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University of Louisville
SAVANNAH STATE
Cardinals Storm Past Savannah State 71-45
December 20, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 20, 2006
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -Juan Palacios scored a season-high 20 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had four steals as Louisville broke a two-game losing streak with a 71-45 win over Savannah State on Wednesday night at Freedom Hall.
Edgar Sosa scored 12 points and Terrence Williams added 10 points and seven rebounds as the Cardinals (6-4) took control early and had their way with the well-traveled Tigers (5-10).
Louisville played without freshman center Derrick Caracter, who was suspended for violating team rules. For one night, the Cardinals didn't need him, as they took out their frustrations from an embarrassing loss to Kentucky on overmatched Savannah State.
Joshua Obiajunwa led the Tigers with 12 points, but Savannah State had trouble handling Louisville's full-court press. The Tigers committed 25 turnovers, leading to 32 points the other way.
Three days after shooting just 27 percent from the floor against Kentucky, the Cardinals made 45 percent of their shots against the Tigers. Louisville's lead grew to as much as 30, allowing coach Rick Pitino to substitute liberally in the second half.
Caracter, who is averaging 5.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, watched from the end of the bench in street clothes. His status for Saturday's game against Miami (Fla.) is uncertain.
The defeat was Savannah State's 10th straight loss, with all but one of the losses coming on the road against high-profile programs like Illinois and West Virginia.
