Cincinnati Series History: On March 21, 1959, Cincinnati defeated Louisville 98-85 in the NCAA Final Four consolation game in the second of four Final Fours played in Freedom Hall.

Series History

All-Time Record: Louisville 47, Cincinnati 37
*C-USA Tournament
+Metro Tournament
#NCAA Midwest Regional (Las Cruses, NM)
@NCAA Final Four Consolation (Louisville, KY)

Date: March 11, 2004	Score: Cincinnati 64, Louisville 62
Leading Scorers: U of L: Francisco Garcia (28) Cincinnati: Jason Maxiell (15)
This U of L team has lost more close games than it seems possible to remember. With the exception of the blowout against TCU, the Cards have had a chance to win every game they've lost...including a three-point shot at the buzzer that would have given the Cards a win over C-USA tourney host Cincinnati. As it is, the Cards drop another heart-breaker, and lose in the quarterfinals. It was a case of not having as much of a balanced attack as is needed against top competition in March. Francisco Garcia led U of L in scoring for the seventh straight game, and for the second straight game against the Bearcats, set a new career-high in scoring, this time leading all scorers with 28 points on 10-14 shooting. It was U of L's fourth straight loss that came down to overtime or the final possession.
Garcia, whose mother was in the stands for the C-USA tourney games, scored eight points the first four and a half minutes. U of L scored on seven of its first 10 possessions, using an early 12-2 run to build an impressive 15-4 lead. But when Garcia went to the bench with two fouls midway through the first half, the Bearcats came back. UC's Tony Bobbitt scored five quick points off the bench, but he too got into foul trouble and had to sit. The Cards missed 11 straight shots at one point, and endured a stretch of 9:13 without scoring. UC went on a 12-0 run to turn a 19-11 Cardinal lead into a 23-19 Bearcat advantage. Fortunately for the Cards, it wasn't worse. A late Nate Daniels three-pointer gave the Cards a 25-23 halftime lead.
As usual, what felled the Cards was the inability to rebound. The Bearcats had 10 second-chance points in the first 11 minutes of the second half, and shot a blistering 56% from the field in the second period. A three-pointer by UC's Nick Williams put the Bearcats up 48-43 with 8:34 left; UC then went up 50-43. Another three, this one by Field Williams, put Cincinnati up 58-53 with just 4:06 left. But it was Garcia to the rescue for U of L, as he scored 10 of 13 Cardinal points in one stretch to keep the Cards close.
With 1:13 left, Taquan Dean was able to force a five-second violation on UC's Armein Kirkland. On the next possession, goaltending was called on Jason Maxiell for touching Taquan Dean's lay-up in the cylinder; that tied the game at 62 with 48.7 seconds left. After Kendall Dartez knocked the ball loose, Bobbitt came up with the ball and called timeout with 25.9 seconds left, and 13 seconds on the shot clock. Kirkland then made a short bank shot to put UC up 64-62 with 16.9 seconds left. The Cards did not call timeout, and with Garcia double-teamed, he fed the ball to Taquan Dean on the right-wing. Dean's three-point attempt did not even hit rim as time expired. For the game, Dean was 1-8 from three-point range. For U of L, Luke Whitehead had 12 points and eight rebounds, though they received very little support from other players. The Cards shot 35.8% for the game, while UC made 48.9%, the best of any Cardinal opponent all season.

Date: February 21, 2004	Score: Cincinnati 66, Louisville 61 (OT)
Leading Scorers: U of L: Francisco Garcia (27) Cincinnati: Field Williams (18)
The Cards rebounded from their humiliating loss at TCU by dropping an overtime heartbreaker at Cincinnati to split the season-series with the Bearcats. Although the Cards have now lost three in a row and five of their last six, at least they know they have a healthy Francisco Garcia, who scored a career-high 27 points and had seven assists, and some confidence going into the last four games of the regular season. The loss ends any hopes of a C-USA regular season title, and may have cost the Cards a chance of getting a bye in the C-USA tourney. Although Garcia was back to form, starting forward Luke Whitehead sat out the game with a sprained ankle, and his absence hurt U of L on the glass. U of L followed up its worst first half of the year at TCU with an even worse one against UC: the Cards scored only 15 points in the first half and were down 20-15 at the break.
