Louisville, KY - The apprentice gave the master a scare, but Rick Pitinos fourth-ranked Louisville Cardinals pulled away down the stretch and came away with a 68-57 win over UNC-Wilmington on Sunday. Kevin Keatts, an assistant under Pitino for three years before taking over at UNCW this season, had the Seahawks within two points with under seven minutes to play before the undefeated Cardinals answered with a game-sealing 10-2 run. Montrezl Harrell and Terry Rozier each poured in 19 points for Louisville (9-0), which atoned for its 1-for-13 showing from 3-point range by outscoring the Seahawks in the paint by a wide 46-26 margin. Harrell also pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds, while Freddie Jackson and Jordan Talley led UNCW (3-3) with 16 and 13 points, respectively. Chris Jones layup off a steal gave the Cardinals what appeared to be a comfortable 46-28 lead with 13:47 left in regulation, but a surprising 15-0 run by the Seahawks gave the underdogs hope. I felt like our guys felt like we could win the game with five minutes left in the game, Keatts said. Jackson scored six points during the surge, and Cedrick Williams hit a mid- range jumper to pull UNCW within 52-50 with 6:55 to play. Rozier stopped the run with a bucket inside, then added two free throws and a tip-in during the aforementioned 10-2 run. Talley cut the deficit to 62-54 with a jumper, but UNCW missed its next five to come up short. Really happy for coach Keatts, Pitino said. His team played with unbelievable heart and purpose. Its not easy coming into this type of environment and play as well as they did. Our team didnt play well because they made us not play well. The Seahawks had 11 days to rest up following the most lopsided win in school history -- a 105-47 drubbing of St. Andrews on Dec. 3. They had fresh legs early while Louisville missed nine of its first 10 shots. UNCW was in front, 16-15, following a Craig Ponder 3-pointer just past the midway point of the first half. Baskets were not that easy to come by the rest of the half, however, as the Cardinals scored 12 of the next 14 points. A Rozier free throw and dunk in the closing seconds gave Louisville a 32-24 halftime lead. Game Notes Pitino collected win No. 350 as Louisvilles head coach ... The Cardinals have won 34 straight games at home against non-conference opponents ... This was the first-ever meeting between these two programs. Clay Matthews Packers Jersey . - This is just the warm-up act for 18-year-old William Nylander. Paul Hornung Womens Jersey . 1. Did the Senators trade the wrong goalie? Lets make one thing clear: The Ottawa Senators acquired Ben Bishop from the St. Louis Blues for one reason and one reason alone. http://www.shoptheofficialpackers.com/El...Packers-Jersey/. -- Brady Heslip scored a season-high 20 points to help Baylor beat No. Jace Sternberger Youth Jersey . -- Andy Dorman and Kelyn Rowe scored in the second half to lead the New England Revolution to a 2-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City in the first leg of their Eastern Conference semifinals series on Saturday night. Jaire Alexander Jersey . Then again, he really was at his home away from home. "It was nice to sleep in my own bed last night," Shields said after pitching Kansas City past the San Diego Padres 8-0 Wednesday.Here are five thoughts on the Eastern Conference first-round series between the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets following Game 5, including the play of Kyle Lowry, Joe Johnson, Kevin Garnet and Paul Pierce, as well as head coaches Jason Kidd and Dwane Casey. 1. KYLE LOWRY: Brilliant in Game 5. Watching him Wednesday night brought me back to watching Allen Iverson torch the Raptors in the 2001 playoffs. Considering Lowry is a Philly guy and one of the guys he looked up to as a young player was Iverson, I couldnt help myself but to draw comparisons. A totally different players but one quality that truly makes them alike is that they are both incredible competitors. Not the size of the dog in the fight but the fight in the dog. In the last five quarters of play (Game 4, 4th quarter and Game 5), other than the magic of Vince Carter, I cant recall a better stretch of play ever from a Raptor on so many fronts. Enjoy it - Im mesmerized by it. 2. JOE JOHNSON: Give him credit. Major bounce-back in the second half of Game 5. He was close to unstoppable. Raptors did everything they could to contain/control him and he was that much better. Im sure a significant focus of game planning for Game 6 will centre on tightening the screws on both the individual coverages associated with him and the collective scheme based upon the help you have to give his defender. He is an absolute load. Im so impressed by his talent. 3. RAPTORS FIRST THREE QUARTERS VS. 4TH QUARTER: It looked like five guys stole Raptors shirts early in the 4th and tried to imitate the real guys. In the first three quarters we saw the Raptors at their truly best - ball movement, defensive energy, effort, discipline and most importantly, a collective will and confidence that the crowd fed off of. In the fourth, we saw a team that cruised and thought it would be easy and let up with its focus. Very fortunate that they hung on, yet when I reflect on it for the majority of the game they were far better, which is good. Now its about learning from that lesson and growing. Remember back in early December at Golden State? It was the Raptors biggest collapse in franchise history and lost to the Warriors. This time, a huge collapse as well - the difference - they won and won on a much more meaningful stage than the stage back in Oakland. Speaking of Oakland, the late Al Davis (Oakland Raiders) would say just win, baby! They did.dddddddddddd One to go but it wont be easy. Their competition has lots to play for; it should be a major challenge and lots of fun to watch. 4. KG AND PAUL PIERCE: They were spectators Wednesday night in the 4th quarter and Im sure both men will be ready to go Friday night in response to that. I dont think there have been many times in either guys career that they sat and watched at crunch time. Im sure well see two angry/ornery guys in Brooklyn talking smack and challenging their teammates and the crowd to be at optimal level. Lots of folks piling on KG these days. I respect what hes done in his career. Is he the player he once was? No, but his effort and will to win are still there all the time. Pierce - Hes still got a lot left and his matchup at the four spot is still a tough cover for the Raptors, yet I do like that the Raps are now making him guard his guy and attacking him. Fully expect both guys to come out firing guns blazing. Be prepared. 5. JASON KIDD AND DWANE CASEY: Both coaches, Im sure, are working on their teams collective psyche as we enter Game 6. Kidd challenged his team before Game 5 to be much better in the 4th quarter after being outplayed by the Raps in Games 3 and 4 in the defining stanza. They were awesome in the 4th Wednesday night… the other three quarters, not so impressive. Im sure hes pushing momentum and carryover. Coach Casey will hammer the fact that you must sustain and play every possession at the max and learn/build on the fact that you won, yet have to respect the little details of the game. You also sell that momentum in a series that lasts only as long as you allow it to or make it happen. As much as the Nets want to sell that theyre now going to pick up where they left off, youve got to sell that the score always takes care of itself if you do the right things. You concentrate on doing the right things" each possession and youll find a way in Game 6, or if necessary, Game 7. Wont be easy to put Brooklyn away Friday but it can be done. Dictate the tone and personality of Game 6 right at the start. Winning/losing - thats too much sometimes to focus on. Dive into the details of what it takes to succeed and youll handle the pressure of a road game better. ' ' '
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