Shorthanded Louisville Upset at Western Kentucky

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Eight days after having their ten-game win streak against DePaul snapped, another lengthy win streak fell for the Louisville men's basketball program

Heading down south for the first leg of a two-game in-state road trip, the Cardinals traveled to E.A. Diddle Arena for the first time since 2014, and were upset by Western Kentucky 82-72 Saturday.

It was Louisville's (7-4, 1-0 ACC) first loss to the Hilltoppers (8-4, 0-0 Conference-USA) since a 68-54 decision on Nov. 30, 2008, snapping a nine-game win streak in the series. It was Louisville's first true road loss to WKU since Feb. 3, 1950.

Before tipoff, the odds were stacked against the Cardinals. Prior to the game, a school spokesman told Louisville Report that forward/center Malik Williams - Louisville's leading scorer and rebounder - would not be available against the Hilltoppers.

With Western Kentucky sporting the tallest player in Division I basketball - Jamarion Sharp at 7-foot-5 - this drastically impacted Louisville's game plan. They were forced to takes 36 three-pointers, connecting on 13 of them, and were 14-28 inside the arc - shooting 42.2 percent from the field

Noah Locke led Louisville with 20 points, with Mason Faulkner pouring in 12 and Matt Cross finishing with 10. All five of WKU's starters had double figures, with Camron Justice leading the charge with a game-high 25 points. The Tops were 9-18 on threes for the game, including 9-11 in the first half.

Early on, it looked like it was a blowout in the making. WKU hit four three-pointers in the first five minutes, Louisville started the game shooting 2-12, and the Hilltoppers extended out to an early 20-7 lead.

While Louisville struggled to get their inside game going in the first half, their outside game is what prevented the matchup from being over early. The Cards' next six made baskets were nothing but threes, trimming the deficit to just three at the nine minute mark.

WKU extended their lead back out to 14 with under six minutes to go thanks to their outside game and ability to draw free throws, but Louisville still had fight, keeping the halftime deficit to single digits at 46-37. Both teams connected on nine three-pointers in the first half, with Justice going a perfect 5-5 and Locke going 3-6.

The 'Toppers scored the first four points out of halftime, which was then immediately followed up by a 15-4 run by the Cardinals to get it to a two-point game.

Louisville remained within striking distance of Western Kentucky for the next few minutes, but had trouble getting over the Hill, as the Hilltoppers seemingly had an answer for everything the Cardinals had.

Making matters worse, their shooting then went ice cold down the stretch. They connected on just three of their next 14 shots after making it a two point game, as WKU's lead ballooned to as much as 14 in the final four minutes. The Cardinals showed fight in the closing segment, but by then, it was too little too late.

Next up, Louisville will stay on the road and head to Lexington for the annual rivalry matchup with Kentucky. Tip-off against the Wildcats is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 22 at 6:00 p.m. EST.

(Photo of Noah Locke: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)

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