Friday, November 28
LOUISVILLE, KY
7 PM
University of Louisville
vs
Eastern Illinois
Photo by: David Sutherland | Louisville Athletics
No. 23/22 Louisville to Host MTE With EIU, ETSU & Bellarmine
November 26, 2025 | Women's Basketball
Friday and Sunday games will be at the Yum! Center while Saturday’s game will be at Knights Hall
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The No. 23/22 Louisville women's basketball team (4-2, 1-0 ACC) team is home for the thanksgiving holiday and set to host a multi-team event starting on Friday evening. The Cardinals welcome Eastern Illinois (0-5), and East Tennessee State (1-5) to town as the Cards and Bellarmine (2-4) are co-hosting the event over the course of the weekend. Each team will play each other over the three days with Friday and Sunday's games being held at the KFC Yum! Center and Saturday's game will be held at Knights Hall on Bellarmine's campus.
Friday's games begin at the Yum! Center at 4:30pm with Bellarmine vs. ETSU before Louisville and Eastern Illinois square off at 7pm. Saturday at Knights Hall starts with Bellarmine vs. Eastern Illinois at 1pm and Louisville vs. ETSU at 3:30pm. The final day of action is back at the Yum! Center with Eastern Illinois vs. ETSU at 11:30am and Louisville vs. Bellarmine at 2pm. Tickets for the Yum! Center days are good for both games but you will not be allowed to leave and re-enter using the same ticket. For Saturday's games, you will need to purchase tickets through Bellarmine's ticket office.
The Cardinals have been led by Laura Ziegler and Tajianna Roberts so far this season. Ziegler picked up her third double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds against No. 20/18 Kentucky this past Saturday. She has tallied 10 or more rebounds in four of six games this season and two of her three double-doubles have been against ranked opponents. Ziegler leads the team with 9.7 rebounds per game, which is tied for fourth in the ACC.
Roberts scored a game-high 22 points against Kentucky last weekend. It was her second 20-point outing of the season and she has scored in double figures in each of the last five games. She leads the team with 15.3 points per game this season, a mark that ranks seventh in the ACC.
FULL MTE SCHEDULE
Friday, November 28 (KFC Yum! Center)
4:30pm - Bellarmine vs. ETSU (ESPN+)
7:00pm - Eastern Illinois vs. Louisville (ACCNX)
Saturday, November 29 (Knights Hall)
1:00pm - Eastern Illinois vs. Bellarmine (ESPN+)
3:30pm - ETSU vs. Louisville (ESPN+)
Sunday, November 30 (KFC Yum! Center)
11:30am - ETSU vs. Eastern Illinois (ESPN+)
2:00pm - Bellarmine vs. Louisville (ACCNX)
ABOUT THE PANTHERS
Eastern Illinois comes into the weekend with an 0-5 overall record after defeats to Drake, Purdue, Indiana State, Michigan State and Central Michigan. EIU was selected to finish fifth in the OVC Preseason coaches poll while Lalani Ellis and Meioshe Mason were named to OVC Preseason watch list.
Series History - This will be the fifth all-time meeting between the two schools and Louisville leads the all-time series 4-0. The series began in the 1990-91 season and this is the first meeting between the two schools since 2006. The Cardinals are 3-0 all-time in games played against the Panthers in Louisville.
ABOUT THE BUCCANEERS
East Tennessee State comes into the weekend with a 1-5 overall record with a win over Clafin and losses to Tennessee, Elon, Kennesaw State, Tennessee Tech and Memphis. Meghan Downing and Carmen Richardson both earned Preseason All-SoCon recognition and the Buccaneers were selected to finish third overall in the preseason coaches poll.
Series History - This will be the sixth all-time meeting between the two schools and Louisville leads the all-time series 5-0. The series began during the 1982-83 season and this will be the first meeting since 1999. The Cardinals are 1-0 against ETSU at neutral venues and it is the first meeting at a neutral site between the two teams since 1984.
ABOUT THE KNIGHTS
Bellarmine comes into the weekend with a 2-4 overall record in former Louisville great Monique Reidís first season as head coach. The Knights have wins over Wright State and Spalding and defeats at the hands of Morehead State, Ohio State, Miami (OH) and Bradley. Reid took over as head coach after spending the previous two seasons as an assistant coach on the Knights staff. Reid was a 2023 Louisville Athletics Hall of Fame honoree as she is the only player in program history to be a part of two different trips to the Final Four. Bellarmine was picked to finish ninth in the Preseason ASUN coaches poll.
Series History - This will be the 17th meeting all-time between the two schools that play in the same city and have shared a number of venues in their history. The Knights and Cardinals began playing in Louisvilleís first season as a varsity program and the Cardinals own a 14-2 series lead over the Knights. The Cardinals are 11-1 against the Knights in home games.
Last Meeting (Nov. 16, 2023) - The No. 19/15 University of Louisville womenís basketball team defeated Bellarmine, 111-33 to move to 3-0 on the season. Tonightís 78-point win marks the largest margin of victory under head coach Jeff Walz. Highlighted by Sydney Taylorís 15-point performance, the Cardinals had eight double-figure scoring efforts this evening for the first time in program history. Taylor shot 5-of-8 from the field and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc while tallying a team-high four assists and two steals. Freshman Elif Istanbulluoglu notched her first career double-double with 10 points and a team-high 12 rebounds. It was the first double-double by a freshman since Olivia Cochran tallied 13 points and 15 rebounds against Northwestern in the NCAA Tournament in 2021.
