On a night where seemingly every shot was going in the bucket, Louisville got out to an early lead and coasted to a 91-62 win over Indiana State on Wednesday, improving its overall record to 3-0.
For the third time this season, Jordan Nwora was the Cards’ leading scorer. The ACC preseason player of the year posted 21 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in only 26 minutes. Dwayne Sutton contributed 14 points and 10 boards, with Samuell Williamson (15 points) and Fresh Kimble (13) joining the two in double figures.
It was a one man show for Indiana State; Tyreke Key finished as the Sycamore’s lone double figure scorer at 20. Louisville out rebounded ISU 42-21 and only 10 of the visitor’s field goals were assisted. The only bright spot for Indiana State was accumulating 7 steals while forcing 15 turnovers.
Louisville led by as many as 22 in the first half and went into the break up 47-26. The Sycamores cut the gap to 11 with a 14-2 run, but the Cardinals blew it wide open with a 22-5 run of their own and cruised from there.
The big takeaway from tonight’s game is the play of Fresh Kimble. He did not score on Sunday and had 6 points in the opener at Miami. Tonight, he had a stat line of 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists on 5-6 shooting. He also only had one turnover. Kimble had looked like someone who was struggling to adjust to his new team. He played 26 minutes tonight after only playing 18 per game to start the season. He not only played well, but he looked comfortable and was a big part of Louisville extending its lead midway through the second half. By now, you’ve heard about Louisville’s uncertainty at the point guard spot. Darius Perry had his impressive game on Sunday and Kimble took his turn tonight. Two games against mid major competition certainly do not erase those concerns, but you feel a little better about that position with David Johnson still out for a few more games.
Aidan Igiehon played 11 minutes without fouling and made his first two buckets in a Cardinal uniform. Josh Nickelberry hit two free throws, but it was refreshing to see him play with confidence and attempt a shot for the first time. He finished 0-3 from the field with 1 rebound.
Highlights from the Cards 91-62 win over Indiana State.#GoCards pic.twitter.com/9XsQQ3kRWt
— Louisville Basketball (@LouisvilleMBB) November 14, 2019
This game was never really in doubt for Louisville. It got what its come to expect from the major contributors, and a few bench players showed some encouraging signs of growth. It can be hard to keep getting up for some of these “buy games,” but Louisville has not shown any mercy on the lower tier opponents so far. There is still a couple weeks before we will see this team face some tougher competition, but all they can do is take care of business against the teams on the schedule. That is exactly what they’ve done thus far.
Up Next: Louisville remains home on Sunday for a 5:00 p.m. tilt with North Carolina Central on ACC Network.
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