TicketsJan. 31, 2007
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CINCINNATI, Ohio--Marvin Gentry scored a game-high 22 points on a 9-of-17 shooting performance to lead the University of Cincinnati, but David Padgett scored 18 points to lead Louisville to a 69-53 victory.
The 6-foot-11 Padgett fought through double-team coverage to get off his right-handed hook shot. He made eight of his first nine shots, and had a putback off his only miss, while Louisville (16-6, 6-2 Big East) pulled ahead by 21 points. Padgett also had 12 rebounds, helping Louisville control the action inside.
The Bearcats (10-11, 1-6) failed to score in the first 5 minutes and the last 5 minutes of the opening half.
With Padgett denying shots in the paint, Louisville opened the game with an 11-0 run. Cincinnati missed its first seven shots and had three turnovers, a slump that ended on Deonta Vaughn's floating jumper with 14:18 left in the half. Vaughn finished with 18 points.
The focus on Padgett inside left the Cardinals with open 3-point shots. They missed 10 of their first 11, allowing the Bearcats to cut the lead to 21-19 with 5:47 left. The Bearcats were unable to net free throws on their next two possessions that could have either tied or given them the lead.
Louisville made four consecutive treys for a 33-19 halftime lead, and Padgett helped the Cardinals extend the lead to 21 points early in the second half with his assortment of inside shots.
Trailing by as many as 20, at 57-37, Cincinnati refused to go away quietly. UC got the home crowd behind back into the game after a spirited 13-3 run trimmed the deficit to 60-50 with 2:34 to go. The rally ended when UC missed its next two shots, and Louisville's Terrence Williams made a 25-footer just before the shot clock expired.