The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Louisville
Blazers Fall To No. 6 Louisville, 73-55
2/7/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By CHRIS DUNCAN
AP Sports Writer
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Sixth-ranked Louisville turned to its defense to snap a two-game losing streak Saturday.
Luke Whitehead had 13 points and 18 rebounds and the Cardinals held UAB to 31.5 percent shooting and forced 18 turnovers in a 73-55 victory over the Blazers.
Larry O'Bannon scored 15 points for Louisville (17-3, 7-2 Conference USA), which won despite shooting a season low 31.9 percent (22-of-69). The Cardinals shot 29.6 percent in the second half (8-of-27) and 28.6 percent from 3-point range in the game (6-of-21).
Louisville coach Rick Pitino was happy with the win despite the ugly offensive numbers.
 Gabe Kennedy recovers a loose ball.  |
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"We played very good perimeter defense, we played very good post defense," Pitino said. "We got back to playing defense the way we should."
Francisco Garcia, Louisville's leading scorer, had seven points and five rebounds after sitting out Wednesday's loss to Memphis with a sprained left ankle. Garcia injured his right ankle early in the second half Saturday and did not return.
Garcia has missed eight practices since the initial ankle sprain and Pitino is more concerned about his conditioning than his newest ankle injury.
"He's a tough kid," Pitino said. "He just may not have his endurance right now. He's way out of shape."
Taquan Dean, the Cardinals' top 3-point shooter, had 11 points on 2-of-8 shooting as he continues to recover from a three-week-old groin injury.
Dean said he still has a long way to go before he's 100 percent.
"My timing is way off," he said. "It was just good to be back out there."
Even with their best two players limited, the Cardinals' defense had the Blazers frustrated the entire game. UAB had two field-goal droughts that lasted more than eight minutes.
"We just couldn't score," UAB coach Mike Anderson said. "On the road, you have to make shots."
Gabe Kennedy had 16 points and 15 rebounds to lead UAB (13-6, 6-2), which had won seven of its previous eight games.
The Blazers not only struggled to score, they also got outrebounded 53-39 and committed 18 turnovers. UAB was averaging 12 steals a game - second in the nation - but had only five against Louisville.
"We knew they were a very dangerous team," Pitino said. "Their guards really come at you with a lot of pressure."
Both teams employed trapping, full-court defense from the start, creating a frantic early pace.
Brandon Jenkins' layup put the Cardinals up 21-20 and started a 10-2 run.
The Blazers had turnovers on four straight possessions, and Dean's first 3-pointer in three games gave Louisville a 29-22 lead.
The Cardinals led 40-33 at the break. Kennedy dunked with 17:07 left in the game to end a nine-minute field-goal drought for UAB. The Cardinals hit five of their first six second-half free throws to build a 47-36 lead.
Garcia, who sprained his left ankle in Louisville's 65-62 win at Tennessee on Jan. 25, twisted his right ankle going for a rebound with 15:26 remaining. He left the game and limped to the locker room with trainer Fred Hina.
O'Bannon, who scored 26 points in the Cardinals' 62-58 loss Wednesday, sank two free throws and a 3-pointer to put Louisville up 61-46 with less than six minutes left.
"It was a big win for us, one we had to have," said O'Bannon, who went 3-for-12 from the field, but 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.
The Blazers never mounted a comeback. Sidney Ball's jumper with 3:40 left snapped UAB's 8:27 field-goal drought and cut Louisville's lead to 65-50. Dean had a breakaway layup a minute later to match the Cardinals' biggest lead to that point.
"For once this year, our guys wore down," Anderson said. "Our guys wanted to do some things so badly, they turned it over. That can also be attributed to their defense."
Both coaching staffs wore sneakers in support of the Coaches vs. Cancer program. Louisville coach Rick Pitino wore a blue pinstriped suit with gray sneakers.
