Louisville Cruises Past Evansville in Season-Opener
(Photo of David Johnson, Chris Mack: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Taking the court for the first time in 263 days, the Louisville men's basketball program opened up the 2020-21 season Wednesday with an 79-44 rout of Evansville at the KFC Yum! Center.
The Cardinals started out sloppy in the game's opening minutes, but quickly started to put distance between them and the Purple Aces. While tied 5-5, Louisville exploded midway through the first half and went on a 14-0 scoring run while forcing Evansville to miss 14 consecutive field goals.
They never looked back, possessing complete control of the game up until the moment the walk-ons were inserted.
In the end, Louisville finished the contest shooting 58.5% from the field, 37.5% from three-point range and assisting on 19 of their 31 field goal attempts.
As efficient as the offense was, the defense was arguably the star of the show. Evansville shot 29.8% from the field, and averaged just 0.721 points per possession.
The Cards hammered the Purple Aces on the glass as well, out-rebounding them 46-18.
Carlik Jones, a graduate transfer guard from Radford, had a strong debut as a Cardinal. He finished just shy of a triple-double with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists, leading the team in all three categories.
Forward Samuell Williamson also had a solid performance, as the sophomore and former McDonalds All-American had 17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.
Four Cards finished in double digits, with freshman forward JJ Traynor & sophomore forward Quinn Slazinski scoring 11 & 10, respectively.
The game was the second of the Wade Houston Tipoff Classic, a nine-team event held inside a 'bubble' between the KFC Yum! Center & the adjacent Galt House. Little Rock defeated Prairie View A&M 71-66 just before the Cards & Aces took the floor.
Next up for Louisville, they will participate in their second of two designated Wade Houston Tipoff Classic games, taking on the Seton Hall Pirates at the KFC Yum! Center. Tipoff is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 29th at 4:00pm EST on ESPN2.
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