History was not on the Syracuse Orange women’s basketball team’s (10-3, 1-1) side entering its Thursday night matchup versus the ACC preseason favorite Louisville Cardinals (11-4, 2-0). The Orange hadn’t beaten the Cardinals on the road dating back to 2010, with Louisville entering the game having won 11 straight home games versus the ACC.
Despite a season-high 27 points from Syracuse’s Teisha Hyman, Louisville’s 16-4 run in the third quarter put the Cardinals ahead as much as 18 points, and the Orange’s late-game comeback fell short in an 86-77 loss on the road.
It was an intense game right from tip-off, with both teams fighting hard in what felt like a postseason environment.