U of L trailed 28-20 when Garcia caught fire and returned to his former self. He scored U of L's next 10 points, then had back-to-back assists. Taquan Dean also helped keep U of L close, scoring 11 points and pulling down a team-high nine rebounds on the defensive end. But his injured groin was bothering him, and at the end of the game Dean was used only on offense. Otis George started in place of Whithead, and had eight points, six rebounds and three assists. Larry O'Bannon, who led U of L in scoring in its last four games, had only six points plus six rebounds while shooting only 1-10, and he and Dean combined for no assists and eight turnovers. Kendall Dartez had only two points and one rebound before fouling out with four minutes left in regulation.
Nate Daniels hit a long three-pointer to put the Cards up 54-52 with 16.7 seconds left. After a UC timeout, the Bearcats swung the ball to Field Williams, who led UC with 18 points. He drained a shot with his foot on the three-point line that tied the game with only .2 seconds left to send the contest into overtime. In the extra period, both teams struggled in the first few minutes; the Cards then took a 58-56 lead with 2:24 left. But UC took over on the glass. Jason Maxiell scored on a putback and was fouled. He missed the shot, but the Bearcats' Eric Hicks got the rebound and was fouled as well, and he made one of his two shots. A missed three-pointer by Daniels was followed by a long three by Cincinnati's Tony Bobbitt to put UC up 62-58, and the Cards never responded. The Bearcats scored on each of their last five final possessions. For Cincinnati, Hicks had 10 points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots. The Cards held UC to only 35% shooting, and rebounded from their poor first half to shoot 54% after halftime. It was only the second time in the 83-game series that UC and U of L went into overtime.

Date: January 21, 2004	Score: Louisville 93, Cincinnati 66
Leading Scorers: U of L: Taquan Dean (21) Cincinnati: Jason Maxiell (14)
The Cards took on conference rival and #6-ranked Cincinnati - and came away with a victory no one would have predicted. The Cards' 93-66 triumph matched the worst loss of Cincinnati Coach Bob Huggins' tenure with the Bearcats, and was the largest margin of victory ever for Louisville over Cincinnati. It was a game featuring two top-ten teams, and was played in front of the second largest crowd ever at Freedom Hall (20,079). Playing with a strained groin, Taquan Dean led all scorers with 21 points, and also grabbed seven rebounds while not committing a single turnover. Dean finished 7-14 from the field, including 5-10 from three-point range.
UC started the game 4-6 from the field, and U of L opened up 4-7 to get the game going with an electric pace. A three by UC's Tony Bobbitt with 15:42 left in the first half ignited a 9-0 Bearcat run that gave Cincinnati a 19-12 lead. But a 13-2 Cardinal run, fueled by nine points from Francisco Garcia, pulled U of L back in front. U of L went up by five, but another three from Bobbitt gave the Bearcats a 33-31 lead with 5:41 left until halftime. But U of L held UC to only two field goals the rest of the half, and led at the break 44-40. UC committed seven fouls in the first four minutes of the second half, allowing the Cards to score six straight to take a 54-48 lead with 13:37 left. The Cards held a 63-52 lead at the 10:35 mark, then sealed the game with a 15-2 run.
Dean hit a three with 8:18 left to put the Cards up 70-54, and another three by Dean one minute later gave the Cards an 18-point lead. The symbol for Cincinnati's struggles was its performance at the foul line. During a key second half stretch, UC missed six of eight attempts, which allowed U of L to advance a 12-point lead to 77-58 with 5:50 left. It was the first time UC had trailed in the second half all season. For the game, the Bearcats were 12-26 from the line, while U of L was 29-42. It was eerily similar to last year's Cardinal loss at Cincinnati, when Rick Pitino was ejected. Even Huggins received a technical foul in the first half. UC made three three-pointers in the first four minutes of the game, but then made only one more all night. Meanwhile, the Cards shot 14-27 from the field in the second half. Luke Whitehead had 18 points and eight rebounds on top of bringing the ball up the floor in a surprise ploy by Pitino. Francisco Garcia had 19 points and seven assists for the Cards, while Alhaji Mohammed scored 11 points. Otis George contributed with nine points and seven rebounds. For the game, the Cards outrebounded Cincinnati 42-38. The Cards have now outrebounded their last 10 opponents. The Cards also scored 19 points off of a season-high 19 Bearcat turnovers.

