Field Level Media
Dec 14, 2019
Jordan Nwora had 26 points and Steven Enoch had a career-high 23 points as the host No. 1 Louisville Cardinals followed their first loss of the season with a season-high scoring barrage in a 99-67 victory over the Eastern Kentucky Colonels on Saturday afternoon.
Reserve Malik Williams had 11 points and two 3-pointers, and Dwayne Sutton had 11 points for the Cardinals (10-1), who were playing their first game since a 70-57 loss to Texas Tech on Tuesday that almost certainly will cost them the top spot in the AP poll.
Ty Taylor had 13 points and three 3-pointers, Tre King had 12 points and Jomaru Brown and Jacquess Hobbs each had nine points for the Ohio Valley Conference Colonels (3-7), who lost their fifth consecutive game and dropped their 15 in a row to Louisville.
Nwora and Enoch had seven rebounds apiece and were a combined 19 of 24 from the floor. Enoch was 9 of 10. Nwora, who was held to 14 points by Texas Tech, has scored 20 or more points in 20 games over the past two seasons.
The Cardinals shot 63 percent from the field, just short of their season high of 66.7 percent against North Carolina Central, and made 9 of 19 3-pointers. They shot a season-low 34.0 percent and made a season-low three 3-pointers against Texas Tech.
Nwora had three of Louisville's six 3-pointers in the first 13 1/2 minutes as the Cardinals took early control. They used a 25-7 run to assume a 46-23 lead.
The Cardinals had a 35-24 rebounding edge and scored 34 points off 14 Colonels' turnovers. Eastern Kentucky shot 36.5 percent and never was closer than 20 in the final 17 minutes.
Nwora had 17 of his points in the first half, when the Cardinals shot 63 percent and led by as many as 23 points. It was 50-32 at half.
Louisville will play Miami (Ohio) on Wednesday before visiting No. 8 Kentucky on Dec. 28. The Colonels lost to then-No. 2 Kentucky 91-49 on Nov. 8.
--Field Level Media