Louisville Overcomes Slow Start to Defeat Simmons College in Exhibition Opener

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Taking the floor against an actual opponent for the first time since March, year two of the Kenny Payne era of the Louisville men's basketball program got off on the right foot, overcoming a slow start to take down Simmons College 91-50 in exhibition play Wednesday at the KFC Yum! Center.

The victory marked the Cardinals' first win of any kind since taking down Clemson 83-73 back on Feb. 18 during the 2022-23 regular season. Louisville dropped their final five games last season en route to going 4-28 in their first year under Payne.

The Cardinals collectively shot 53.6 percent from the field and 8-for-19 on three-point attempts, while holding the Falcons - a local HBCU that plays in the NCCAA and is coached by former Louisville captain Tony Branch - to just 31.7 percent and 3-for-22.

Louisville was plagued by stretches of near-constant turnovers, committing 22 by the game's final horn. However, they combated this by dominating on the backboards and at the free throw line. The Cardinals won the rebounding battle 54-to-22, and went 23-for-29 at the charity stripe to the Falcons' 7-for-15.

Four Cardinals scored in double figures, led by a 15-point, five-rebound and three-assist effort from Curtis Williams. Mike James had 13 points and seven boards, Tre White notched 12 points and four rebounds, and J.J. Traynor also had 10 points and six rebounds.

Additionally, Dennis Evans had nine points, nine rebounds and two blocks, while Skyy Clark has eight points and a team-high six assists.

Right out of the gates, Louisville looked extremely disjointed. They turned the ball over on each of their first three possessions, allowing Simmons to take a 5-2 lead over the first three minutes of the game. The Cardinals were able to respond with a 10-0 run, but the inauspicious start set the tone for most of the rest of the first half.

Between committing 12 turnovers in the first 12 minutes and hitting just five of their first 13 field goal attempts, Louisville was unable to generate much distance between them and the Falcons during the middle portion of the half. They maintained just a 20-15 advantage with just under six minutes until halftime.

it was during this closing segment that Louisville finally started clicking on both ends of the court. In the final six minutes of the first half, they hit nine of their 13 field goal attempts, committed no turnovers, and forced Simmons to miss their final nine field goals of the half to go up 44-16 at the break.

Louisville's second half started off almost exactly like their first half. They turned the ball over on their first three possessions and had four in the first 2:15, allowing Simmons to fire off a quick 7-0 run. In fact, during the first five-plus minutes out of the half, the Falcons shot 7-of-9 from the field and out-scored the Cardinals 15-8.

Then from that point on, Louisville played much more poised basketball on both ends of the floor. They connected on 14 of their final 20 shot attempts of the game, held Simmons to just seven for their final 21 shots, and even had a ten-plus minute stretch where they did not commit a turnover.

Next up, Louisville will host Kentucky Wesleyan in their second and final exhibition matchup before the start of the regular season. Tip-off against the Panthers is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 30 at 7:00 p.m. EST.

(Photo of Skyy Clark: Jared Anderson - Louisville Report)

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