Freshman Ekezie, No. 11 Louisville soar past Morehead State, 107-57

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Obinna Ekezie Jr. came off the bench to score 20 points and grab 13 rebounds for No. 11 Louisville, which routed Morehead State 107-57 on Saturday.

Ekezie, a 7-foot-2 freshman who reclassified from the class of 2027 to join the Cardinals (2-0) this season, went 8 for 12 on the floor. He was among seven Louisville players to score in double figures.

Reserves Karter Knox and Isaac Ellis added 15 and 10, respectively, as the Cardinals got 56 points off the bench. Adrian Wooley finished with 12 points, five rebounds and four assists.

After wilting in the second half of their home opener, an 84-70 victory over Chattanooga on Monday, Louisville outscored Morehead State 40-2 over the first 12:33 of the second half.

The Cardinals made 13 of 22 shots during that stretch. They shot 53.6% (37 for 69) and connected on 13 of 38 3-pointers (34.2%), with Ekezie making three of his six shots from the perimeter.

The Cardinals missed four of their first five shots and committed three turnovers in the first four minutes, allowing the Eagles (1-2) to jump out to a 9-2 lead.

From there, Louisville connected on 16 of 24 to take a 46-33 lead into halftime. The Cardinals used a 17-3 run over a 5:50 span to take control, with Trimble’s 3-pointer making it 42-25 with 3:10 remaining.

The Eagles shot 33.3% (21 for 63), including 6 of 18 3-pointers. However, Louisville dominated them on the boards 59-23. The Cardinals grabbed 20 offensive rebounds, which led to 28 second-chance points.

Clayton Parker led Morehead State with 19 points, hitting 4 of 7 3-pointers.

Morehead State plays host to IU Indianapolis next Saturday.

Louisville gets a week off before traveling to Memphis next Sunday.

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