Cardinals rally for 1st win post Pitino

NO. 16 LOUISVILLE 72, GEORGE MASON 61

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville’s need for a lift against George Mason led Darius Perry and Jordan Nwora to put aside freshman nerves and contribute.

The duo responded with poise and clutch baskets that rallied the No. 16 Cardinals as they started a new phase without longtime coach Rick Pitino.

Deng Adel had 20 points, while Perry and Nwora combined for 22 in the second half to lead Louisville past George Mason 72-61 on Sunday and win David Padgett’s debut as the Cardinals’ interim coach.

“We’ve been transitioning,” 7-foot senior Anas Mahmoud said of not seeing Pitino on the sideline. “We understand we don’t have coach P on the sideline, but we also realize coach Padgett is more than capable in leading us where we need to go.”

Coming back took a lot for Louisville, which appeared tentative for nearly 30 minutes in its first regular season contest since Pitino was fired last month in the wake of a national federal investigation of corruption in college basketball . Even when the Cardinals edged ahead 49-46 with 9:13 remaining, they weren’t able to gain room against the determined Patriots until the final minutes.

Louisville shot 70 percent from the field and from long range in the second half to earn a hard-fought win. The outcome allowed an admittedly nervous Padgett to take a deep breath — for now— as the Cardinals officially began moving forward from the investigation.

“I was anxious. I think our guys had some nerves too,” the former assistant said. “I’m glad it’s out of the way now. More importantly, we’re 1-0.”

Credit Perry and Nwora for showing resolve when the Cardinals needed it.

The Cardinals shot 29 percent in the first half and trailed 46-40 with 12 minutes left before senior Quentin Snider scored four points and Adel added a basket to tie the score. Nwora then made a left-corner 3-pointer before Perry followed from long range for a 52-49 edge.