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First Loss a Tough One The Cats shut down the Cardinals' three-point attack, limiting them to just 4 of 14 shooting from beyond the arc, while connecting on nine threes, themselves. Louisville's top three scorers, Francisco Garcia, Taquan Dean, and Luke Whitehead, were all kept in check, shooting a combined 10 of 32. Garcia contributed only ten points, while Dean added just five. Yet the previously undefeated and top-ranked Wildcats still found a way to lose the game. One of the biggest factors in the Cards' win was their bench production, getting 13 points from Otis George, who averages under 4 a game, and 11 from Larry O'Bannon. Louisville's bench outscored Kentucky's 33-10. Kentucky could have used bigger contributions from its subs as Cliff Hawkins and Erik Daniels both found themselves in foul trouble. While bench production was certainly a problem for the Cats, it probably wouldn't have been a factor were it not for miserable shooting performances by the starters: Erik Daniels: 4-11 Chuck Hayes: 2-8 Kelenna Azubuike: 4-10 Gerald Fitch: 3-12 Cliff Hawkins: 4-11 Kentucky led the entire first half, taking an early 24-10 lead behind the hot shooting of Cliff Hawkins. Louisville crawled back, however, pulling within five at the break. The second half began much the same as the first, as Kentucky quickly built a nine-point lead. The Cardinals wouldn't go away, though and eventually took the lead with 9:30 remaining. For the next five minutes, the two teams exchanged leads until Louisville took the lead for good at the four-minute mark. With 1"40 remaining and the Cards leading 57-51, cold-shooting Gerald Fitch connected on a three-pointer and was fouled on the play. Gerald completed the four-point play to pull the Cats within six, but that was as close as they got, as the equally-cold Francisco Garcia hit a tough three-pointer with Azubuike in his face to seal the deal. While bench production was down, one Kentucky sub who played admirably was Sophomore Brandon Stockton. Stockton was forced to play major minutes with Hawkins being plagued by foul trouble. His eight points were a career high and he only turned the ball over once against Louisville defenders who were permitted to assault him every time he touched the ball. Other positives: Although he struggled to put the ball in the basket, Chuck Hayes continued to be a monster on the glass, grabbing a team-high 9 rebounds to go along with 4 blocks. Cliff Hawkins, by shooting four of six from beyond the arc, raised his season three-point percentage to 41%. Box Score