Louisville Surpasses Calgary in Baha Mar Hoops Summer League Final

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Louisville men’s basketball team played its second and final Baha Mar Hoops Summer League exhibition game against the University of Calgary. The team was just as overwhelming as it was in its season opener, winning 111-71 on Thursday at the Baha Mar Convention, Arts & Entertainment Center.

The matchup came two days removed from a dominant 111-59 win over Bahamas Select to kick off the Cardinals’ summer overseas trip to the Bahamas. It was the first real look at Louisville under new head coach Pat Kelsey, who took over the program in March following the firing of Kenny Payne.

While Calgary was certainly a step up in the league with Bahamas Select, Louisville still left little doubt that they were the superior team. Just like on Tuesday, the Cardinals continued to display unselfish ball movement on offense plus relentless pressure on defense, and the Dinos simply had no answer.

At the end of the game, Louisville shot 52.1 percent from the field and once again emphasized the three ball, making 12 of 31 from long range. After posting an astonishing 38 assists on Tuesday, the Cardinals assisted on 22 of their 37 made baskets against Calgary and committed just 12 turnovers.

In addition to their prowess from beyond the arc, Louisville was a solid presence down low against Calgary, winning the rebounding battle 53-25, collecting 17 offensive boards for 25 second chance points and totaling 46 points in the paint.

It may have taken Louisville a while to get into the defensive game, but they did a great job on that end of the court, especially in the second half. They held the Dinos to just 31.0 percent shooting and 8 of 27 three-pointers, forced 13 turnovers with seven steals and tallied six blocks.

Even with the Cardinals reaching the 100-point mark, only five players broke double figures, with Kasean Pryor’s team-leading 20 points. J’Vonne Hadley came close to a double-double with 13 points and eight rebounds, Chucky Hepburn had a team-high seven assists to go with eight points, Khani Rooth had a team-high 11 rebounds and Noah Waterman finished with four blocks to go along with 10 points.

Just like they did against Bahamas Select, Louisville started strong against Calgary. The Cardinals scored the first six points of the game and, thanks in large part to Pryor and Hepburn, led 17-6 after the first four minutes of the game.

But unlike Bahamas Select, the Dino actually fought back after the initial blows. They kept pace with the Cardinals’ offensive efforts, hitting eight of their first 15 shots of the game. They even gave Louisville a tough blow defensively, limiting them to periods of four and five consecutive misses in the final 10 minutes of the half, and forcing seven turnovers in the period.

Eventually, Louisville’s defense found its stride, holding Calgary to just 3 of 13 over the final eight minutes of the half. Combined with a three-minute stretch in which they made 7 of 8 shots and went on a 13-2 run, the Cardinals went into halftime with a 59-38 lead over the Dinos.

When Louisville came out of the locker room to start the second half, they were firing on all cylinders on both ends of the court. After going back and forth for the first five minutes of the half, the Cardinals exploded for a 20-3 run midway through the period and never looked back.

In the second half alone, Louisville shot 18 of 36 while Calgary was limited to a meager 7 of 30. Of the Dinos’ 33 second-half points, 17 came from Noah Wharton, who had a team-high 24 points.

After this, Louisville will return to the United States and continue preparing for the upcoming 2024-25 season. The first game under Pat Kelsey is scheduled for November 4 against Morehead State at the KFC Yum! Center.

(Photo by Chucky Hepburn via University of Louisville Athletics)

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