BC Travels to No. 2/3 Louisville for Road Matchup

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - The Boston College women's basketball team will face No. 2/3 Louisville in the first ACC road game of the season on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the KFC Yum! Center.

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About the Eagles
Last Time Out
The Eagles dismantled Sacred Heart in a 97-68 victory Last Tuesday. Five players scored in double figures while 11 of 12 players who saw action scored. Taylor Soule recorded her fifth, 20-point outing of the season with a game-high 22 points. Maria Gakdeng poured in a personal-high 17 points on 7-of-7 shooting. She added added six rebounds, tied a personal high with four assists and blocked three shots. BC started the game by scoring the first 11 points of the contest and a 19-2 start to set the tone for the rest of the game. Soule and Gakdeng scored all 19 points (12 by Soule) and hit BC's first eight shot attempts. BC led 27-12 after the first quarter thanks in large part to 75 percent shooting from the field.

ACC Freshman of the Week
Gakdeng is the first Eagle to earn a weekly conference honor this season, while she is the first freshman since 2018-19 (Makayla Dickens) to collect the award.
Her 7-of-7 outing is the second-highest baskets made without a miss among ACC games. Gakdeng is one of three true freshmen across the country to post at least 15 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three blocks in a game this season.

A Win Would
• Improve the Eagles' record to 9-3.
• Move to .500 in ACC play.
• Give BC a 3-2 record on the road.
• Hand Louisville its first home loss of the season.
• Snap a 10-game skid against the Cardinals.
• Snap Louisville's 10-game win streak.

By the Numbers
2 - Marnelle Garraud is one of two players (Teisha Hyman - Syracuse) to rank in the top 5 in both steals and assists.
5 - The Eagles are one of five schools in the nation to have multiple players with at least 300 assists (Marnelle Garraud/Makayla Dickens)
16 - BC is 7-1 this season when it shoots 16 or more free throws.
48.7 - The Eagles' 48.7 percent shooting from the field is third in the country and first in the ACC.
80 - BC is one of two teams (Northeastern) in the country to shoot at least 80 percent from inside the arc.

What to Watch for
- The Eagles are assisting on 69.2 percent of their baskets in their eight wins this season. Watch if they can continue to move the ball for easy opportunities.
- Gakdeng is averaging 14 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 blocks, and shooting 85.7 percent (12-14 FG/FGA) from the floor. Watch if she can continue her solid play.
- Soule is averaging 18.8 points per game, 5.0 rebounds, and shooting 53.8 percent from the field in road games this season. Watch if the senior can keep up her success on the road.
- Watch if the Eagles can protect the rock as they are averaging 21.6 turnovers over the past five games. UofL has forced at least 20 miscues in six of 11 games.
- See if the defense can force Louisville to miss tough shots, as the Cardinals shot a season-low 28.6 percent in its lone loss to Arizona. The Cardinals are shooting 47.2 percent from the floor in their wins.

Scouting Louisville
- Louisville is riding a 10-game win streak going into Thursday's contest.
- The third-ranked Cardinals topped a then-No. 6 UConn in the Women's Hall of Fame Showcase, 69-64.
- Kianna Smith and Hailey Van Lith each scored 16 points to pace the offense.
- Smith (12.6 ppg) and Van Lith (11.3 ppg) lead the team in scoring.
- Engstler is pulling down a team-high 7.0 rebounds per game, while Chelsie Hall and Mykasa Robinson are dishing out a team-best 2.3 assists per game.
- The Cardinals are one of the top defensive scoring teams in the country, allowing the third-fewest points in the country (48.3).
- UofL is second in the country, limiting its foes to only 69.2 points per 100 possessions.

Series History
Boston College is 1-10 in the all-time series with the Cardinals on a 10-game win streak in the series. The Eagles' lone win came in the 1985-86 season.

What's Next
The Eagles' game on Sunday against Pitt has been postponed to Tuesday, Feb. 15. The next matchup for BC will be next Thursday, Jan. 6 at home against Syracuse. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

BC Travels to No. 2/3 Louisville for Road Matchup

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Players Mentioned

Makayla Dickens

Maria Gakdeng

Marnelle Garraud

Taylor Soule