No. 11 Louisville used a dominant performance to take care of business versus Morehead State in a 50-point win. The Cardinals overcame a rough start to overwhelm the Eagles in a lopsided affair.

The First Half:

Morehead State began the game on a 9-2 run in the first 3:39. At the first media timeout, the Cardinals had 3 turnovers, were 2-6 shooting (compared to Morehead’s 4-7) and forced no turnovers. Louisville outscored Morehead by 20 after this point, including a 10-0 run in the middle of the half to lead by 13 at the break.

The Cards went to the half 17-29 from the field, 6-15 from 3, with nearly half of its points coming from off the bench. Karter Knox led all Cards in first-half scoring with 9 points.

The Second Half:

Morehead State started the first half hot, leaving the Louisville offense with some catching up to do. Monday versus Chattanooga, Louisville was outscored in the second half, only making 5 field goals in the final 13:33 of the game. This time, Louisville put and held their foot to the gas pedal.

Over the first 12:21 of the second half, Louisville got off to a red hot 37-2 run. During that stretch, the Cards made 13 baskets, 6 of which were 3s, while Morehead State was just 1/19 from the field. From that point, the Eagles finished the half 7/11.

The Cardinals used this avalanche of scoring and defense to win by 50 and cross the century mark on the scoreboard. Louisville shot 20-40 from the field in the second half to Morehead State’s 8-30 mark. The Cards only turned the ball over twice and capitalized on the offensive glass with 24 second-chance points.

Game Totals:

Louisville finished 54% from the field compared to Morehead State’s 33% and shot 13-38 from beyond the arc. The Cards dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Eagles 59-23. The +36 rebounding margin ranks as the third-largest in program history (Kelly Dickey).

Player of the Game:

It was a relatively balanced game for the Cardinals, with all players getting a bucket and 7 scoring double digits. However, the clear star of the game was Obinna Ekezie Jr. The freshman had a loud performance, scoring 20 points and bringing down 13 boards. Ekezie made history by becoming the first freshman sub with 20+ points and 10+ rebounds for Louisville since Wesley Cox in 1973. He finished the game 8-12 from the field and 3-6 from 3.

Final Thoughts:

The Cardinals seemed to still be in their slump from Monday night early against the Eagles and were in a battle for the first 10 minutes. However, Louisville was able to squash those concerns by taking a 13-point lead to the locker room and later ballooning that to 50. Coach Kelsey will want to see a complete 40 minutes, but you can’t complain with how Louisville took control of the game and ran away with it.

Next is the first test of the season: Memphis on the road. Louisville will need to be on their A-game for a team that has already knocked off a ranked squad. Tip-off is Sunday Nov. 15 at 1:00 p.m. on ESPN.