By Matt Bradshaw —

Men’s basketball won its second and final exhibition game of preseason play against Simmons College of Kentucky. The two Louisville schools started out close, but the Cardinals quickly asserted their dominance and worked their way to a 90-41 victory.

Head coach Chris Mack used the matchup as an opportunity to test different lineups, work on the offense and keep the team fresh. Eleven different players put points on the board for U of L, including six in double digits, and the offense used 25 assists for 32 field goals.

Junior Steven Enoch led the squad in scoring with 6-for-7 shooting for 16 points. The center proved a massive presence in the paint and his teammates worked to get him involved as much as possible.

Junior V. J. King and sophomore Jordan Nwora combined for 22 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Ryan McMahon and graduate student Khwan Fore both posted 11 points off the bench.

Sophomore Malik Cunningham was the man of the second half, finishing with 12 points and eight rebounds.

First half

The Falcons used a three-pointer and quick layup to take an early 5-0 lead.

The Cardinals responded with 20 unanswered points over the course of nine minutes. U of L improved its shooting percentage from last game and did a better job of communicating on offense.

Sophomore Darius Perry started the run with a three-pointer. Enoch followed with a basket in the paint, then graduate student Christen Cunningham and Nwora added a pair of three’s.

Simmons trailed 25-10 after getting some more points on the board. The visitors shot poorly from the field and buckled under Louisville’s bigger defense.

Fore and McMahon combined for five consecutive three-pointers in under three minutes to close the first half. U of L led 40-12 at halftime.

Second half

Enoch continued a solid night of scoring in the paint with a basket and-one to start the half.

Nwora piled on another three-point play for a 46-15 lead. After a rough night of shooting last week against Bellarmine, Nwora played well all-around with 50 percent shooting from the field and six rebounds.

Despite the deficit, the Falcons continued to play hard on offense and worked the Cards with a full-court press. They used an 8-2 run at one point to gain some ground, yet continued to lag behind Louisville who already owned a huge lead.

The Cards led 64-24 with ten minutes remaining in the contest.

Williams recorded some productive minutes down-low as time winded down with the score 72-29. He rivaled Enoch with play in the paint and used the hook-shot for several of his points.

Fellow sophomores Nwora and Perry added a pair of dunks to get the crowd going. With both teams in the bonus, the final minutes of the game saw free throws being traded back-and-forth.

Graduate student Akoy Agau got his first scores of exhibition play and finished with four points, three rebounds and a steal. U of L defeated Simmons College of Kentucky 90-41.

Men’s basketball faces Nicholls State at home in their season opener on Thursday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m.

You can follow the Louisville Cardinal on Twitter @thecardsports.

Photos by Taris Smith / The Louisville Cardinal