LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Hosting Eastern Kentucky for their final non-conference game of the season and last game of the calendar year, the Louisville men’s basketball program was able to avoid a complete disaster, overcoming offensive clunkiness and withstanding several charges to hold on for a 78-76 victory on Saturday.

Following a three-pointer by EKU’s Georgie Kimble III, The Cardinals (8-5, 1-1 ACC), who entered as 21.5-point favorites, trailed by a point with 1:22 to go. Missed threes by Reyne Smith and Chucky Hepburn nearly did them in, but there was one last chance.

The Colonels (6-7, 0-0 ASUN) missed a jumper with 12 seconds left, with J’Vonne Hadley getting the rebound. Smith tried to drive, but kicked the ball out to Noah Waterman at the left wing after stumbling. Waterman then drove up the baseline, and fought through two defenders to hit a go-ahead layup with 1.2 seconds left.

Louisville finishes their non-conference slate of games with a 7-4 mark against such competition. They also extend their active winning streak over the Eastern Kentucky to 16 straight, having not lost in the all-time series since 1963.

Fresh off of their electric offensive performance against Florida State last weekend, Louisville was anything but crisp on that side of the court against Eastern Kentucky. They shot just 37.5 percent from the floor, were 11-of-36 from deep, and had 14 turnovers to 12 assists. Despite dominating on the backboards for a 47-32 rebounding advantage, as well as 21-11 on offensive rebounds, they collected just 15 second chance points.

The Cardinals’ defensive showing wasn’t anything to write home about, either. The Colonels shot 44.8 percent overall and 10-of-25 on threes, and committed just 11 turnovers.

What ultimately proved to be the difference was the free throw line. Louisville was 19-of-24 from the charity stripe, while Eastern Kentucky was 6-of-7.

Terrence Edwards Jr. had a team-best 20 points, with 17 coming in the first half. Hadley had a 15-point/10-rebounds double-double, Hepburn posted 14 points and seven assists, while Waterman and Smith both finished with 12 points. For EKU, Kimble had a game-high 24 points while Devontae Blanton had 22.

This game also marked the return of Aboubacar Traore, who missed the last 10 games with a broken left arm. He finished with a rebound and an assist in five minutes played.

While Louisville wasn’t playing poorly to start their matchup against Eastern Kentucky, they certainly were not playing their most sharp. They opened the game shooting 5-for17, and committed six turnovers in the first nine minutes. Defensively, while the Cardinals held the Colonels to just 38.2 percent shooting in the first half, they were also prone to brief lapses that allowed EKU to gain some ground and stay in striking distance.

That being said, Louisville did head into halftime with some shooting momentum, hitting of their final 18 attempts of the period, including a stretch where they hit 9-of-12 to go on a 16-4 run an lead by as much as 15 points. However, UofL had to settle for a 46-37 halftime advantage.

Louisville scored the first four points of the second half to take a brief 13-point lead, but Eastern Kentucky didn’t lay down. They immediately fired off a 9-0 run to hang around, and were even able to take a brief lead midway through the second half.

Even after a 12-0 run by the Cardinals to put them up 10 with 6:17 left, the Colonels responded with a 14-4 run to jump back in front. In the second half, UofL shot a paltry 9-of-29 while EKU was a blazing 17-of-33.

Next up, Louisville will host North Carolina in their first game of the new year. Tip-off against the Tar Heels is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 1 at 6:00 p.m. EST.

(Photo of Reyne Smith, George Kimble III, Chucky Hepburn: Jamie Rhodes – Imagn Images)

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