By Conner Farrell–
The No. 13 men’s basketball team started the 2016-2017 season with a rout of the Evansville Purple Aces 78-47. Forward Jaylen Johnson led all scorers with 19 points and 14 rebounds.
The Aces kept up with the Cards in the first 10 minutes of the game, forcing the Cards into five early turnovers. After back-to-back 3’s by the Aces’ Jaylon Brown, Evansville led to 26-20 with nine minutes remaining in the first half.
Ending on a 23-1 run, Louisville led 43-27 at halftime. The Cards extended the lead to 33 in the second half.
The size and length of the Louisville defenders caused problems for the Aces’ offense. The Cards controlled the battle on the glass, out-rebounding 52-29.
Center Anas Mahmoud showed off an array of post moves on the offensive end. Mahmoud finished with 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting with five rebounds and tallied three blocks.
VJ King and Tony Hicks both played significant minutes. Hicks registered four points and chipped in two assists. McDonald’s All-American King logged six points and was aggressive on the offense end, going to the free-throw line eight times, where he was 6-for-8.
The win marks the 100th victory for the Cards while playing at the KFC Yum! Center. The Cards are back in action on Monday at 7 p.m. against William and Mary.
Photo by Laurel Slaughter / The Louisville Cardinal