Date: February 22, 2003	Score: Cincinnati 101, Louisville 80
Leading Scorers: U of L: Reece Gaines (18) Cincinnati: Leonard Stokes (31)
The ugliness continues, as the Cards have their first losing streak of the season in their most lopsided loss of the year so far. The Cards committed a season-high 40 fouls (more on that later) and sent UC to the line a C-USA record 58 times, with the Bearcats converting on 42 of those free throws, also a C-USA record. After U of L opened an early 5-4 lead, the wheels quickly came off for the Cards. U of L committed turnovers on six of its next seven possessions, half on illegal screens. Reece Gaines picked up two early fouls, his second at the 14:57 mark of the first half. Gaines hit a three to give the Cards their last lead at 18-17, but then at the 8:07 he picked up his third foul, a technical, after a no-call on a lay-up attempt. Gaines sat out the rest of the half. UC then went on a 15-6 run (with nine of those points coming from the line) to build a 32-24 lead with 4:15 left in the half. Even though U of L committed 13 first half turnovers, they were down only six with just two minutes left to play in the opening period. But Tony Bobbit of UC hit three straight three-pointers in the last 1:45 of the first half, which helped UC build a 47-33 halftime lead. Bobbit stayed on fire to open the second half, hitting another three and getting a steal and a lay-up to put the Bearcats up by 21. Bobbit finished with 25 points on 5-8 three-point shooting and 8-15 shooting overall.
Bobbit and Leonard Stokes combined for 13 points in UC's 15-5 run to open the second half, which left the Bearcats up 62-38 with 15:15 remaining. The low point of the game came when Coach Pitino drew consecutive technical fouls and was ejected with 11:02 to play. Pitino argued a foul-call against Erik Brown immediately following a no-call on a blocked Alhaji Mohammed lay-up; after receiving his first technical, Pitino continued passed midcourt to argue his point, and drew a second technical and an automatic ejection. Pitino may have had a case: at that point of the game, Cincinnati had shot 42 free throws compared to U of L's 12. (Not that added trips to the line would have helped the Cards; U of L shot a woeful 43% from the line, making only 15-35 attempts in their worst free throw shooting performance of the year.) By the time Pitino was ejected, the Cards were down 34; they outscored UC 37-24 the rest of the way.
Cincinnati was led by Leonard Stokes, who had a season-high 31 points; he made 15-18 of his free throw tries. Also hitting double-figures for the Bearcats were Kareem Johnson with 10 points and Field Williams, also with 10. For U of L, Gaines led the team with 18, all but three in the final ten and a half minutes of the game. Gaines was only 6-13 from the line. Kendall Dartez had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Cards, while Erik Brown had 12 points. The game marked the first time Cincinnati has ever scored 100 or more points against Louisville.

Date: February 5, 2003	Score: Louisville 77, Cincinnati 71
Leading Scorers: U of L: Francisco Garcia (24) Cincinnati: Jason Maxiell (21)
In running their winning streak to 16 games -- the longest in the nation -- and advancing to 17-1, the Cards' best record since they went 19-1 in 1955-56, the Cards were led by freshman Francisco Garcia. Garcia had his second straight career-high, scoring 24 points on 8-11 three-point shooting, tying James Brewer's school record for most three-pointers in a game. Cincinnati turned the ball over eight times in the first 6:38, but the Cards couldn't capitalize; U of L missed nine of its first 12 shots. Neither team led by more than three until a Garcia three-pointer gave U of L a 21-17 lead with 6:47 left in the half. The Cards then hit seven of their next 12 shots to end the half on a 16-7 run. Garcia hit 5-6 on three-pointers in the first half, which propelled U of L to its 37-25 halftime lead.
