>>College Basketball Wrap-Up
(Undated) — In college hoops action yesterday, Louisville lost to NC State 76-64, and Vanderbilt beat Alabama A&M 70-62.
Second-Half Lapse Sends Cardinals to Road Defeat at NC State
Louisville men’s basketball battled with NC State on Thursday night, but a 17-0 run by the Wolfpack in the second half busted open a tied game and sent the Cardinals to a 76-64 defeat. Senior guard El Ellis tied the game at 33 with two free throws two minutes into the second half. NC State (11-3, 1-2 ACC) scored the next 17 points as the Cardinals went more than seven minutes without a field goal. Casey Morsell’s 3-pointer ended the run with the Wolfpack up 50-33.
Tops Edged Out in Final Non-Conference Game of the Season
WKU Hilltopper Basketball was edged out 65-58 by the South Carolina Gamecocks on Thursday night in its final non-conference game of the season. WKU would come as close as six in the waning minutes but never more. The Gamecocks outrebounded the Hilltoppers 51-31 while WKU outscored them in the paint 26-20. WKU shot a mere 13.6% from beyond the arc but made 51.5% of its shots inside of it. McKnight led WKU in both scoring and rebounding with 28 points on 10 of 16 shooting and eight boards. South Carolina’s Johnson made 6 of 11 from 3-point range, scoring 25 points. Gregory Jackson II had a double-double of 12 points and 16 rebounds. WKU will now transition into league action as the Hilltoppers take on Rice at home on Thursday, December 29th at 6 p.m. CT inside E.A. Diddle Arena.