No. 3 Louisville holds off No. 16 Georgia Tech

No. 3 Louisville bounced back from a three-point first quarter to down No. 16 Georgia Tech 50-48 on Sunday.

Emily Engstler fired the game-winning basket, putting Louisville up two with 3.3 seconds on the clock, capping off an 8-1 fourth-quarter Cardinals run.

Emily Engstler to the rescue! #3 @UofLWBB comes back late to beat Georgia Tech thanks to Engstler’s winner. pic.twitter.com/mrzP4XRsV5

— Her Hoop Stats (@herhoopstats) January 2, 2022

The Cardinals got off to a slow start, finishing the first quarter with a season-low 3 points. The second quarter was slightly more fruitful for Louisville, tying things up 20-20 heading into halftime. Both teams’ offenses struggled, shooting at or below 30 percent throughout the opening two quarters.

Lorela Cubaj led the charge for Georgia Tech, notching 12 points and 16 rebounds for a double-double. The senior’s impressive performance, however, was not enough to keep the Yellow Jackets out in front, with Engstler and Hailey Van Lith executing a series of clutch plays down the stretch.

HVL is CLUTCH‼️

Watch @espn: https://t.co/UdmwxtQUVX#GoCards pic.twitter.com/qY1lt9s49D

— Louisville WBB (@UofLWBB) January 2, 2022

Van Lith ended the game with seven points, four rebounds and three steals, while Engstler put up 14 points, four rebounds and two steals.

Louisville improves to 12-1 on the season, while Georgia Tech falls to 10-3.