Samuels, Sosa lead No. 16 Louisville to 80-53 win over Applachian State

No. 16 Louisville surges by Appalchian State 80-53

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Samardo Samuels had 16 points and Preston Knowles and Edgar Sosa added 11 points each as No. 16 Louisville surged past Appalachian State 80-53 on Monday night.

Freshman Rakeem Buckles added six points and 10 rebounds for the Cardinals (4-0), who won their third game in three days by wearing down the Mountaineers in the second half.

Donald Sims led Appalachian State (2-3) with 19 points and Jeremi Booth had 14, but the Mountaineers couldn’t keep pace when the Cardinals turned up the defensive pressure.

Louisville led 39-30 at halftime but slowly pulled away thanks to major contributions from role players like Buckles and Reggie Delk, who made two 3-pointers during a 17-7 run that put the Cardinals up 68-44 midway through the half.

The Cardinals used their distinct size advantage and superior depth to get off to their best start since 2005-06, when they opened 6-0.

That team was rebuilding coming off a Final Four appearance, and the Cardinals quickly faded as the season wore on and missed the NCAA tournament.

Coach Rick Pitino has higher expectations for this season’s club, and a win at UNLV on Saturday would give the Cardinals just their second undefeated November in nine seasons under Pitino.

To get there the Cardinals will need to play like they did in the second half against the Mountaineers, who hung around for the opening 20 minutes thanks to some torrid 3-point shooting.

Appalachian State quickly forced Louisville out of its zone defense by knocking down several 3s in the opening minutes, including a 35-foot heave from Sims as the shot clock expired.

Several times the Cardinals appeared to take control only to have Appalachian State chip away.

A late 10-3 run keyed by Samuels gave Louisville any breathing room at halftime, though the Cardinals wasted little time taking control after the break.

Peyton Siva hit a 3-pointer to get Louisville going, Samuels added a hook shot and Sosa rolled in a layup as part of a 10-2 run to put the Cardinals up 49-32. Appalachian State managed to get it back to 12 points but couldn’t withstand the constant wave of players the Cardinals put on the court.

All 14 Louisville players entered the game and 11 of them scored.

Delk, the nephew of former Kentucky star Tony Delk, continued his strong start to the season with eight points. Buckles, considered a project of sorts, helped Louisville outrebound the Mountaineers 37-26 and outscore them 30-6 in the paint.

By the time Kyle Kuric stepped in front of a pass and swooped in for a dunk, Louisville led 68-44 for their most decisive victory of the weekend.

Pitino had criticized his team for somewhat lethargic play in wins over East Tennessee State and Morgan State, but the Cardinals were crisp during the final 20 minutes of their three-day run.

Louisville held the Mountaineers to 32 percent shooting in the second half while forcing 11 turnovers.