How it happened: No. 12 Louisville blasts Ohio 106-81
No. 12 Louisville continued to build off of Tuesday’s momentum with a 106-81 win over Ohio on Saturday afternoon.
A sleepy crowd filled most of the lower bowl of the KFC Yum! Center, but Louisville gave its fans an energetic offensive performance as the Cards eclipsed 100 points for the third time in four games to open the season.
Displaying balance, the Cardinals scored 36 points in the paint, made 16-of-35 (46%) 3-pointers, and got to the foul line for 22 makes.
Ryan Conwell led Louisville in scoring with his second consecutive 20-point performance. The senior totaled 22 points on five 3s, six rebounds, and three assists. His counterpart in the backcourt, five-star freshman Mikel Brown Jr., turned it over just three times and dished out a team-high seven assists and scored 19 points.
Other starters, J’Vonne Hadley, Sananda Fru, and Isaac McKneely, also finished with 10 points, and McKneely had 15 points and six rebounds on four 3s. He flashed his athleticism on both ends, taking a hard angle to the rim and drawing an and-one, as well as rising above the hoop for a block. Twelve of his 15 points came in the first 20 minutes.
The German center, Fru, had 14 points, was perfect from the charity stripe, and provided a block and a pair of assists.
Five Cardinals found themselves in foul trouble following the first half, with Pryor, Conwell, Zougris, Fru, and Rodgers all having two entering the break. Ohio capitalized, making 11-of-15 free throws before halftime, but Louisville entered the locker room with a 59-44 lead.
Off the bench, sophomore guard Adrian Wooley gave a spark and a season-best 11 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes.
Ohio’s Jackson Pavaletzke was a handful and came into the game as head coach Jeff Boals’ leading scorer. He had 28 on 8-of-14 shooting in 37 minutes. The two other Bobcats finished in double figures: Aidan Hadaway (10) and JJ Kelly (11).
Also of note, Louisville scored 26 second-chance points on 17 offensive rebounds and turned it over just 11 times to Ohio’s 17. The Cards scored 27 points off of them.
The Cards move to 4-0 on the season while the Bobcats drop to 1-3.
Pat Kelsey’s Cardinals will get the next five days off as they travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bearcats next Friday night. Tip-off is set for 6:30 PM.
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You can find Isaac McKneely and Kobe Rodgers postgame here.
