Evans, Van Lith lead No. 1 Louisville past No. 23 Syracuse

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Dana Evans scored 21 points, Hailey Van Lith added 18 on six 3-pointers, and top-ranked Louisville used several small second-half runs to pull away from No. 23 Syracuse for a 67-54 victory Thursday night.

Playing their first game as the nation’s No. 1 women’s team, the Cardinals (13-0, 6-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) countered the taller Orange (7-2, 4-2) by working the ball around the perimeter for opportunities. The patient approach built a slight edge before their 8-0 run over 1:39 in the third, highlighted by consecutive 3-pointers from Van Lith and Evans, provided a 47-38 lead.

Kianna Smith added five points to make it 52-44 entering the fourth, and Louisville followed with a 7-0 run for a 15-point cushion. Syracuse got within nine before Van Lith made another 3 and Evans added five more points to seal the late-night victory just three days after the program earned its first-ever No. 1 ranking.

Van Lith was 6 of 11 from behind the arc while Evans made 3 of 8 and 9 of 20 overall. Olivia Cochran added 11 points, while Van Lith and Elizabeth Dixon each grabbed eight rebounds for the Cardinals.

Emily Engstler had 16 points and Kamilla Cardoso 13 for Syracuse, which had won its previous three games. The Orange shot just 27% in the fourth quarter and finished 39% overall.

BIG PICTURE

Syracuse: The Orange owned the paint as expected, offsetting rough 1-for-8 start from beyond the arc. But they struggled to cut off Louisville’s passing lanes and left the Cardinals open for 3s that made the difference in a low-scoring contest.

Louisville: Facing their tallest opponent this season, the Cardinals wisely didn’t push their luck inside. They played too cautious at times with a lot of dribbling, passing and a reliance on 3-pointers. But the strategy paid off as they made their chances, helped in big part by staying even with the Orange on the boards (35-all).

UP NEXT

Syracuse visits Clemson on Sunday.

Louisville visits Wake Forest on Sunday.

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