Eagles’ NCAA run ends with loss to Louisville
Morehead State University kept it close in the first half, however, top seeded Louisville pulled away in the second half to beat the Eagles, 74-54, Friday night in front of a crowd of 12, 499 in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament at the University of Dayton Arena.
After being at tied 4-4, Louisville reeled off 13 of the next 16 points to take a 17-7 advantage.
The Eagles kept the fans in the game by going on a 15-5 run. Maze Stallworth drilled a 3-pointer with 7:35 left that deadlocked the contest at 22-22. Steve Peterson’s tip-in with 6:36 remaining put Morehead State on top, 24-22.
Louisville regrouped and pushed ahead 34-27, but couldn’t shake MSU. Demonte Harper drilled a 15-footer to bring the Eagles to within 34-33 with 1:11 to play in the first half. Louisville added a free throw and led at intermission 35-33.
In the second half, the Cards showed why they are the overall top seeded team in tournament. Louisville opened on a 22-6 run on its way to outscoring Morehead State 39-21 in the second half.
“It was a typical Louisville- type performance,” said Morehead State coach Donnie Tyndall. “What they try and do is just wear you down and wear you down. That's been Rick's M.O. forever. But I thought our kids played extremely hard . . . Unfortunately, we ran into maybe the best team in college basketball tonight."
Louisville (29-5) will play Siena, which beat Ohio State in double overtime, in the second round on Sunday in the Midwest Regional.
Leon Buchanan, MSU’s only senior, closed his career with a 17-point effort to top the Eagles. Kenneth Faried recorded his 25th double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds while Stallworth also finished in double figures with 14.
Samardo Samuels led Louisville with 15 points.
“All these teams are playing tremendous basketball, and that's what this tournament is all about,” Louisville coach Rick Pitino said of lower-seeded teams such as Cal State- Northridge, East Tennessee State and Morehead State, which have given high seeds tough games in the tournament. “We didn't play bad in the first half, shot 50 percent. They hung with us.
“So often we don't want to give the other team - whether it be East Tennessee State or Northridge or Morehead State - credit," Pitino said. "But Morehead State was terrific.”
Morehead State ended the season with a record of 20-16. The 2008-09 Eagles joined the 1983-84 NCAA Tournament team and the 2002-03 Ohio Valley Conference Co-Champions as MSU squads that reached the 20-win mark.
“I think this team put Morehead basketball back on the map,” Tyndall said.
>> View photos from the game
