Louisville Escapes Marquette - Big East Title Hopes Still Alive

(6) Louisville 62
(8) Marquette 58

Louisville (23-5, 14-2 Big East) picked up a very important win at home today against the Marquette Golden Eagles (23-6, 12-4 Big East). Marquette played well despite playing without the injured Dominic James and with Jerel McNeal having an off day. McNeal was only 3-19 from the field, including 2-10 from the three-point line. They had opportunities late in the game, but could never get over the hump. The Cardinals played passionately throughout the game and made the big plays necessary to win.

Louisville had a balanced offensive attack, placing four players in double figures. Andree McGee and Terrance Williams led the way with 16 and 14 points, respectively. Samardo Samuels scored 12 points and Earl Clark picked up a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

The Golden Eagles picked up a game-high 19 points from Wesley Matthews. Lazar Hayward chipped in 16 for Marquette.

Statistically, the game was a pretty even match up. The deciding factor was field goal shooting. The Louisville defense held Marquette to only 19-56 shooting (33.9%), including 7-23 three-point shooting. The Cardinals did not shoot great, but they did go 24-55 (43.6%) and 9-26 from behind the arc.

The Cardinals still have a shot at the Big East regular season championship. They have games remaining with Seton Hall at home and on the road at West Virginia. Connecticut, who leads the standings by a half game, has one game remaining - on the road at top-ranked Pittsburgh.

ESPN Boxscore

Game Recap

Louisville Cardinals Basketball