By Ben Goldberger —

Though closer than most fans would prefer, the Louisville Cardinals beat the Bellarmine Knights 75-65 in an exhibition game Oct. 29.

Junior Jordan Nwora recorded 28 points. Freshman Dwayne Sutton had 18 points with 13 rebounds, and freshman Samuell Williamson had 17 points with nine rebounds.

Redshirt sophomore Ryan McMahon had a disappointing night, missing all shot attempts and going 0-5 from three point range and 0-6 in total shots. 

First Half

The Cards started off slowly, going multiple plays missing shots. Sutton rose to life in the first half, grabbing practically everything that came off the board. 

Louisville could not control their fouls, leading to the Knights getting an abundance of free-throw opportunities.

No players off of the bench could score, with the only points the whole game coming from graduate student Fresh Kimble. 

The Cards went into halftime trailing the Knights 35-33. 

Second Half

While it remained close through most of the second half, U of L took control of the game. They played smarter basketball with patient defense and physical offense. 

Nwora caught on fire late in the second half, draining threes and driving to the basket left and right. The whole team fed off of this burst of momentum going on a late run, capped off by a fast break slam dunk by Williamson that shook the stadium. 

Bellarmine could neither produce much on offense nor stop the hyped up Cards on defense once the momentum had landed in Louisville’s hands, allowing the Cards to glide to a win by 10 points. 

With two starters and one star rookie sidelined, the Cardinals were able to fight through adversity and win the game. While fans expected this to be a blowout, a win is a win.

The Cards travel to Miami to start off the season Nov. 5 at 7:00 p.m. 

Photo by Anthony Riley // The Louisville Cardinal