Ellis' Game-Winning Layup Waived Off, Louisville Comeback vs. App State Falls Short

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The third time was certainly not the charm for the start of the Kenny Payne era of the Louisville men's basketball program.

After getting upset by both Bellarmine and Wright State to open up the 2022-23 season, the Cardinals followed those two games up with an equally as stunning loss to Appalachian State, with another comeback attempt falling just short in heartbreaking fashion.

Trailing 57-45 with just under seven minutes to go, the Cardinals fired off a 15-4 run fueled almost exclusively by El Ellis to make it a one-point game with 24 seconds to go. After the Mountaineers missed the front end of a one-and-one with Mike James securing the rebound, it gave the Cardinals 11 seconds for one last try.

Ellis drove to the basket as the clock approached double zeroes, getting off a driving layup at the buzzer that appeared to give the Louisville their first win of the season. But upon further review, his layup did not get off in time, with the ball barely touching his fingertips as time expired, handing them a 61-60 loss Monday night at the KFC Yum! Center.

With the loss, it marks the first time since the 1986-87 season that the Cardinals lost their first three games of a season. It's also the first time since the 1940-41 season that they lost their first three home games. All three losses have been by a single point.

Louisville shot 39.1 percent from the floor and 31.8 percent on three-point attempts, compared to 38.1 and 26.3 percent from App State, but the real difference was in how both the Cardinals handled the ball. They committed 18 turnovers to just six assists, with the turnovers leading directly to 20 points. Conversely, the Mountaineers had eight assists to seven turnovers.

While Louisville did win the rebounding battle 42-32, they were otherwise dominated in the post once again, with Appalachian State winning the points in the paint battle 34-18.

Ellis led all scorers with 29 points, matching his career-high that he set in the previous game vs. Wright State. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield also had 12 point and 10 rebound double-double. App State had three scorers hit double figures, led by Donovan Gregory's 16 points.

Things started about as poorly as they could for Louisville on both ends of the court. The Cardinals connected on just three of their first 16 shots of the game, including an 8:10 stretch where they didn't make a field goal, while App State hit 10 of their first 15 shots out of the gates to lead by as much as 16 the first half.

Had it not been for Louisville's 13 trips to the free throw line that resulted in 10 makes, the halftime score would have been a lot worse than 38-25. But it was still a first half in which the Cards shot 26.1 percent from the floor, committed 11 turnovers to three assists, and were out-scored 18-6 in the paint. In fact, the 13-point halftime deficit was the largest in program history for a November home game.

After halftime, Louisville was much more efficient on both ends of the court. They shot 52.2 percent in the second half, while also holding Appalachian State to just 28.1 percent. They also operated with much more visible effort and energy than they did in the previous half.

Unfortunately, they also struggled to sustain momentum prior to their stretch in the final minutes. The Cardinals twice trimmed their deficit to single digits in the first 13 minutes, only for the Mountaineers to answer right back and keep them at arm's reach.

Next up, Louisville will head to Hawaii for a trio of games in the Maui Invitational, starting with Arkansas. Tip-off against the Razorbacks is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 21 at 5:00 p.m. EST.

(Photo of El Ellis, Tyree Boykin: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)

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