louisville is 3-6 in South Bend, winning 86-54 in the last matchup on Jan. 30, 2020. Prior to last season's win, UofL's previous road win at Notre Dame was a 71-66 victory on Feb. 11, 2009.

The Last Meeting (Feb. 7, 2021) - Dana Evans scored 27 points, including five in the final minute, to lead No. 1 UofL to a 71-65 victory over Notre Dame. The player of the year candidate scored 16 of her points in the first half to help the Cards take a 42-34 lead at the break. A 3-pointer by Dara Mabrey cut the UofL lead to 66-65 with 1:41 left. Evans, though, responded with a 3 of her own with 57 seconds remaining. She then iced the game with a pair of free throws with 13 seconds left. Kianna Smith added 16 and a career-high five steals. Elizabeth Balogun finished with 12 points. Mykasa Robinson played 32 minutes and finished with five points, eight rebounds and four assists.

GAME FACTS
Date: Sunday, Feb. 28
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Site: South Bend, Ind. | Purcell Pavilion
TV: ESPN (Beth Mowins, play-by-play; Debbie Antonelli, analyst)
Radio: 790-AM WKRD (Nick Curran, play-by-play; Adrienne Johnson, analyst)
Last Meeting: W, 71-65 (Feb. 7, 2021 at KFC Yum! Center)
Series History: 9-16 (4-5 Home, 3-6 Away, 2-5 Neutral)
UofL National Ranking: 6th Associated Press, 5th USA Today
Next UofL Game: ACC Tournament

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.

No. 6 Louisville Seeks ACC Title at Notre Dame on Sunday

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Players Mentioned

Elizabeth Balogun

Olivia Cochran

Dana Evans

Mykasa Robinson

Kianna Smith

University of Louisville Athletics