FRIDAY'S SCORES
#10 Louisville 78,
Jacksonville State 63 (NCAA Tournament)
#10 LOUISVILLE 78, JACKSONVILLE STATE 63
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The national stage was not too big for No. 15 seed Jacksonville State in its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
The OVC champion Gamecocks led for much of the first half before second-seeded Louisville's relentless pressure began to take its toll as the Cardinals claimed a 78-63 win in the Indianapolis Regional at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Junior Norbertas Giga exploded for a career-high 30 points, but it wasn't enough as Jacksonville State's season ended with a 20-15 record.
First-year JSU coach Ray Harper couldn't fault the effort from his squad.
"I think the entire country got an opportunity to see how hard our guys play," Harper said in the post-game news conference. "I think we represented our university, our city and the OVC in a class manner, which we said we would. The bar's been set. Hopefully, we can do it again someday soon."
Veteran Louisville coach Rick Pitino, whose team advances to face Michigan in the second round, praised the way the Gamecocks dealt with his squad's full-court intensity.
"(Jacksonville State) never stopped, kept staying in the game," Pitino said. "Really happy for Ray because he did a terrific job in his first year. They have very good basketball players."
Giga, the 7-foot forward/center from Lithuania whose previous JSU high was 20 points against Tennessee Tech in January, was spectacular in defeat.
Giga poured in his game-high 30 points on 11-of-13 shooting, including making all five of his 3-point attempts. He also led the Gamecocks with nine rebounds.
"My teammates kept finding me. I kept shooting. The ball kept going in," Giga said. "I think we fought - Louisville is a good team and I think they're going to go far this season."
The sellout crowd of 18,255 and national TV audience witnessed Jacksonville State jump out to a quick 10-2 lead in the game's five minutes.
The Gamecocks didn't relinquish their lead until Deng Adel hit a long 3-pointer to put Louisville (25-8) in front 21-19 at the 6:44 mark of the first half. The Cardinals closed the half on a 20-12 run and led 38-31 at intermission.
"I figured they were eventually going to make a run," said freshman guard Tyrik Edwards. "I felt we had to stay calm and keep playing like we were."
Louisville led by as much as 17 with just over 12 minutes remaining, but Giga - who had 17 points after halftime - kept Jacksonville State within striking distance with his outside shooting.
Junior Malcolm Drumwright joined Giga in double figures with 12 points while senior added 11 in his final JSU appearance.
Louisville out-rebounded the Gamecocks 36-23.
"The game was determined by our inability to rebound the ball," Harper said. "It wasn't because of a lack of effort. Their length and athleticism caused us some problems."