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Thursday, Jan. 20 9:00pm ET
Louisville continue strong play at home | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Marques Maybin can explain Louisville's 72-59 victory Thursday night over DePaul (No. 22 ESPN/USA Today, No. 23 AP) with just one word: intensity. The Cardinals (11-5, 3-2 Conference USA) didn't have it in disappointing back-to-back losses at UAB and Marquette. But they had more than enough to beat the Blue Demons (12-5, 3-2), the third ranked opponent to fall at Freedom Hall this season. Louisville is still searching for its first road victory but is a perfect 9-0 at home, including blowout wins over then-No. 6 North Carolina and then-No. 18 Utah. "We were back at home and ready to go," said Maybin, who scored 17 points after missing the Cardinals' last game because of illness. "We know we've struggled on the road. When you do that, you've got to turn it up at home." The Cardinals did just that against Thursday, shooting 56 percent from the floor (25-of-44) while holding the Blue Demons to just 41 percent (22-of-54), including 3-of-14 3-pointers. "It's sure nice to be back at home," Louisville coach Denny Crum said. "I think this was defensively one of our best games, especially against a very talented and athletic team. "It shows what the guys can do when their hearts and minds are in the game." Tony Williams scored 18 points and Reece Gaines added 11 as the Cardinals won their seventh straight against the Blue Demons. The Cardinals, who were only 5-of-31 on 3-pointers in their last two games, were 9-of-15 against the Blue Demons as Maybin hit 3-of-4 and Gaines 2-of-2. Bobby Simmons led DePaul with 18 points. Preseason All-American Quentin Richardson, who came into the game averaging 19.4 points, was held to only 12 on 5-of-14 shooting but grabbed 10 rebounds to record his fourth straight double-double. "People are getting fired up and shooting the ball well against us," DePaul coach Pat Kennedy said. "From our standpoint, it was a lack of execution. When we did, we got great looks and just couldn't get them down." Trailing 19-15, Quintin Bailey scored seven points during a 13-2 run as Louisville took a 28-21 lead with 4:14 to play in the first half. The Cardinals led 34-30 at halftime, holding Richardson to only two points and five shot attempts. "I think our switching man-to-man defense really bothered him," Williams said of Richardson. "I know because teams have keyed on me, and it gets frustrating. You start rushing and taking bad shots and then it just snowballs." Louisville opened the second half with a 13-2 run to take a 47-32 lead. An 11-2 DePaul run closed the gap to 51-46 with 8:30 to play, but the Blue Demons got no closer. | ALSO SEE Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
AUDIO/VIDEO   Nate Johnson tips the ball in as it come off the rim.avi: 1191 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Quentin Richardson takes the pass down low and throws it down.avi: 710 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 | |||||