Women’s Basketball Adds Transfer Sydney Taylor

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Head coach Jeff Walz has announced the addition of graduate transfer guard Sydney Taylor on Saturday. Taylor comes to the Cards from UMass, where she played the first four years of her collegiate career and will be eligible for her final college season in 2023-24.

"We are thrilled to add a prolific sharpshooter and big game bucket getter in Sydney Taylor," said Walz. "Syd, nicknamed "Swish," was twice an A-10 All-Conference player and three-year starter. Syd sat atop the leaderboard in the A-10 in 3-point field goals made and tied for 7th in the nation with 104. She has had multiple games of scoring 30-plus points and has delivered game winning shots against elite competition. Syd is a big strong guard who will impose her will on her opponents by spacing the defense out and yet still has the ability to use her strength to attack the rim. Card fans get ready for her to light up the Yum Center!"

In her four seasons with the Minutewomen, she played in 107 games and had 90 starts. She amassed 1,465 career points, 404 rebounds, 170 assists and 89 steals with a career shooting percentage of .404 from the field and .348 from three. She was a two-time A-10 All-Conference honoree and was named to the A-10 All-Championship Team twice in her career.

In her final season at UMass, Taylor averaged 16.1 points (second-best on the team) and 5.0 rebounds while hitting 104 three-pointers and shot .385 percent from behind the arc (both team-best marks). Her 104 threes led the Atlantic-10 and ranked seventh nationally last season. Taylor scored in double figures in 27 of her 33 games played and scored 20 or more points 11 times during the season. She tallied a season-best 30 points while she knocked down a career-high seven three-pointers in the road win at Dayton. Taylor made three or more three-pointers in 20 games this season and was 50 percent or better from behind the arc 11 times on the year. Following the season, she was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team.

In her junior season at Amherst, she started in all 33 games, averaged 35.1 minutes per game and helped the Minutewomen reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998. She averaged 15.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game and tallied 83 three-pointers and shot .346 percent from three. The 83 three-pointers were second in the A-10 and ranked 20th nationally. Taylor had 26 double-figure scoring games on the season and eclipsed 20 or more points 10 times. Had a career best scoring output with 32 points and was 6-for-12 from three in a road win over VCU. She hit three or more three-points 16 times on the year and was 50 percent or better from three seven times. She hit a season-best six three-pointers three separate times on the season and earned Second Team Atlantic 10 All-Conference honors.

In her second year at UMass, she was thrust into the starting lineup and started all 24 games while averaging 34.3 minutes per game. Taylor led the team with 59 three-pointers and a .324 shooting percentage from behind the arc. She was second on the team with 15.6 points per game and averaged 3.8 rebounds per game. Taylor earned Atlantic 10 All-Championship team honors as the Minutewomen reached the A-10 Championship game and UMass earned a bid to WNIT, their first postseason bid of any kind since 1998. She scored a season-best 27 points twice on the year and hit five or more threes in four games.

In her first collegiate season, she played in 17 games off the bench. She made her collegiate debut against Merrimack, contributing nine points, four rebounds and a pair of steals. Taylor scored a season-high 11 points in the win over Brown.

Taylor hails from Long Island, N.Y. and played high school ball at St. Anthony's. Taylor helped the Friars to CHSAA championships in each of her first three seasons and a state title as a freshman. She was a two-year captain and a two-time All-County selection.

University of Louisville Athletics

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