The second half was an uncharacteristic one for the Cards. Instead of dominating, the Cards let the Bearcats back into the game and had to continually thwart off UC challenges. After building their lead to 16 off of a Garcia three that made it 45-29 with 16:07 left, the Cards then had Garcia go to the bench with his third foul, and UC went on a 12-4 run. Cincinnati kept coming, and drew to within 53-48 with 8:10 to play. A three from Garcia, plus a steal and two free throw from Larry O'Bannon, put U of L up 70-58 with 2:23 left. UC got two free throws from Leonard Stokes at the two-minute mark to pull within 70-60; the teams swapped possessions, then after a missed U of L shot and a foul on O'Bannon, the Bearcats hit two more free throws to make the score 70-62. Repeated offensive rebounds allowed Jason Maxiell, who led UC with 21 points, to convert inside to make it a 72-64 game with 55.7 seconds left. Reece Gaines, who had 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists and was 8-10 from the line, hit one of two free throws before another UC putback made the score 73-66. Gaines hit on two more free throws, but Maxiell then dunked to make it 75-68 with only 29.6 seconds remaining. Taquan Dean then hit two free throws to give the Cards a nine-point lead with 26.9 seconds left. UC hit a three-pointer to pull within six with 13.6 seconds left, but then allowed U of L to run out the clock the rest of the way.
While Garcia was shooting 8-11 from behind the arc, the rest of the team combined for only 1-13. Cincinnati won the battle on the boards 41-39, making the game the first UC has lost when outrebounding its opponent. Still, the Cards had eight blocked shots and nine steals, and forced the Bearcats into 22 turnovers; they had been averaging a nation low of only 9.9 turnovers per game. For the Cards, Ellis Myles had 10 points and eight rebounds, while Marvin Stone contributed six points and 11 rebounds. UC made 7-15 from three-point range, the best performance against U of L from behind the arc this season. Field Williams had 14 for the Bearcats, while Stokes had 11.

Date: February 27, 2002	Score: Louisville 74, Cincinnati 71
Leading Scorers: U of L: Reece Gaines (26) Cincinnati: Steve Logan (18)
In plain words, the Cards pulled off a huge upset in defeating Cincinnati in this game, but they did it by outrebounding a bigger, stronger team, by hitting their shots from the field and the line, and by executing on some brilliant play-calling. In other words, although UC struggled from the field, the Cards played toe-to-toe with the No. 4-ranked team in the country, and beat them. After UC guard and probable C-USA Player of the Year Steve Logan went to the bench with two fouls at the 11:49 mark of the first half (the second foul was a technical), UC started to make a move. Although the Cards took a 14-12 lead after Reece Gaines converted on the free throws from the technical and Ellis Myles scored inside, UC got two field goals from Jasox Maxiell to build what eventually became an 11-point lead. What really provided the Cards a chance to win the game was their 9-2 run at the end of the first half to pull within 38-34 at halftime. Erik Brown hit a three-pointer with 49 seconds left in the half to cap the run.
The Bearcats held a 43-40 lead early in the second half before the Cardinals went on another big run. Gaines, who led all scorers with 26 points on 8-14 shooting from the field and 9-10 from the line, scored on a lay-up and then hit two free throws to start the run. 90 seconds later Gaines hit his first and only three-pointer of the game to give the Cards their biggest lead of the game, 52-45. A mini-scuffle broke out after Ellis Myles was fouled hard on a drive to the basket, but no technicals were called. In fact, the toughness U of L showed in not backing down helped set the tone for the remainder of the game. Frankly, it was nice to see the Cards not whither from Cincinnati's toughness, not be intimidated by their physical play. With 9:53 left in the game, however, Gaines picked up his fourth foul and had to sit for a few minutes. The Cards were up 56-54 at that point; the Cards missed on their next two possessions, but Cincinnati was unable to take advantage. In fact, Steve Logan, who led UC with 18 points but was only 7-22 from the field, missed on four straight shots, the last of which was rebounded by Myles, who was fouled on the play. Myles made both foul shots (he was 6-9 from the line -- 5-6 in the second half -- for the day to go with his 18 points and 12 rebounds) to give U of L a 58-54 lead. With Gaines on the bench, Cincinnati was able to come back and tie the game at 62, and Gaines returned at the 5:41 mark.
