Louisville Handles Kentucky State in First Exhibition Matchup

The Cardinals cruised past the Thorobreds thanks to a dominant outing on the glass and on defense.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Taking the floor against an actual opponent for the first time since the ACC Tournament back in March, the Louisville men's basketball program kicked off exhibition play with a bang, throttling Division II foe Kentucky State 94-45 Friday at the KFC Yum! Center.

The Cardinals shot a respectable 47.5 percent from the floor, but defense and rebounding stole the show. The Thorobreds were held to just 29.5 percent shooting, were out-rebounded 62-28.

Louisville's new-look, fast paced offense was on full display in the exhibition, though work still needs done. The Cardinals made 34 trips to the free throw line and shot an impressive 38.5 percent on three-point attempts, but also turned the ball over 17 times in 78 total possessions.

Jae'Lyn Withers and Samuell Williamson each posted double-doubles, with Withers putting up 14 points and 15 rebounds and Williamson adding 13 and 10. Noah Locke led all scorers with 15 points, while El Ellis and Dre Davis had 12 and 10, respectively.

Louisville didn't shoot particularly well in the first half, going just 11-32 (34.4 percent) during the first twenty minutes, but they dominated in every other facet during this stretch. The defense held KSU to just 5-26 (19.2 percent) from the field, and the Cardinals dominated the glass on both ends of the floor - out-rebounding the Thorobreds 33-14.

The team had to shake off a bit of early rust, but it didn't take long for things to gel. Taking an 11-5 advantage after the first media timeout, Louisville then raced out to a 33-7 run to close the half, taking a 44-12 lead into the half.

In the second half, the offensive attacks for both sides picked up considerably, and defense took a back seat.

Kentucky State doubled their output in both scoring and shooting, putting up 33 points on 13-36 (36.1 percent) from the field. As for Louisville, they shot a blistering 20-35 (57.1 percent), while still winning the rebounding battle by a sizable margin, 29-14.

Next up, Louisville will play their second and final exhibition matchup before the start of the regular season, hosting West Georgia. Tip-off against the Wolves is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 3 at 7:00 p.m. EST.

(Photo of Dre Davis: Cindy Rice Shelton - Louisville Report)

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