CRAWFORD | Elite Again! Van Lith, Engstler, propel Louisville past Tennessee

WICHITA, Kan. (WDRB) – The University of Louisville women's basketball team used quickness, defense, and a double dose of Hailey Van Lith and Emily Engstler magic to put away Tennessee 76-64 to advance to the Elite Eight on Saturday afternoon.

Engstler had 12 first-half points and 20 points and 10 rebounds for the game to lead the top-seeded Cardinals against a much bigger Tennessee team, while Van Lith finished with a game-high 23 points, including 8 in the fourth quarter.

Van Lith and Engstler combined for 16 of Louisville's fourth-quarter points.

Louisville bothered the Vols early with full-court pressure, and used switching defenses in the half-court to give Tennessee problems throughout the first half. Louisville led by as many as 14, but wound up leading by just 9.

Tennessee scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to cut its deficit to 2, but Louisville responded with an 8-0 run and Tennessee never got within 5 points the rest of the way.

Tennessee out rebounded Louisville 52-36, but the Cardinals outscored the Vols 21-6 off turnovers and yielded only a 13-12 discrepancy in second-chance points.

Louisville will play for a chance to advance to its fourth Final Four on Monday night at 9 p.m. against either South Dakota or Michigan.