Larry O'Bannon hit a free throw to break a 66-66 tie with 3:07 left, but a dunk by UC's Donald Little gave the Bearcats the lead thirty seconds later. Luke Whitehead scored inside, and then threw a beautiful bounce pass to Ellis Myles down low off of a backdoor cut which led to a Myles dunk and a 71-68 Cardinal lead with 1:33 left. The Cardinals got a big break when Logan then missed the front-end of a one-and-one, though the Cards did not convert on their next possession. Logan then uncharacteristically threw the ball away the next time UC had possession, and the Cards' Bryant Northern made 1 of 2 free throws to put the Cards up 72-68. UC's Immanual McElroy hit a three-pointer with 18.2 seconds left to trim U of L's lead to one, but on the next inbounds play, Whitehead threw a length-of-the-court pass to Reece Gaines for a lay-up and a 74-71 lead. It was a gutsy play performed with steady, solid execution. On the final possession of the game, Logan missed a long three-pointer from the top of the key, then after getting the rebound of Logan's miss, UC's Taron Baker missed a three from the corner as time expired.
The Cards became just the second team to shoot 50 percent against UC this season (Marquette was the other), in what was their second-best performance from the field all year, and held the Beacats to only 39.4% shooting. The Cards also outrebounded UC 37-34. Myles' double-double was his sixth on the year, but only his second since December. The Cards' win snapped UC's six-game winning streak. UC had won nine of the last 10 meetings between the two teams, but the teams have now split the last four. Besides Logan, the Bearcats received 13 points from Field Williams, 11 from little and 10 from Jason Maxiell. Although Gaines and Myles were the only double-figure scorers for the Cards, U of L got solid performances from Joseph N'Sima (six points, seven rebounds, and three blocked shots) and freshman Larry O'Bannon (seven points, five assists, and five rebounds). With the game, Cincinnati now becomes the opponent U of L has played most often, passing Memphis by one game.

Date: January 19, 2002	Score: Cincinnati 77, Louisville 50
Leading Scorers: U of L: Reece Gaines (19) Cincinnati: Steve Logan (21)
Playing on the road against the seventh-ranked team in the country, and especially this Bearcats team, which is among the nation's best in terms of team defense, definitely spelled trouble for the Cards. Considering the way this team shoots, and the way the Bearcat defends, and coming off the news that freshman guard Carlos Hurt is out for the year due to back surgery, U of L was facing more than an uphill battle. It was more like mission impossible. The Cards have now lost two straight for the first time this season, and were held to a season-low 50 points. The Cards have now lost nine of their last 10 games to Cincinnati, which set a C-USA record with their 17th straight conference victory. Although the defense of Cincinnati was as tough as can be, U of L's continued poor markmanship -- the Cards finished only 27% from the field -- did them in; all told, U of L missed 17 shots within six feet of the hoop.
The Cards were able to keep it close early on. After a surprising starting line-up that included Otis George, Larry O'Bannon, and Brandon Bender, the Cards opened playing a 2-3 zone. It slowed Cincinnati down enough so that the Cards could actually lead 11-9 at the 12:15 mark. After that point, the Cardinals shooting woes took over, and U of L missed its next 13 shots, went exactly eight minutes without scoring at all, and found themselves down 28-11 after a 19-0 Cincinnati run. The Cards were actually able to pull within eight, but a last-second three pointer from Field Williams, who finished with 18 points and connected on all five of his three-point attempts, put the Bearcats up 32-21 at the half. Midway through the second half, the Cards hit another dry spell, this time going about four and a half minutes without scoring and falling behind 56-36. Although two Reece Gaines free throws pulled the Cards to within 15 at the 6:27 mark, UC hit its last seven shots to win the game going away. Gaines, who finished with 19 points and six rebounds, was the only Cardinal player in double figures. Gaines became the 52nd player in Cardinal history to reach the 1,000-point mark for his career.
