WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HOSTS NCAA NATIONAL RUNNER-UP LOUISVILLE

DURHAM, N.H. - The University of New Hampshire women's basketball team will take on 2009 NCAA National Runner-up University of Louisville on Tuesday Dec. 22 at Lundholm Gymnasium at 7 p.m.

The meeting between the two squads will mark the second meeting all-time between both teams, with the last matchup coming on Dec. 30, 2008. In that game, the then 10th ranked Cardinals got the best of the Wildcats, earning an 82-40 victory in the final game of the Downtown Marriott Cardinal Classic at Louisville's Freedom Hall.

New Hampshire is fresh off an 80-72 victory over Holy Cross College on Sunday afternoon at Lundholm Gymnasium. The 80-point output by the ‘Cats is the largest point total posted by UNH since it notched 85 points against UMBC on Jan. 10, 2009.

The Wildcats caught fire late in the contest, outscoring Holy Cross 47 to 35 in the second stanza, posting an impressive .615 percent shooting clip from the floor during the frame. With the win UNH improved to 4-5 overall and is 4-1 at Lundholm Gymnasium, while Holy Cross fell to 3-8.

Amy Simpson (Waterford, Conn.) was one of five Wildcats to score in double-figures, recording 10 points and a career-high 11 assists, along with two blocks and two steals. Denise Beliveau (Framingham, Mass.) led all scorers with 20 points and was followed by Jill McDonald (Middlebury, Vt.; 18 points, six rebounds), Candace Williams (Norfolk, Mass.; 15 points, nine rebounds) and Racheal Fowler (Glassboro, N.J.; 10 points)

As for Louisville, they are coming off a 101-67 loss to the University of Kentucky on Sunday afternoon at Memorial Coliseum. With the loss, Louisville falls to 6-5 on the season, while Kentucky improves to 10-0. Becky Burke led the way for the Cardinals with 21 points, while Monique Reid chipped in recording her third double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

The loss is Louisville's third in the last four games, falling to Middle Tennessee State and Tennessee during the stretch. The Cardinals kicked off the season earning wins in four of their first five games of the year. On the season, Burke leads the Cardinals with 16.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Reid adds 14.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.

The "Jam the Gym" game will broadcast live on the Wildcat Sports Radio Network. Links to live audio and video, as well as live stats, will be available at www.UNHWildcats.com.

Tickets for the game will be sold at the box office in the UNH Field House lobby and are $3 each.