FOLLOW LOUISVILLE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on Louisville women's basketball, visit GoCards.com, or follow the team's Instagram account at @LouisvilleWBB, X account at @LouisvilleWBB or on Facebook at facebook.com/louisvillewbb.
Friday's games begin at the Yum! Center at 4:30pm with Bellarmine vs. ETSU before Louisville and Eastern Illinois square off at 7pm. Saturday at Knights Hall starts with Bellarmine vs. Eastern Illinois at 1pm and Louisville vs. ETSU at 3:30pm. The final day of action is back at the Yum! Center with Eastern Illinois vs. ETSU at 11:30am and Louisville vs. Bellarmine at 2pm. Tickets for the Yum! Center days are good for both games but you will not be allowed to leave and re-enter using the same ticket. For Saturday's games, you will need to purchase tickets through Bellarmine's ticket office.
The Cardinals have been led by Laura Ziegler and Tajianna Roberts so far this season. Ziegler picked up her third double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds against No. 20/18 Kentucky this past Saturday. She has tallied 10 or more rebounds in four of six games this season and two of her three double-doubles have been against ranked opponents. Ziegler leads the team with 9.7 rebounds per game, which is tied for fourth in the ACC.
Roberts scored a game-high 22 points against Kentucky last weekend. It was her second 20-point outing of the season and she has scored in double figures in each of the last five games. She leads the team with 15.3 points per game this season, a mark that ranks seventh in the ACC.
FULL MTE SCHEDULE
Friday, November 28 (KFC Yum! Center)
4:30pm - Bellarmine vs. ETSU (ESPN+)
7:00pm - Eastern Illinois vs. Louisville (ACCNX)
Saturday, November 29 (Knights Hall)
1:00pm - Eastern Illinois vs. Bellarmine (ESPN+)
3:30pm - ETSU vs. Louisville (ESPN+)
Sunday, November 30 (KFC Yum! Center)
11:30am - ETSU vs. Eastern Illinois (ESPN+)
2:00pm - Bellarmine vs. Louisville (ACCNX)
ABOUT THE PANTHERS
Eastern Illinois comes into the weekend with an 0-5 overall record after defeats to Drake, Purdue, Indiana State, Michigan State and Central Michigan. EIU was selected to finish fifth in the OVC Preseason coaches poll while Lalani Ellis and Meioshe Mason were named to OVC Preseason watch list.
Series History - This will be the fifth all-time meeting between the two schools and Louisville leads the all-time series 4-0. The series began in the 1990-91 season and this is the first meeting between the two schools since 2006. The Cardinals are 3-0 all-time in games played against the Panthers in Louisville.
ABOUT THE BUCCANEERS
East Tennessee State comes into the weekend with a 1-5 overall record with a win over Clafin and losses to Tennessee, Elon, Kennesaw State, Tennessee Tech and Memphis. Meghan Downing and Carmen Richardson both earned Preseason All-SoCon recognition and the Buccaneers were selected to finish third overall in the preseason coaches poll.
Series History - This will be the sixth all-time meeting between the two schools and Louisville leads the all-time series 5-0. The series began during the 1982-83 season and this will be the first meeting since 1999. The Cardinals are 1-0 against ETSU at neutral venues and it is the first meeting at a neutral site between the two teams since 1984.
ABOUT THE KNIGHTS
Bellarmine comes into the weekend with a 2-4 overall record in former Louisville great Monique Reidís first season as head coach. The Knights have wins over Wright State and Spalding and defeats at the hands of Morehead State, Ohio State, Miami (OH) and Bradley. Reid took over as head coach after spending the previous two seasons as an assistant coach on the Knights staff. Reid was a 2023 Louisville Athletics Hall of Fame honoree as she is the only player in program history to be a part of two different trips to the Final Four. Bellarmine was picked to finish ninth in the Preseason ASUN coaches poll.
Series History - This will be the 17th meeting all-time between the two schools that play in the same city and have shared a number of venues in their history. The Knights and Cardinals began playing in Louisvilleís first season as a varsity program and the Cardinals own a 14-2 series lead over the Knights. The Cardinals are 11-1 against the Knights in home games.
Last Meeting (Nov. 16, 2023) - The No. 19/15 University of Louisville womenís basketball team defeated Bellarmine, 111-33 to move to 3-0 on the season. Tonightís 78-point win marks the largest margin of victory under head coach Jeff Walz. Highlighted by Sydney Taylorís 15-point performance, the Cardinals had eight double-figure scoring efforts this evening for the first time in program history. Taylor shot 5-of-8 from the field and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc while tallying a team-high four assists and two steals. Freshman Elif Istanbulluoglu notched her first career double-double with 10 points and a team-high 12 rebounds. It was the first double-double by a freshman since Olivia Cochran tallied 13 points and 15 rebounds against Northwestern in the NCAA Tournament in 2021.
FOLLOW LOUISVILLE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on Louisville women's basketball, visit GoCards.com, or follow the team's Instagram account at @LouisvilleWBB, X account at @LouisvilleWBB or on Facebook at facebook.com/louisvillewbb.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's BasketballWBB: Jeff Walz Postgame Presser (Kentucky - 11/22/25)
Saturday, November 22
WBB: Jeff Walz Preview Presser (Kentucky - 11/20/25)
Thursday, November 20
WBB: Jeff Walz Postgame Presser (Morehead State - 11/19/25)
Thursday, November 20
WBB: Anaya Hardy & Elif Istanbulluoglu Postgame Presser (Morehead State - 11/19/25)
Thursday, November 20