The shuffled starting lineup had mixed results for the Cards: George did not score or get a rebound, while O'Bannon had nine points and Bender four points and seven rebounds. Luke Whitehead scored only four points, but led the Cards with eight rebounds. C-USA leading scorer Steve Logan paced Cincinnati with 21 points to go along with eight assists; he has more than a good chance of becoming the C-USA player of the year for the second straight season. Also for the Bearcats, Jason Maxiell had 11 points and eight rebounds, while Leonard Stokes also had 11 points. Forward Jamal Davis nearly had a triple-double, scoring nine points to go along with 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Date: January 24, 2001	Score: Louisville 63, Cincinnati 54
Leading Scorers: U of L: Marques Maybin (19) Cincinnati: Steve Logan (17)
Well, all season long we've been saying that if U of L played a full 40-minute game, the Cards would be competitive and might even pull a game out here and there. Well, they were, and they did, in the most surprising of circumstances. The Cardinals ended their eight-game losing streak to Cincinnati, and snapped the Bearcats' 34-game home winning streak against C-USA opponents. And to imagine they did it with starting guard Reece Gaines playing only three minutes due to back spasms makes it even more hard to believe. But the Cards played with tenacity, and when UC made their run, the Cards did not back down.
U of L continued its recent solid first-half play to help set the tone. After UC took the early lead at 6-5, the Cards held Cincinnati scoreless for the next 5:03 while scoring ten straight points. After the under-8-minute TV timeout, the teams traded scoring on four straight possessions each, and the Cards held onto a six-point lead. But with U of L up 30-24 with 24 seconds left in the first half, Marques Maybin, who lead all scorers with 19 points, got a steal and was fouled driving to the basket. He then missed both free throws, and was called for a touch foul against UC's Steve Logan with only four seconds remaining in the period. Maybin reacted a bit too much for the officials, was called for a technical foul, and Steve Logan made all four free throws to trim U of L's halftime lead to 30-28. It was the third time in four games the Cards have led at the break.
Instead of snapping, though, U of L played its best second half of the season. U of L shot 58% from the field in the second period, finishing the game at 50% and 7-14 from three-point range. U of L took its biggest lead of the game at 44-34 on a break-away dunk by Rashad Brooks with 14:08 to go. But then the Cards hit some rough seas. Steve Logan, who torched U of L for 27 points in the first meeting of the season and led the Bearcats in this game with 17, scored on two drives then nailed a crazy 25-foot three-pointer to complete a 12-2 run that tied the game at 46. At this point, though, the Cards stood up and did not back down. After a U of L timeout, Erik Brown, who finished with a career-high 16 points, scored on a goaltending call. Joseph N'Sima, who also finished with a career-high nine points in what was his best game of the season, scored on a 15-footer to give U of L a four-point lead. Brown scored on a putback the next trip down to give U of L a six-point lead. Brown and N'Sima combined for nine of U of L's final 17 points. With U of L leading 53-50 with 5:45 left, Bryant Northern hit a three from a pass by N'Sima as the shot clock ran down, and the Cards led by eight after N'Sima hit another 15-footer. To top it all off, the Cards held UC to only field goal in the final 5:45, and on the boards, the Cards won, believe it or not, 31-26.
The health status of Reece Gaines remains undetermined, but hallelujah, the Cards won and looked like a team of old. At least it felt that way, knocking off the Bearcats on their home floor. Ahhh, sweet joy!!

Date: January 13, 2001	Score: Cincinnati 72, Louisville 52
Leading Scorers: U of L: Rashad Brooks (16) Cincinnati: Steve Logan (27)
It was an ugly afternoon for U of L, and its guards. Steve Logan had 27 and Kenny Satterfield had 15 for the Bearcats, while Marques Maybin and Reece Gaines had seven and eight points for U of L, respectively. That's pretty much your ball game. Logan was 7-9 from three-point range; meanwhile, the Bearcats outrebounded the Cards 37-25.
U of L missed its first five shots, enabling UC to get a 7-0 lead. Some frontcourt baskets from Ellis Myles and Muhammed Lasage, plus a three-pointer by Bryant Northern tied the game at 9. Rashad Brooks, who led the Cards with a career-high 16 points, hit two three-pointers, and the Cards had built a 17-12 lead. U of L continued hot outside shooting, and led 25-17 with 5:08 left in the first half. But then the Cards missed their next seven shots, Cincinnati made six straight, and the Bearcats led 32-27 at halftime. The Bearcats opened the second half 5-6 from the field to go up 47-37. Although the Cards pulled within six with 12:38 left, the Bearcats dominated the rest of the way, going on a 22-6 run to build a 22-point lead. U of L made only 1-9 three-pointers in the second half.

