Louisville Cruises Past Calgary in Baha Mar Hoops Summer League Finale

The Cardinals used another complete performance down in the Bahamas to race past the Dinos.

Louisville guard Chucky Hepburn (24) dunks the ball against Calgary / University of Louisville Athletics

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Facing the University of Calgary in their second and final exhibition game as part of the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League, the Louisville men's basketball program was just as overwhelming as they were in their opener, cruising to a 111-71 win Thursday at the Baha Mar Convention, Arts & Entertainment Center.

The matchup was two days removed from a dominant 111-59 victory against Bahamas Select to kick off the Cardinals' summer foreign trip to The Bahamas. It was first true look at Louisville under new head coach Pat Kelsey, who took over the program back in March following the dismissal of Kenny Payne.

While Calgary was certainly a step up in competition from Bahamas Select, Louisville still left little doubt that they were the superior team. Like on Tuesday, the Cardinals continued to display unselfish ball movement on offense plus a relentless half-court pressure on defense, and the Dinos simply had no answer for it.

By game's end, Louisville shot 52.1 percent from the field, and had another heavy emphasis on the three ball, shooting 12-of-31 from long range. After posting an insane 38 assists on Tuesday, the Cardinals assisted on 22 of their 37 made baskets against Calgary, and had just 12 turnovers.

In addition to their proficiency beyond the arc, Louisville was a stiffling presence down low against Calgary. They won the rebounding battle 53-to-25, collected 17 offensive boards for 25 second chance points, and totaled 46 points in the paint.

It might have taken Louisville a little but to get into a groove on the defensive end, but they still put together a great showing on that side of the floor, especially in the second half. They held the Dinos to just 31.0 percent shooting and 8-of-27 on threes, forced 13 turnovers with seven steals, and tallied six blocks.

Even with the Cardinals cracking the century mark, just five players broke double figures, with Kasean Pryor's 20 points leading the team. J'Vonne Hadley came close to a double-double with 13 points and eight rebounds, Chucky Hepburn had a team-high seven assists with eight points, Khani Rooth had a team-high 11 rebounds, and Noah Waterman finished with four blocks along with 10 points.

Just like against Bahamas Select, Louisville got off to a hot start against Calgary. The Cardinals scored the first six points of the game, and thanks mainly to Pryor and Hepburn, lead 17-6 through the first four minutes of the contest.

But unlike Bahamas Select, the Dino actually fought back after the initial blows. They kept pace with the Cardinals' offensive efforts, hitting eight of their first 15 shots of the game. They even gave Louisville a tough go at times defensively, holding them to stretches of four- and five-straight misses during the latter 10 minutes of the half, and forcing seven turnovers in this period.

Eventually, Louisville's defense found their footing, and held Calgary to just 3-of-13 over the half's final eight minutes. Coupled with a three-minute stretch where they shot 7-of-8 to fire off a 13-2 run, and the Cardinals went into halftime holding a 59-38 advantage over the Dinos.

When Louisville returned from the locker room to start the second half, they were firing on all cylinders on both sides of the court. After going back and forth over the first five-plus minutes of the half, the Cardinals exploded for a 20-3 run midway through the period, and never looked back.

In the second half alone, Louisville shot a 18-for-36, while holding Calgary to a paltry 7-of-30. Of the 33 points that the Dinos scored in the second half, 17 of them came from Noah Wharton, who had a team-high 24 points.

Next up, Louisville will return stateside and continue preparing for the upcoming 2024-25 season. Game one under Pat Kelsey is scheduled for Nov. 4 against Morehead State at the KFC Yum! Center.

(Photo of Chucky Hepburn via University of Louisville Athletics)

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