By Andrew Crenshaw
The Cardinals jumped out early on and overmatched Eastern Kentucky team and never looked back. Shooting 58% for the game, the Cards (4-1)scored 104 points with senior Reece Gaines and Freshman Taquan Dean leading the scoring drive with 18 and 19 points respectively.
The Colonels (5-2) committed fifteen first-half turnovers against a U of L defense not once going to the full-court press.
EKU coach Travis Ford said that he had hoped U of L would press, as his Colonels were more suited to an up and down tempo.
The Cardinals slowed things down into a half court game and used their superior size and strength to build a twenty-seven point lead at the half. Ford said after the game that “things snowballed” in the first half as U of L shot a scorching 58 percent (7-12) from behind the three-point line, with Dean hitting 2-3 and scoring 14 points in 10 minutes.
Otis George came off the bench to score 16 points and pull down 10 rebounds, playing much of the game along side fellow big man Kendall Dartez.
The Colonels were led by freshman guard Matt Witt who scored 17 points on 5-12 shooting. The Cards will add to their size and strength with the addition of 6 foot 10 inch Marvin Stone, who will become eligible for the championship against Manhattan on Wednesday night.
