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University of Louisville
8-1
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
5-4
Big men push No. 11 Louisville over Southern Illinois, 74-51
December 07, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Mangok Mathiang led the Cardinals with 15 points
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Mangok Mathiang scored 15 points to lead No. 11 Louisville to a 74-51 victory over Southern Illinois on Tuesday night.
The 6-foot-10 senior got the Cardinals (8-1) off to a hot start as he scored the team's first seven points, and Louisville settled in from there, extending the lead to 21-4 in the game's first 8 minutes. In making six of nine shots, Mathiang finished two points shy of his career high in just 22 minutes.
As Southern Illinois (5-4) came to the Yum! Center with no one taller than 6-9, Louisville used its size to its advantage. The Cardinals blocked nine shots and outrebounded the Salukis 43-31.
Sophomore Deng Adel posted his first double-double for Louisville, as the 6-7 forward finished with 12 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, besting the seven he grabbed against Boston College last February.
Sean O'Brien led the Salukis with 15 points and 11 rebounds while Mike Rodriguez added 15 points.
BIG PICTURE
Southern Illinois: For the third time this season, the Salukis fell to a Power Five foe on the road and all of the losses have been by double digits. Not only could the Salukis not deal with Louisville's size, they also failed to stretch out the Cardinals' defense as they made just 5 of 24 3-point shots.
Louisville: For a team that has struggled at times on offense, the Cardinals looked strong in the first half. Even without Anas Mahmoud, their big man who missed his second game because of a concussion, Louisville's frontcourt more than held its own against the smaller Salukis. Four Cardinals who stand 6-9 or taller combined to go 8 of 10 from the field in the first half.
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois returns home to play Sam Houston State.
On Saturday afternoon, Louisville hosts Texas Southern, which lost 74-70 to the Salukis on Saturday.