Date: February 27, 2000	Score: Cincinnati 68, Louisville 59
Leading Scorers: U of L: Nate Johnson (17) Cincinnati: Kenyon Martin (24)
In the first meeting between U of L and UC, the Bearcats rushed out to a big lead, withstood a respectable U of L comeback then pulled away to win easily. Tonight, it was much of the same. In the first game, U of L held Kenyon Martin in check. Tonight, it was not more of the same. Martin led all scorers with 24 points, including the final eight for UC, to go along with 12 rebounds as UC remained unbeaten in conference play. The game was decided after the first 15 minutes, and by halftime the Cards trailed 33-16. It was their lowest first half scoring output of the season, and their largest halftime deficit as well. U of L shot only 28% in the first half, committed 12 turnovers and their 16 points just outperformed Martin's first half showing of 14 points and 10 rebounds. DeMarr Johnson, who scored 21 in the first game, managed 15 points, as he and Martin were the only double-figure scorers for the Bearcats.
But it was Johnson's defense on Marques Maybin that really led to UC's win. Maybin, who was averaging over 20 points in the last six games, struggled to even get a shot off all night, finishing with nine points on 3-10 shooting. Nate Johnson paced U of L with 17 points on 7-10 shooting (3-3 from three-point range), while Quintin Bailey kept the game respectable by scoring a career-high 16 points to go along with six rebounds and three assists. U of L did much better in the second period, shooting 65% and outscoring UC 43-35. But after the Cards pulled within nine at the 3:48 mark, Martin had two consecutive three-point plays to seal the game. It was another contest of ifs and maybes for U of L, but the bottom line is UC's athleticism and depth was too much for the Cards. UC has now won seven straight over Louisville.

Date: January 27, 2000	Score: Cincinnati 75, Louisville 65
Leading Scorers: U of L: Nate Johnson (19) Cincinnati: DeMarr Johnson (21)
Well, not only wasn't it as bad as it could have been, but a few breaks here and a made three-pointer there and U of L might have actually been able to pull off a real miracle. But after falling behind by as many as 18 points in the first half, and 17 at one point in the second half, the Cards faced too much of an uphill battle and could get no closer than seven in losing to the top-ranked Bearcats. The game saw standout performances from each team's Johnson, so to speak: DeMarr of Cincinnati had a first half of all first halves, making UNC-Charlotte look like a bunch of bricklayers. In the first half, he scored all 21 of his points on 5-5 three-point shooting to go along with a few assists. He finished 8-9 from the field in the first half. For U of L, Nate Johnson broke out of his slump and carried U of L from on offensive point of view, scoring 19 on 8-16 field goal shooting including 3-5 from three-point range.
The Cards were actually able to hold their own against Cincinnati on the inside. Remarkably, U of L outrebounded UC 24-20. But UC's 9-19 three-point shooting was too much for U of L to overcome. Kenyon Martin picked it up in the second half, scoring 10 of his 14 points in the latter period and compiling five blocks for the game. And freshman guard Kenny Satterfield had an outstanding game, scoring nine of his 11 points in the second period and finishing with an unbelievable 10 assists with no turnovers. UC broke the game open in the first half with a 14-2 run (including two of the threes by Demarr Johnson) to go up 37-19 with 3:17 left in the first half. U of L surged at the end of the half to close the gap a bit, trailing at halftime 39-27. For the half, UC was 7-10 on threes.
Johnson cooled off in the second half, but Martin, Satterfield and forward Pete Mikeal helped support UC for the second period. After Ryan Fletcher hit a three at the 7:20 mark, the Bearcats led 61-45. But U of L didn't die, and that was their most impressive element tonight. A 9-2 run cut the lead to nine at the 4:43 mark, and U of L got within seven at 67-60 off of two threes by Tony Williams, who finished with 10 points, five assists and five rebounds. On one of those shots, Williams was fouled in the act of shooting, somehow hitting a three after being mauled by a Cincinnati player. Nate Johnson had a three-point attempt after a missed U of L free-throw and a rebound that would have cut the lead to four, but it was not to be and that was as close as the Cards got. Although the loss drops U of L to last in the American Division, it was a bold effort against the nation's top team, and definitely provides a stepping stone for the second half of conference play.