Louisville Shocked by DePaul, Win Streak vs. Blue Devils Snapped

It was the Cardinals' first loss in the long-time series since 2004.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - All good things must come to an end, even if timing is less than ideal.

In the midst of a whirlwind week for the university from an administrative standpoint, the Louisville men's basketball program was not exempt from the madness, as they were upset by DePaul 62-55 at the KFC Yum! Center Friday night.

It was the Cardinals' (6-3, 1-0 ACC) first loss to the Blue Demons (8-1, 0-0 Big East) since a 60-58 decision in overtime on Feb. 25, 2004, snapping a ten game win streak in the 60-game series, which dates back to 1957. It was their first home loss decided in regulation to DePaul since 1986.

Neither team shot well, with Louisville going 31.1 percent from the field, DePaul shooting 36.4 percent, and both teams shooting around 21 percent on three-point attempts. The Cardinals only made three trips to the free throw line, making two, while the Blue Demons were 8-15 at the charity stripe.

DePaul's David Jones was the star of the show, finishing with 33 points and 14 rebounds - with 23 and eight coming in the second half. Louisville's Malik Williams finished with a career-high 22 points and eight rebounds, while Matt Cross - in his first collegiate start - had 11 points.

Early on, it looked like a Louisville blowout in the making. The Cardinals had crisp ball movement on offense, were extremely active on defense, resulting in them extending out to a 15-6 lead seven minutes into the game.

But then, almost inexplicably, Louisville's offense went ice cold. After opening up the game shooting 7-13, they then proceeded to make just two of their next 22 field goal attempts - including a seven minute-plus scoreless stretch - leading to a 20-2 run by DePaul.

Fortunately, while the offense came and went, the defense remained consistent, as the Blue Demons were held to just 30.3 percent from the field in the opening half while turning it over ten times. The Louisville offense eventually found life to close the half, firing off 12-0 run on four straight makes in the final two minutes to somehow take a 29-26 lead into the locker room.

Louisville got their lead up to as much as nine in the opening minutes of the second half, but not only did DePaul battle right back, they took control. From that moment, the Blue Demons then went on a 30-12 run - thanks almost exclusively to Jones - to lead by as much as eight with 2:45 left.

They were able to trim the deficit to as little as three with 1:21 left, but cold shooting continued to hold down the Cardinals. They went just 2-13 in the final five minutes, including missing both attempts int he final minute.

Next up, Louisville will conclude their brief home-stand with a matchup against Southeastern Louisiana. Tip-off against the Lions is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 14 at 6:00 p.m. EST.

(Photo of Courvoisier McCauley, Jarrod West: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports)

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