No. 3 Louisville cruises past No. 23 Virginia Tech

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Hailey Van Lith scored 20 points to lead No. 3 Louisville to a 70-56 victory over No. 23 Virginia Tech on Sunday.

Coming off a one-point loss Thursday at No. 22 North Carolina, the Cardinals (23-3, 14-2) dominated from the start. They led 13-4 less than five minutes into the contest and never trailed against the Hokies (20-7, 12-4).

Van Lith, a sophomore guard, made 8-of-17 shots and committed just one turnover.

Emily Engstler posted her eighth double-double of the season as the senior wing scored 19 points, one point off her season-high, and grabbed a season-best 15 rebounds. Kianna Smith added 11 points in the victory.

The Hokies (20-7, 12-4) made just 9-of-24 shots in the first half, with none coming in the final 6:06 – and that was despite Olivia Cochran and Liz Dixon, the Cardinals top two post players, both having two fouls.

Louisville would grow the lead to as much as 62-38 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.

Elizabeth Kitley led the Hokies with 21 points and 13 rebounds.

Aisha Sheppard was held to just eight points for Virginia Tech. However, the fifth-year guard still became the Hokies all-time leading scorer. She now has 1,792 points, surpassing the 1,791 Renee Dennis scored from 1983-1987.

BIG PICTURE

Virginia Tech: After shooting a season-best 58.1% in Thursday’s 49-point victory at Syracuse, the Hokies struggled mightily in Louisville. Louisville's defense held the Hokies to 39.5% - including just 4-of-17 3-point shooting - on Sunday, and Virginia Tech also committed 14 turnovers.

Louisville: With the win, the Cardinals finished the home portion of their regular-season schedule undefeated. It marks the first time they have done that since they started playing at the KFC Yum Center in 2010.

UP NEXT

Virginia Tech hosts Miami on Thursday.

Louisville travels to Pittsburgh on Thursday evening.