By Derek DeBurger
Louisville has found a small consolation in extending the Pepperdine Waves road-losing streak Sunday.
With the noise surrounding head coach Kenny Payne’s future (or lack thereof) the players were determined to show they could block it out while playing ball.
From the tip-off, the Cards played with boatloads of energy, particularly Brandon Huntley-Hatfield. Huntley-Hatfield was a man on a mission today, out to prove that he can continue his recent hot streak. He finished with game-highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Pepperdine tried to come out with the same intensity, but the Cards slowly smothered them throughout the first half. Louisville took a 14-point lead into halftime.
The Waves tried to string together a second-half comeback off of several mistakes from the Cards—cutting the lead down to seven—but a 10-0 run put away the game for good, and Louisville would just run it up from there.
The Cards would win 85-63.
Louisville looked competent for the first time since the Empire Classic, and I would argue they looked the best since Payne was hired.
The Cards finished the game with 17 assists, showing an ability to play unselfishly and run set plays to get players like Curtis Williams open. Williams is one of the purest shooters in program history, and he hasn’t been able to show it until today due to an offense that hasn’t set him up for success. He scored a career-high 16 points off of 4-5 shooting from three.
The Cards also showed more desire than the Waves, dominating the boards with 43 rebounds to Pepperdine’s 27. It’s hard to believe that these are the same players who have been with the team the entire season, but this is what they’re capable of every game.
Sunday’s outcome probably doesn’t stop the inevitable, but it was nice to see Louisville basketball looking like itself again.
Photo Courtesy // Chris Carter, U of L Athletics
