| Date: Dec. 4, 2003 | Score: Louisville 93, Western Kentucky 63 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Luke Whitehead (22) Western Kentucky: Nigel Dixon (15) |
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| The true sight of the way the Cardinals like to play basketball was on display as U of L trounced Western in a neutral setting in Nashville. In the second half, U of L had five dunks and ten lay-ups en route to shooting 62% for the period, which included 18 Cardinal assists. U of L did get off to a slow start, however, as WKU led by as many as six in the early going. U of L grabbed its first lead around the seven-minute mark, and led at halftime 34-28. |
But Western committed turnovers on three of its first four possessions of the second half, leading to three U of L lay-ups. Luke Whitehead, who led the Cards with 22 points plus 10 rebounds, had back to back steals and a three-pointer to put the Cards up 43-28. A 2:06, 14-0 run a few moments later gave the Cardinals a huge advantage at 62-34. For U of L, Kendall Dartez bounced back with 13 points, while Francisco Garcia, Taquan Dean, Alhaji Mohammed and Nate Daniels each had 11 points. Notably, Garcia had eight assists while Dean tracked down nine rebounds. Also in double figures for U of L was Larry O'Bannnon, who had 10 points. Otis George suffered a hip pointer and will miss at least one game. Nigel Dixon led the way for Western by scoring 15 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.  |
| Game Summary: Western Kentucky | Score: Western Kentucky 68, Louisville 65 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Marques Maybin (22) Western Kentucky: Chris Marcus (20) |
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| And the hits just keep on coming. The Cards remembered to play the first half against Western Kentucky, and it showed: they lead 34-25 at the half. They did forget the second half, though, and that also showed: they lost the game 68-65. And with a record of 2-5, the Cardinals' worst start of a season since going 1-6 in 1980-81, the frustration and despair is now palpable and settled in. Seven games into the season, and the Cards are already near ruin. |
| In Friday's practice, Coach Crum told the players whoever shot the best during the practice would start Saturday's game, and he wasn't kidding. Mac Wilkinson and walk-on Bryant Northern joined guard Rashad Brooks and forwards Joseph N'Sima and Ellis Myles in the starting lineup. Crum was trying to get more production off the bench. The trick worked when Marques Maybin entered the game: he made his first five shots and outscored Western himself 13-2 in a three-minute span to give the Cards a 24-15 lead. U of L maintained the intensity and held onto the nine-point lead until halftime. But once again it was the absence of a frontcourt that doomed U of L. Western's 7-foot-1 center Chris Marcus ate up the Cards, scoring 20 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. U of L lost the battle of the boards 43-30, and to make matters worse, shot only 11-23 from the free throw line. Considering the game's final margin, that poor free throw shooting probably cost the Cards the game. But yet again (and hasn't this been a problem for years now?) the Cardinals could not put together a solid 40 minutes, and it cost them. |
| Western shot 32.3% in the first half, then tore it up in shooting 62.5% in the second period. A pair of three-pointers by Derek Robinson led a 10-0 Hilltopper run, and Western grabbed the lead just five minutes into the second half. WKU made eight of their first 10 shots of the half, and missed only seven field goals the rest of the game. Western also did a much better job keying in on Maybin; after pouring in 18 in the first half, Maybin had only four points in the second period. It's another key problem for U of L: a lack of a balanced scoring attack means if Maybin is shut down, the Cards are in real trouble. Northern hit two three-pointers to give the Cards a 65-62 lead with 2:21 left. WKU then hit a free throw, and Northern missed an open three to really extend U of L's lead. After a scramble for a loose ball, Western got a lay-in with 1:10 left to tie the game. Western got the ball back after a Maybin miss, and Marcus hit a free throw for a 66-65 Western lead with 35.6 seconds left. Reece Gaines then missed a three with 14 seconds left, WKU pulled down the rebound, then converted two free throws for the 68-65 lead with 11.4 seconds remaining. Gaines missed a shot at the buzzer, but his foot was on the three-point line anyway, so it would not have mattered regardless. The Cards shot only 12-31 in the second half. Ellis Myles had 11 points, but paced the Cards free throw woes by making only 3-10 from the line. Brooks finished with 12 points, while Gaines had 10 on 4-13 shooting.
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