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University of Louisville
HOLY CROSS
Louisville Rejects Holy Cross, 56-40
December 07, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Dec 7, 2003
By CHRIS DUNCAN
AP Sports Writer
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Francisco Garcia scored 24 points as Louisville recovered from a sluggish first half to beat Holy Cross 56-40 on Sunday.
Larry O'Bannon added 11 points and Luke Whitehead had 10 points and seven rebounds for the Cardinals (2-1), who shot 36 percent (17 of 47) and overcame 18 turnovers.
Louisville set a school record with 18 blocked shots, led by Kendall Dartez's nine.
Nate Lufkin had nine points and Kevin Hamilton had 11 rebounds for the Crusaders (2-4), who mustered their lowest single-game point total since a 47-40 loss to DePaul in 1947.
Holy Cross never solved the Cardinals' pressure defense, shooting 23 percent from the field (15 of 66) and 13 percent (2 of 15) from 3-point range.
Louisville, which shot 54 percent in a 30-point win over Western Kentucky on Thursday, came out cold in its home opener, missing 16 of its first 19 shots. The Cardinals committed eight turnovers in the first 12 minutes and trailed 11-7.
The methodical Crusaders weren't much better at their offensive end, starting 5-for-24 from the field.
Neither team scored for five minutes until O'Bannon sank a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 4:03 left in the first half. The basket ended a 10-minute Louisville scoring drought.
Garcia hit three straight 3-pointers from the wing over the next two minutes as the Cardinals finally found some offensive rhythm.
Louisville led 31-28 early in the second half when Whitehead scored in the lane to trigger a decisive 15-0 spurt. Garcia scored six points during the run, capping it with a layup with 6:16 remaining.
John Hurley snapped a six-minute Holy Cross drought with a layup 30 seconds later, but the Crusaders got no closer than 14 the rest of the way.
Louisville coach Rick Pitino improved to 3-0 against Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard, his former assistant. Willard worked for Pitino with the New York Knicks (1987-89) and Kentucky (1989-90).
Junior-college transfer Nouha Diakite saw his first action of the season for Louisville, scoring one point with two rebounds and two assists. The school cleared the 6-foot-9 Diakite to play after looking into an eligibility issue.
