By Whitney Spencer
Although the University of Louisville Cardinals came up short Monday night in Freedom Hall, they gave an inspired performance against conference-rival Villanova.
From the opening tip, Freedom Hall was electric as the crowd and Coach Pitino were donned in all white for the annual whiteout game.
Though Villanova shot better than U of L from the field in the first, the Cards out-hustled the Wildcats, dominating the boards and leading 43-36 at the half. Sophomore center Samardo Samuels led all scorers with 10 points in the first half. In a game dominated by guards, Cardinal senior point guard Edgar Sosa put up nine points in the first half.
Villanova’s senior guard Scottie Reynolds along with sophomore guard Corey Fisher used their speed to push the ball throughout the game. This speed caused a heavy rotation of Cardinal guards all night long.
After the half, Villanova quickly erased the deficit and took the lead. After a stretch of poor shooting, the Cards came on late in the game. Several turnovers and the lack of rebounding hurt the Cards in the end. Coming within three with just under two minutes to go, Louisville had a chance to tie, but a missed three-pointer by junior guard Preston Knowles and a foul at the other end all but sealed the deal for Villanova.
Scottie Reynolds scored the last 16 points for the Wildcats ultimately killing the Cards from the free throw line. He finished nine of 10 with 36 points for the game. For the Cards, Samuels finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks.
Next for the Cards will be at the Panthers of the University of Pittsburgh. Louisville will be at home next January 24 to face the University of Cincinnati.
