December 22, 2002

LOUISIVLLE DUMPS FURMAN 104-63

Box Score

LOUISVILLE, KY. -- Marvin Stone and Taquan Dean scored 21 points each and paced a hot shooting Louisville attack to lead the Cardinals to a 104-63 win over visiting Furman Sunday afternoon at Freedom Hall.

Stone converted 7-of-9 field goal attempts and claimed a game high 13 rebounds, and Dean knocked down 8-of-11 field goals, including 5-of-6 3-pointers, to pace Louisville (6-1). The Cardinals shot a blistering 58.1 percent from the field and made good on 12-of-25 3-pointers (48.0 percent).

Led by Jason Patterson’s 13 points, Furman (5-7) placed four players in double figures, but the Paladins proved to be no match for the stronger, more proficient Cardinals. Furman shot only 39.0 percent from the field and committed 21 turnovers.

“I thought Louisville played outstanding basketball. They established the inside game early and then shot the ball well from 3-point range,” said Furman head coach Larry Davis. “I was disappointed with the margin of the the game. We continue to struggle offensively, but we were overmatched by Louisville’s offense. You have to give Rick (Pitino), their staff, and players credit — they played well.”

Louisville led 29-20 with just under six minutes to go in the first half and took total command before intermission with a 22-5 run behind Dean, who finished the first half with 16 points on the strength of 4-of-4 3-pointers.

The Cardinals opened the second half with a 12-2 run over the first three and a half minutes to make it a 63-27 game following a layup by Ellis Myles off an assist by Stone with 17:05 remaining. Louisville’s lead grew to as many as 48 points at 96-48 after Luke Whitehead drained a pair of free throws with 6:38 left.

The Cardinals outscored Furman 42-14 in the paint and converted Paladin turnovers into 30 points. Louisville’s 104 points were the most yielded by a Paladin squad since the 1993-94 season when East Tennessee State toppled Furman 106-75 in Johnson City.

Furman returns to action on Dec. 28 when it hosts the Poinsettia Classic at Timmons Arena. Dartmouth and Stetson square off in opening round action beginning at 1:30 p.m. followed by Furman and New Hampshire at 4:00 p.m. The consolation and championship games are slated for Dec. 29 at 1:30 and 4:00 p.m., respectively, with the title game scheduled to be televised by Comcast Sports Southeast (CSS).