LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Taking the floor of the KFC Yum! Center against an actual opponent for the first time since March, the Pat Kelsey era of the Louisville men’s basketball program got off on the right foot, taking down Division II foe Young Harris College 106-59 in exhibition play on Monday.
Just like in the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League this past summer, where we got our first true look at what a Kelsey-coached Louisville team would look like, the Cardinals were an overwhelming presence against the Mountain Lions. The decisive ball movement on offense and high-octane defensive intensity, like what we saw in The Bahamas, was clear for the majority of the evening.
Louisville connected on 51.3 percent of their field goal attempts, including a white-hot 24-of-56 mark on three point attempts. Additionally, they assisted on 27 of their 40 made baskets while only committing 11 turnovers, and scored 31 second chance points off of 16 offensive rebounds (44 total).
The Cardinals’ defensive execution was up and down at times, but they still held Young Harris to only 37.3 percent from the field, and 5-of-18 on threes. The Mountain Lions’ main area of success was down low, scoring 32 of their points in the paint, while snagging 12 offensive boards (34 total).
Louisville was led primarily by Terrence Edwards Jr. and Reyne Smith, who scored 24 and 20 points, respectively. The only other Cardinal to crack double figures scoring with Noah Waterman with 13 points. 11 Cardinals scored on the evening, with eight of them hitting at least one three-pointer.
Louisville wasted zero time establishing their dominance, getting off to a 10-0 start right out of the gate. While they connected on just three of their first nine attempts, they held Young Harris to just 3-of-12 over the first 12 minutes of the contest.
The Mountain Lions were able to gain a little bit of offensive momentum for the rest of the first half, but at that point, the Cardinals had found their stride and ran with it. They hit 17 of their final 35 shot attempts of the half, most of which were threes, including a 9-of-11 stretch to close the half on an 18-3 scoring run and head into the half with a 63-27 advantage.
Louisville did get a tiny bit sloppy to open up the second half. They hit just four of their first 11 shots of the half, while Young Harris made five of their first eight, allowing the Mountain Lions to score 10 of the first 19 points after halftime.
Even with the sloppy start, the Cardinals’s lead never dipped below 35, allowing them to coast to the finish line. Louisville still connected on 47.1 percent of their field goals in this half, while holding Young Harris to 33.3 percent.
Next up, Louisville will host Spalding in their second and final exhibition matchup before the start of the regular season. Tip-off against the Eagles is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 28 at 7:00 p.m. EST.
(Photo of Aboubacar Traore via University of Louisville Athletics)
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