DePaul University Athletics
No. 23 Louisville Stops DePaul
2/13/2008 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) Dar Tucker scored 22 points and Mac Koshwal added 15 rebounds but it wasn’t enough to stop No. 23 Louisville as the Cardinals beat DePaul, 88-68, on Tuesday a the Allstate Arena.
Louisville’s Terrence Williams tied a season-high with 22 points and teammate David Padgett set one with 20 to lead the Cardinals to their 10th win in 12 games on Tuesday.
The Cardinals (19-6, 9-3 Big East) scored eight straight to start the game and 19 of the first 24. They led 39-31 at the break after a 10-point run by DePaul late in the first half but pulled away early in the second. They forced 16 turnovers and countless rushed shots with their press as DePaul went 23-for-63 from the field, leading to easy looks on the other end.
Williams and Padgett, whose previous high was 18 points against Georgetown on Saturday, each hit 9 of 12 shots, and Louisville was a scorching 36-of-62. Williams also grabbed eight rebounds and to say he fed off Padgett would be an understatement.
For DePaul, this was an excruciating night.
"I think they do a really, really good job of getting out on shooters," DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright said. "(Padgett) does such a terrific job supporting and moving everybody around. He's so physical inside that when you do get it inside, you get in a stalemate."
Louisville has done just about everything right during this recent surge.
The Cardinals seem to have the consistency they lacked earlier in season, when senior Juan Palacios and Padgett were nursing knee injuries. Now, they're looking more like the team that won 12 of its final 16 games last season and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament.
They had held three straight opponents below 60 points and were seventh in the nation in field-goal percentage defense (37.7 percent) entering the game.
DePaul, simply, was no match.
After rallying from a 16-point deficit to beat South Florida 69-61 at home on Saturday, there were few dramatics this time.
Louisville simply jumped on the Blue Demons at the start and led 37-21 after Williams hit Palacios with a no-look pass for a layup with 3:15 left in the half. DePaul scored the next 10 points, with Tucker hitting a 3-pointer, converting a three-point play and throwing down a fastbreak dunk that drew a roar from the crowd with 26 seconds left. Williams answered with a leaner with two seconds left to make it an eight-point game, and Louisville quickly put away DePaul in the second.
