Eastern Kentucky University keeps popping up on the University of Louisville basketball schedule even though EKU has not won a game against UofL in 65 years. Maybe the visitors thought things would be different after the past two years after the last two seasons.
They were almost right, taking Louisville to the wire in front of 13,350 fans at the KFC Yum! Center on Saturday. The Cardinals would elude a loss only by virtue of a Noah Waterman layop with two seconds on the clock. Final score: Louisville 78, Eastern Kentucky 76.
A close call despite the fact that UofL outrebounded Eastern Kentucky 47-32 with a 21-11 edge on the offensive glass.
“Noah stepped up,” said UofL Coach Pat Kelsey. “He’s a little banged up, but like all of our guys he’s tough as heck and continues to fight through it and made a shot that he’s going to tell his grandkids about. You play your entire career and some guys don’t make shots at the buzzer to win a game, I know it wasn’t right at the buzzer, but it’s a buzzer shot. So it’s a big time, big time shot and I’m proud of him.”
The bottom line, however, is the Louisville still has work to do after surviving a scare against a team that was 6-6 against low level competition entering the fray. The win improved UofL’s record to 8-5 on the season, with the thick of the Atlantic Coast Conference race staight ahead for the Cardinals.
UofL was led in scoring by Terrence Edwards with 20 points. Y’Vonne Hadley, Chucky Hepburn and Reyne Smith had 16, 15 and 12 points, respectively. Defense was another story.
