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RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University women’s basketball team will play its first true road game of the 2012-13 season on Wednesday night when the Lady Colonels face the No.6/7 Louisville Cardinals at 7:30 p.m. at the KFC Yum! Center.

EKU (3-2) opened the season with three straight home wins over Miami (Ohio), Kent State and UNC Asheville; however, the Lady Colonels lost a pair of games to Florida State and Wisconsin-Milwaukee at the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico over Thanksgiving Break.

Senior Brittany Coles led EKU in Puerto Rico, recording 11 points and five rebounds against FSU while notching 12 points, nine rebounds and three assists against Milwaukee. A three-pointer by Coles against Milwaukee gave her 100 for her career and etched her name in EKU’s career top-10 list in that category. Senior Jalisa Bryant also produced a noteworthy game against Milwaukee, burying three three-pointers and finishing with a career-high 15 points.

Seniors Jade Barber and Alex Jones have combined to create a formidable paint presence for the Lady Colonels early in the season. Barber ranks 19th in the country with 11.4 rebounds per game, while Jones, who ranks fifth on EKU’s all-time rebounding list, is currently averaging 6.8 rebounds per game. EKU, as a team, holds a +2.5 rebounding margin advantage over Louisville heading into Wednesday’s showdown.

With Barber and Jones leading the way, EKU also ranks 24th in the country in blocked shots per game (5.8).

Louisville (7-0), which went on the road and defeated OVC West favorite UT Martin, 79-61, on Monday, enters the week ranked No. 6 in the USA Today/ESPN WBCA Coaches Poll and No. 7 in the Associated Press Poll. Shoni Schimmel leads the team in scoring and assists with 13.4 points and 4.9 assists per game. Sara Hammond, the 2011 Kentucky Miss Basketball, leads the team in rebounding with 8.3 boards per game. Hammond also ranks second on the team in scoring with 11.3 points per game.

EKU is 13-18 all-time against Louisville, with the Lady Colonels’ last win over the Cardinals coming on Dec. 15, 1990 at McBrayer Arena. Louisville McBrayer for the first time since that defeat last year on Nov. 11 and, despite trailing by one point at halftime, defeated the upset-minded Lady Colonels, 77-53. Jones nearly posted a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds in that meeting.

Following Wednesday’s game, EKU returns to action this weekend when the Lady Colonels host Presbyterian College, Marshall and Jackson State in the Comfort Suites Invitational at McBrayer Arena.