Lady Cards face "crossroads" against Syracuse Saturday

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FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-"Must win" scenario against the Orange for Louisville

Reeling from a three game losing streak, faced with the departure of the tallest player on the team and still suffering from the season-ending injuries of two of the best players...the University of Louisville women's basketball team finds themselves "up against" the wall as they host Syracuse on Saturday.

The last time the Lady Cards lost four or more in a row was during the injury-plagued 2009-10 season...when West Virginia, Cincinnati, Connecticut, St. John's and Pittsburgh put consecutive "L's" in the UofL win/loss column. The test against Syracuse Saturday won't be easy.

The Orange are 15-10 overall and 4-7 in BIG EAST play. Wins against Pitt, Seton Hall, Providence and USF. Losses to WVA, Rutgers, St. John's, Georgetown, Connecticut, Cincy and Notre Dame.

The main drivers of the Orange bus are Kayla Alexander and Iasia Hemingway. They've alternated as leading scorers for Quentin Hillsman's squad 17 times this season.

Iasia has been hot
lately

Hemingway was named BIG EAST Player of the Week last week for her performances against Providence (24 points on 9-13 shooting) and USF (24 points on 9-14 shooting). She also made 12 of 14 from the free throw line. Big, aggressive and a strong rebounder...she is part of a Syracuse team that leads the BIG EAST in rebounding margin. She averages 16.5 points per game. Syracuse is the top offensive rebounding team in the conference.

Alexander is a shot
blocking machine.

Alexander is another banger in the paint. She leads the Orange with 7.3 grabs a game and averages 15.0 point a contest. She's the leading shot blocker in the BIG EAST.

Others that will play...Shakeya Leary, Elashier Hall, Rachel Coffey, La'shay Taft and Carmen Tyson-Thomas...who is the third SU player averaging in double figures with 10.8 a game.

Syracuse isn't normally a three-point threat...but when they do attempt them, it's usually Coffey, Taft or Thomas. They're dead last in the BIG EAST is 3-Point FG pct. (.236) and 13th. in 3-pointers made.



The "Q" is an enertainer extrodinaire on the sidelines !

 The Orange are coached by Quentin Hillsman. He's Paul's favorite opponent sideline coach...because of the crazy, zany antics he pulls. He got so worked up two years ago in Freedom Hall that he passed out in front of the bench and the game was stopped. Two years before that, he got so enraged at the end of 78-57 Louisville win that security had to usher him off the court...fists shaking and screaming like a man who just lost his steak dinner to the family pooch. In his first visit to Louisville, it looked like he was ready to punch out little ol' Tom Collen at mid-court after the game when the Cards ripped the Orange 98-50 back in the 2006-07 season.

He is a show. We look forward to what the "Q review" has in store for us this year. He's starting his sixth season as the Orange skipper and is 133-75 there.

Louisville is 4-4 lifetime against SU, Walz 1-3. Last year saw the Orange win a slow paced, slug it out affair in the Carrier Dome 53-45. Tia Gibbs had 19 against them. Hemingway and Alexander combined for 21 and graduated guard Erica Morrow led Syracuse with 17.

Louisville needs this one. A loss drops them to 6-6 in the BIG EAST. With DePaul and Notre Dame still to be played...and probable losses for Louisville...gotta get wins in the KFC YUM! Center. Syracuse is very beatable, but the Lady Cards must shoot much better than they did against Geno and the Huskies.

Get ready to rumble !

Game time is 2 p.m. Looks like it'll be a knock down, slug it out affair. Bring your mouthpiece, gloves and trainer. Maybe we can get Michael Buffer to do the player introductions instead of Sean Moth.  "Mr T". and Rocky can be the halftime show. Bring a friend to fight with and they get in free. OK. Dress 'em out and tip it up. Touch gloves in the center of the ring and come out swinging. It's either going to be the Cards road back to redemption or another boulder on what's been a rocky path in Februrary.
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