Jordan Nwora scored a game-high 21 points Sunday as No. 5 Louisville pulled away from stubborn Youngstown State in the second half for a 78-55 win at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.
Steven Enoch added a 17-point, 14-rebound double-double for the Cardinals (2-0), while Ryan McMahon contributed 16 points. Point guard Darius Perry kicked in 10 points and dished out 12 assists against just one turnover.
Louisville made 50.8 percent of its field goal tries and handed out 22 assists on 33 field goals.
Naz Bohannon scored 14 points to pace the Penguins (1-1), while Darius Quisenberry added 11 and Devin Morgan hit for 10. It wasn't nearly enough to pull off the upset despite an excellent performance on the glass. Youngstown State out-rebounded the Cardinals 46-38, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds.
But Louisville finally put their Horizon League guests to bed by starting the second half with a 19-5 run over a 7:36 span. Nwora drilled a short jumper after a Penguins turnover to cap the burst and make it 57-36, and the Cardinals didn't have to worry after that.
In contrast to Louisville's sharp shooting, Youngstown State sank only 31.3 percent from the field, including going 5 of 27 from the 3-point line.
Louisville started the game with a 14-3 burst as Nwora collected five points and three rebounds before the first media timeout. The Cardinals steadily expanded the lead from there, moving the ball well and converting their shots.
When McMahon sank two free throws with 3:58 left in the half, Louisville owned a 38-21 lead and seemed well on its way to a one-sided win against its mid-major opponent. But Youngstown State scored the half's final 10 points, ending the run with a pair of 3-balls from Quisenberry that made it 38-31.
Youngstown State out-rebounded the bigger Cardinals 22-17 in the first half, cashing in 11 offensive boards for 16 points.
--Field Level Media
Youngstown St. | Louisville | |
Naz Bohannon 14 | Scoring | Jordan Nwora 21 |
Devin Morgan 2 | Assists | Darius Perry 12 |
Jamir Thomas 11 | Rebounds | Steven Enoch 14 |
Darius Quisenberry 3 | Free Throws Made | Ryan McMahon 2 |
Devin Morgan 2 | Steals | Dwayne Sutton 2 |
Tyler Foster 1 | Blocks | Steven Enoch 3 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Youngstown St. | 55 | 31.3 | 5-27 | 8-16 | 5 | 42 | 1 | 4 | 11 |
Louisville | 78 | 50.8 | 7-22 | 5-6 | 22 | 38 | 5 | 3 | 6 |