Louisville Takes Down Eastern Michigan to Remain Undefeated

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Returning home for a Monday night matchup against Eastern Michigan, the Louisville men's basketball cruised to a relatively easy victory, capturing a 87-46 decision from the KFC Yum! Center.

The No. 6/5 Cardinals (6-0, 0-0 ACC) continue their undefeated start to year two under head coach Pat Kelsey, winning their first six games in a season for the first time since going 9-0 to start the 2019-20 season.

The offensive showing wasn't quite as efficient at times as we have seen in prior games, but Louisville still finished with a passing grade on that end of the floor. They connected on 48.4 percent of their field goal attempts, and were a blazing 14-of-33 on three point tries. While their 18 assists were their second-fewest so far this year, their eight turnovers were also their second-fewest.

Defensively, the Cardinals passed with flying colors. They held Eastern Michigan to a paltry 28.1 percent from the floor - which was UofL's second-lowest opponent field goal percentage so far this season. EMU was also held to 2-of-15 on threes, and UofL forced 13 turnovers - resulting in 20 points off of them.

Isaac McKneely led Louisville in scoring with a 17-point effort, while Mikel Brown Jr. added 11 points. Aly Khalifa stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, six rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Kasean Pryor did not play due to concussion protocol.

Eastern Michigan might have struck first, but it was Louisville who set the tone early. Despite their own shooting struggles, the Cardinals went on a 19-2 run after the Eagles scored the opening bucket, and held them to just 6-of-31 shooting in the first half alone.

Following their own 7-of-18 shooting start to the game, this area got very streaky for UofL. They missed five straight, made four in a row, then missed five more to end the half. Still, could their efforts on defense, and that was enough to take a 33-17 lead into halftime.

In the second half, Louisville was much more efficient on the offensive end on the floor, shooting 19-of-30 during this period. Add in the fact that they held Eastern Michigan to just three for their first 11 in the period, and UofL started the half on a 24-8 run to lead by 34 with just over 12 minutes left. They held EMU to just 10-of-26 from the field in the second half, and led by as much as 41.

Next up, Louisville will stay at home, but have a short turnaround against NJIT. Tip-off against the Highlanders is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 9:00 p.m. EST.

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