Louisville Women's Basketball Falls to UCLA in Top-25 Season Opener

Close Game Comes Down to the Wire

Louisville Women's Basketball began its season with a tough 89-84 loss to No. 16 UCLA on Monday night at the KFC Yum! Center. The Cardinals were led by Hailey Van Lith's 25 points, while Emily Engstler added 22 points and 10 rebounds. The Bruins led by just three points at halftime, but they pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring Louisville 27-15. The Cardinals came back in the fourth quarter and cut the lead to two points with just over a minute remaining, but UCLA made its free throws down the stretch to secure the victory. The loss was Louisville's first in a season opener since 2018. It is also the first time the Cardinals have lost to UCLA since 2015. Louisville will look to bounce back on Friday when they host Bellarmine at the KFC Yum! Center.

Van Lith Leads Cardinals in Scoring

Hailey Van Lith led the Cardinals in scoring with 25 points. She was 9-of-17 from the field and 5-of-10 from three-point range. Van Lith also had six assists and four rebounds.

Engstler Adds Double-Double

Emily Engstler had another strong game for the Cardinals, finishing with 22 points and 10 rebounds. She was 9-of-14 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. Engstler also had three assists and two steals.

Bruins Pull Away in Third Quarter

UCLA led by just three points at halftime, but they pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring Louisville 27-15. The Bruins shot 50% from the field in the third quarter, while Louisville shot just 33%. UCLA was also able to force Louisville into 10 turnovers in the third quarter.

Cardinals Come Back in Fourth Quarter

Louisville came back in the fourth quarter and cut the lead to two points with just over a minute remaining. The Cardinals held UCLA to 0-of-4 shooting in the final four minutes of the game, but they could not complete the comeback. In the end, Louisville was done in by its poor three-point shooting. The Cardinals were just 6-of-23 from three-point range, while UCLA was 9-of-23.

Louisville Will Look to Bounce Back on Friday

The loss was Louisville's first in a season opener since 2018. It is also the first time the Cardinals have lost to UCLA since 2015. Louisville will look to bounce back on Friday when they host Bellarmine at the KFC Yum! Center.