No. 11 Cardinals Bounce Back Against Montana, 94-54

Saturday, December 20

LOUISVILLE, KY

12 p.m.

University of Louisville

10-2,0-0ACC

Montana

6-7,0-0Big Sky

Montana

Louisville

December 20, 2025 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Pat Kelsey Press Conference Isaac McKneely & Sananda Fru Press Conference Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes Photo Gallery

Sananda Fru’s career high day leads Cards in victory over Montana

By: CT Trodglen

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The No. 11 University of Louisville men's basketball team remains undefeated at home this season, securing a 94-54 victory over Montana Saturday afternoon inside the KFC YUM! Center.

"Travis DeCuire has been at Montana for a long time and they have been the gold standard in that league for a long time," said head coach Pat Kelsey. "I got to really dive into his coaching and schemes for the last couple days in preparation for this game. I have a lot of admiration for his team and a lot of respect for him as a coach. To lose games right before Christmas, like trap games, although I hate saying that, you always worry about your guys already having sugar plums dancing in their head" Pat Kelsey said.

"Our process is really good and obviously coming off that loss at Tennessee, I knew I would have their attention, although I never worry about that with this team. They are always professional with their approach. They gave this team the respect they deserve in terms of preparation and overall, we did a good job of carrying out the game plan. I kind of reminded those guys in the locker room that on June 5, we come together, I do a Power Point presentation with my clicker with each segment of the season popping up. When the first segment of the season pops up, I tell those guys to be fully present where you are. The first one is Summer I, check. The second one is Summer II, check. August and September are pre-practice, check. Six weeks of practice before preseason games start, check, and then it goes to non-conference, which we just closed, check" Kelsey added.

UofL (10-2) used the starting lineup of Ryan Conwell, Isaac McKneely, Adrian Wooley, J'Vonne Hadley and Sananda Fru for the second consecutive game. The Cardinals were without guard Mikel Brown Jr., for the second game in a row, and guard Kobe Rodgers.

It was a back-and-forth affair early on, with the Cards having a slight edge, leading 19-16 with nine minutes left in the first half. A 17-0 run by Louisville to end the period propelled UofL to a 42-20 advantage at the break.

The Cards kept their foot on the gas coming out of the intermission, outscoring the Grizzlies 52-24 in the second half. A Will Hanke layup with 00:16 left on the game clock ended the scoring for the contest, while also giving Louisville a 40-point lead, its largest of the day.

Fru was both the top bucket-getter and rebounder for the Cardinals, racking up a career-high 18 points, while collecting eight boards. Fru started the game a perfect 9-for-9 from the field, including seven makes without a miss in the first half, the most by a Louisville player in any half since 2019.

McKneely was the second leading scorer for UofL, tallying 16 points on 4-for-6 shooting from deep. He also added five rebounds and a steal, in his team high 33 minutes of play.

Montana (6-7) was led by sophomore guard Grant Kepley who scored 15 points and freshman guard Tyler Thompson who scored 12 points on four field goals from the three-point line.

The Cards swiped a season-high 13 steals. It's the second most steals in a game for Louisville in the Pat Kelsey era. UofL also outrebounded the Grizzlies 48-25, and specifically 14-4 on the offensive glass.

"I tell those guys all the time to be present. Don't blink," continued Kelsey. "Enjoy the journey and enjoy your teammates because it goes so fast. You will be old like me in the snap of the fingers. Wherever you go to play next at on the professional level, it is never, ever, ever going to be like it is in college. That connection to the student body and your teammates, once you get out into the professional world, it is just different. The next one was checked off today. I told them I felt like we left some meat on the bone. I wish we could have some of those games back, but if you would have told me that with the schedule we are playing that we would be 10-2 going into Christmas, I am never satisfied unless we win every single stinking game. I did tell them at the locker room, because I don't think they hear this from me enough, that I am very proud of them. I am proud to coach them. This is a great group, very talented and the sky is the limit for them. I am unrelenting about being the CRO, I have told you guys before that it stands for Chief Reminder Officer to remind the guys what our standards are every day. Sometimes it probably feels like I am never, ever, ever satisfied. But we have done some really good things and have great things ahead of us. The next thing is getting the mindset right, the body right and spend time with the family and enjoy the holidays. It is a special, special time of the year celebrating the birth and miracle of God becoming man and Jesus walking the face of the earth and saving us all from our sins. I am excited to spend some time with our family. When our guys get back, I told them to do what you have to do to step back in that practice facility, when we get going to have your mind and body ready to be the best you have ever been. It is a fun journey to be on with these guys. It's a fun journey to be on with our fan base and the great city of Louisville. I think there are great, great things ahead in the next several months. Merry Christmas to you guys" Kelsey went on to say.

Next for the Cardinals (10-2, 0-0 ACC) is a west-coast trip to play against conference foe California, December 30th, at 9 p.m. ET on the ACC Network.