Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Fall To Louisville, 95-76
2/1/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 1, 2003
Louisville, Ky. - Despite an eight-point lead at halftime, the Indiana men's basketball team dropped its third straight contest on the road to the No. 8 Louisville Cardinals, 96-75. The Cardinals made a 17-point run in the second half to take a commanding and eventually insurmountable 19 point lead as the Hoosiers drop to 14-6 on the season.Taking a break from Big Ten conference play, IU appeared to have its sights set on victory in front of a Freedom Hall record crowd of 20,086 through the first 20 minutes of play. Eight of George Leach's 12 points came in the first half while five of A.J. Moye's seven points came in the first stanza.
IU shot nearly 54 percent from the field in the first half while the Cardinals were held to just 29 percent. The second half couldn't have been more different from the first as the Cardinals outscored the Hoosiers, 60-33, shooting 55 percent from the field in the final half.
Despite the tale of two halves, the Hoosiers outshot the Cardinals. IU finished with a 50 percent mark from the field while Louisville shot just 43 percent. After a dismal three-point performance by the Cardinals in the first half of eight percent, the Cardinals made 60 percent of the shots they took from beyond the arc.
Even though IU held a distinct advantage in the first half, the Hoosiers' last field goal came with eight minutes remaining in the game. 21 of Louisville's points came off Hoosier turnovers.
With five IU players in double figures, it was not enough to put Cardinal standout Francisco Garcia on his heels as he scored a game-high 23 points after scoring just six in the first half.
Indiana was led by senior Tom Coverdale with 14 points while Jeff Newton matched Leach's 12-point contribution. Kyle Hornsby added 11 while freshman Bracey Wright chipped in 10.
Three and a half minutes into the first half, Louisville had a one-point lead but the Hoosiers took off on an 18-4 run to go up 23-10. With five and a half minutes left in the first stanza, the Hoosier owned a 16-point advantage.
The loss to Louisville marks the first win by the Cardinals over the Hoosiers since Louisville owned the 101-79 advantage in a Dec. 3, 1988, meeting in Indianapolis.
IU is now 3-2 against ranked opponents this season and Saturday's loss is the first to an eighth-ranked team as Indiana defeated No. 8 Maryland and No. 8 Illinois earlier this season.
The loss snaps a 22-game winning streak when the Hoosiers score at least 70 points. It is the first loss in a 70-plus point game since an 88-74 setback at Minnesota on Feb. 2, 2002.
The Hoosiers return to conference action Wed., Feb. 5 at 9 p.m. when they travel to Evanston, Ill., to face the Northwestern Wildcats.
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/ Men's BasketballWednesday, August 12
Wednesday, August 12
Tuesday, August 11
Tuesday, August 11