Louisville Starts Fast, Bounces Back to Defeat Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS - In a ranked matchup of two teams looking to bounce back following their first losses of the season, it was the Louisville men's basketball that got back the win column.

Making the trek up to Indianapolis for a neutral court showdown with Indiana, the Cardinals were able to emerge victorious from Gainbridge Fieldhouse, riding a fast start to knock off the Hoosiers 87-78 on Saturday.

The No. 6 Cardinals (8-1, 0-0 ACC) rebound after losing at Arkansas on Wednesday, which snapped a seven-game win streak to open up the season. Meanwhile, the No. 22 Hoosiers (7-2, 0-1 Big Ten) lose back-to-back after getting upset at Minnesota earlier in the week.

Louisville out-shot Indiana for the game, going 46.3 percent from the field and 13-of-31 on three-point tries, while the Hoosiers were 41.3 percent and 11-of-34, respectively. The Cardinals also added a 24-of-28 mark on free throws compared to 15-of-19 from their opposition.

Five players broke double figures in scoring for Louisville, led by a 21-point outing from Ryan Conwell. J'Vonne Hadley and Isaac McKneely added 15 points a piece, while Sananda Fru and Kobe Rodgers both finished with 12 points. Tucker DeVries led Indiana with 26 points.

Louisville set the tone in this game right from the jump, exploding to a 16-0 lead in the first six minutes of the game. Not only did they connect on six of their first 10 attempts from the field, they forced four Indiana turnovers in the first three minutes while holding them to an 0-for-8 shooting start.

The Cardinals weren't quite as efficient in the final 14 minutes of the half. They committed seven turnovers during this stretch while shooting only 7-of-19, whereas, despite not scoring until the 13:28 mark, the Hoosiers were able to counter with a 10-of-24 showing in this segment. That being said, it was enough to maintain a 41-27 lead at the break.

Louisville scored the first three points of the second half, but Indiana was able to slowly chip into their lead and threaten to come all the way back. A 14-8 stretch by the Hoosiers saw their deficit dip to as little as eight points at the 13:42 mark of the half.

But the Cardinals were able to counter this with a run of their own, firing off a 12-2 run to firmly re-establish control. While IU was able to shoot 16-of-31 in the half and trim this lead to as little as seven points in the final minute, UofL UofL hit 10 of their last 17 shot attempts after opening up the period only 2-of-8 to make sure the comeback would not be completed.

Next up, Louisville has some extra days off, then will return home for another matchup against a longtime rival in Memphis. Tip-off against the Tigers is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 13 at 3:30 p.m. EST.

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