Basketball
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Louisville men’s basketball program didn’t have to wait very long to get back in the win column.
Just three days removed from suffering their first loss of the season at Arkansas, the Cardinals put together a strong showing in a ranked neutral court matchup with Indiana, cruising to an 87-78 win at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
“I thought it was a big-time college basketball game in a big-time environment and big-time venue,” head coach Pat Kelsey said. “This is an unbelievably exciting day in the city, with, obviously, the championship game in football tonight. And this game. There’s a buzz in the city, and there was a buzz tonight.”
Louisville got off to an explosive start to the afternoon, firing off a 16-0 run in the first six minutes of the game, with Indiana not scoring until the 13:28 mark. The Hoosiers were able to trim this deficit to single digits a couple times in the second half, including all the way down to seven with 33 seconds left, but the Cardinals made more than enough winning plays down the stretch to win in somewhat comfortable fashion.
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. The convincing win came in spite of a “down” performance from star freshman Mikel Brown, who shot 2-of-8 for nine points and three assists.
“(Indiana)’s a bear to prepare for,” Kelsey said. “They force you to be on it, on the defensive end, your communication, your urgency, you can’t relax at any second. I thought for the most part, our guys did that. After a really tough loss the other day against Arkansas, we just kept preaching the response. Two examples (Ryan Conwell and J’Vonne Hadley) of very, very mature upperclassmen, professional guys that approached the last two days the right way with the rest of their teammates, we were able to bounce back and get a big win here tonight.”
Here’s what head coach Pat Kelsey, guard Ryan Conwell and guard/forward J’Vonne Hadley had to say following the win:
Head Coach Pat Kelsey, Guard Ryan Conwell and Guard/Forward J’Vonne Hadley
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(Photo of Pat Kelsey: Jamie Rhodes – Imagn Images)
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