| Date: Dec. 7, 2003 | Score: Louisville 56, Holy Cross 40 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Francisco Garcia (24) Holy Cross: Nate Lufkin (9) |
| U of L scores the second fewest points for a single game under Coach Pitino while holding Holy Cross to their second lowest point total ever. It was also a record-setting day in terms of blocked shots, as Kendall Dartez had the third-most blocks in a game for a Cardinal with nine, while the team set a school record with 18 on the day. That defense led to only 22.7% shooting for the Crusaders. |
But neither was U of L an offensive juggernaut. After taking a 7-2 lead at the 14:32 mark of the first half, the Cards missed their next ten shots. The game was so low-scoring that a three-pointer from Larry O'Bannon pulled the Cards to within 11-10 with 4:04 to play in the first half. Three straight threes from Francisco Garcia, who led all scorers in matching a career-high with 24 points, put U of L up 19-15; the Cards' halftime lead was 22-19. Up 31-28, U of L embarked on a 15-0 run that held Holy Cross scoreless for 5:46. Besides Garcia, U of L received 11 points from O'Bannon and 10 from Luke Whitehead, who also had seven rebounds. Nouha Diakite made his U of L debut, scoring one point with two rebounds and four blocked shots. Holy Cross outrebounded U of L 44-43.  |
