Pitt to Take On Unbeaten No. 2/2 Louisville Thursday

GAME 19: NO. 2/2 LOUISVILLE (19-0, 5-0 ACC) VS. PITT (9-9, 1-4 ACC)
Thursday, Jan. 18 | 7 p.m. ET
Pittsburgh, Pa. | Petersen Events Center (12,508)
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | Radio: 1320AM WJAS
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GAME NOTES

PITTSBURGH – Pitt women's basketball (9-9, 1-4 ACC) will host the second-ranked team in the country for the first time since January 2014 when it takes on unbeaten No. 2/2 Louisville (19-0, 5-0 ACC) Thursday at 7 p.m. at Petersen Events Center.

HOW TO FOLLOW

The game will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra, available on the WatchESPN app, with Kevin Wheeler on the call and Amanda Silay as analyst.
Live stats will be available at PittsburghPanthers.com.
On the radio, fans can find the game on 1320AM WJAS in the Pittsburgh area with George Von Benko on the call and Jesse Irwin as analyst.
Fans may follow live updates on Twitter and Instagram at @Pitt_WBB.

PAW PRINTS

Pitt will host the second-ranked team in the country for the first time since No. 2 Notre Dame visited Pittsburgh Jan. 16, 2014. Pitt fell, 109-66, in that contest at Petersen Events Center. The Cardinals are tied as the Panthers' highest ranked opponent since Pitt hosted No. 1 Connecticut Jan. 30, 2010.
Junior center Kalista Walters continues to lead the ACC in field goal percentage (.650), ranking fifth in the country. She ranks fourth in the league with 1.89 blocked shots per game.
The Panthers remain second in the country in total blocked shots (124), behind the nation's leader, William & Mary (124). Pitt leads the ACC in blocked shots per game (6.9), ranking fourth in the country.

A WIN WOULD…

Be Pitt's first win against a top-5 team in program history.
Be the Panthers' first win against a top-10 team since defeating No. 8/6 North Carolina, 84-59, Jan. 8, 2015.
Snap an 18-game losing streak for the Panthers against ranked opponents. Pitt's last win against a ranked opponent was against No. 17/18 Chattanooga in the 2015 NCAA Tournament First Round.
Snap a 10-game losing streak for the Panthers in the all-time series against the Cardinals. Louisville holds a 14-2 advantage against Pitt. The Panthers' last win against the Cards came Feb. 14, 2010, at Petersen Events Center (72-69).
Snap a four-game losing streak for Pitt when playing against Louisville in Pittsburgh.

LAST TIME OUT

Sophomore guard Alayna Gribble tied a school record with seven 3-pointers as Pitt earned its first ACC win of the season, 68-62, over (RV) Georgia Tech Sunday afternoon at Petersen Events Center.
Gribble shot 9-of-12 from the field, with 7-of-10 coming from long range for a career-high 29 points.
Redshirt junior forward Yacine Diop contributed 19 points and 10 rebounds for her fifth double-double performance of the season and the 12th of her career.

ALAYNA MAKES IT RAIN

Against (RV) Georgia Tech Sunday, Pittsburgh native Alayna Gribble became the second Panther in program history to make a school-record seven 3-pointers in two or more games for her career.
She tied the record as a freshman last season with seven triples at Syracuse (Feb. 2, 2017).
The only other Panther to tie the record twice was Haley Harguth against Rutgers and Boston College in January 2002.
Gribble and Harguth are two of five Panthers to make a school-record seven threes in a single game, including Abby Dowd (Jan. 14, 2012 – at DePaul), Erin Maloy (Feb. 1, 1992 – vs. Providence) and Lorri Johnson (Feb. 7, 1990 – vs. Seton Hall).
After missing seven games due to a broken nose and concussion suffered in practice after the Panther's trip to Fordham (Dec. 3), Gribble returned to the Panthers' active roster at North Carolina (Jan. 7). She has averaged 13.0 points per game off the bench over three games since her return.

DIOP THRIVING IN THE NEW YEAR

Since the start of 2018, redshirt junior forward Yacine Diop is averaging 20.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, with two double-doubles in four games played.
- In her previous four games, she averaged 7.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
The Dakar, Senegal, native tied a career high with 26 points against Wake Forest in the Panthers' first game of the calendar year (Jan. 4).
Diop is 96 points away from reaching 1,000 for her career. She is on pace to become the 19th 1,000-point scorer in school history, and the first to reach the milestone since Brianna Kiesel did as a junior in 2013-14.

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS

Off to its best start in program history and having secured its highest-ever ranking, No. 2/2 Louisville (19-0, 5-0 ACC) completed a 100-67 domination of then-No. 2 Notre Dame Saturday. Senior Myisha Hines-Allen and junior Asia Durr combined for 67 points, with Durr hitting 8-of-10 from long range.
Durr leads the ACC in scoring (21.1 ppg), 3-point percentage (.500) and 3-pointers made per game (6.4).
Hines-Allen leads the league in overall rebounding (9.8 rpg) and defensive rebounding (6.7).
Louisville leads the ACC in free throw percentage (.762), field goal percentage (.495) and rebounding defense (30.1).

UP NEXT

The Panthers will pay a visit to Syracuse Sunday, Jan. 21, at 2 p.m. inside the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. The game will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra, available on the WatchESPN app.

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