It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win. After the turmoil that was the FBI scandal at U of L, coach David Padgett helped lead the No. 16 Louisville Cardinals to a 72 – 61 win over the visiting George Mason Patriots.
U of L trailed 27 – 24 at halftime. Their offense was dry in the first half with very little going right. The shots were not falling and they were turning the ball over too much. It was a recipe for an upset loss in their first game.
Deng Adel and two freshman, Darius Perry and Jordan Nwora, led the Cards with inspired play in the second half. Adel led the Cards with 20 points on 9 – 17 shooting. Perry scored 17 points and made all three of his shots from the field and all 8 of his free throws. Nwora made all three of his shots (all three pointers) and finished with 10 points in only 14 minutes off of the bench.
The outside shot was not falling in the first half as the Cards made only one of their ten three point shots. The second half was much different as they made 7 – 10 from three point range. They shot an astounding 70 percent from the field in the second half. Padgett was asked what he told his team at halftime after trailing and said, “I told them to relax. We’re 1-for-10 in threes. All 10 threes were wide open looks. We’re a very good shooting team. Law of averages, it will start to fall. We were 7-of-10 in the second half, so there you go.”
Louisville’s next game is Friday evening at 7 in the KFC Yum Center.
