What Louisville HC Pat Kelsey, SG Ryan Conwell Said After 74-64 Win vs. Cincinnati

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The 101st all-time meeting between the Louisville and Cincinnati men's basketball programs belongs to the Cardinals.

Facing off in a neutral-court showdown at Heritage Bank Arena in downtown Cincinnati, UofL came out on top in a defensive slugfest with UC, earning a hard-fought 74-64 victory on Friday night.

"The first half, they were the aggressor. They were the more physical team. It was the battle of two teams that really thrive in transition, and I thought they got the better of us. In the first half, we talked so much about transition, rebounding, physicality and toughness. Those four things we harped on a lot. I thought we were 0-for-4 on those in the first half, but our guys responded."

Louisville found themselves trailing 15-4 in the first seven minutes and 32-28 at halftime, but out-scored Cincinnati 46-32 in the second half. While UofL shot it just 37.5 percent from the floor, they held UC to just 27.1 percent, and out-rebounded them 41-to-38 - including 23-to-14 in the second half.

Ryan Conwell and Mikel Brown Jr. combined for over half of Louisville's points in the showdown. Conwell finished with 25 points and five rebounds, while Brown added 22 points, six assists, five boards and three steals.

"Going into halftime, we made an emphasis of just being us: which is a physical, fast playing team," guard Ryan Conwell said. "We do the little things. Just coming out, as one of the leaders, I know I had to be part of setting that tone and bringing that energy. That's just what I tried to do, and just lean on energy from my teammates as well."

Here's what head coach Pat Kelsey and shooting guard Ryan Conwell had to say following the win:

What Louisville HC Pat Kelsey, SG Ryan Conwell Said After 74-64 Win vs. Cincinnati

Head Coach Pat Kelsey and Shooting Guard Ryan Conwell

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