Recap: Western Ky vs. Louisville

By Sports Network

Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - A.J. Slaughter scored a game-high 25 points and had nine rebounds as Western Kentucky surprised third-ranked Louisville, 68-54, at the Sommet Center.

Slaughter finished 8-of-15 from the floor, while Steffphon Pettigrew contributed 17 points and 12 boards for Western Kentucky (3-2) which was coming off a 79-70 home win over Southern Illinois on Wednesday.

Terrence Williams had a team-high 19 points and added nine rebounds for Louisville (2-1), which lost for the first time this season after starting out with wins over Morehead State and South Alabama in the Billy Minardi Classic. Earl Clark had 11 points and 11 boards, while Samardo Samuels chipped in with 11 points and eight rebounds for the Cardinals.

With the score tied at 28-28 after one half, the back-and-forth battle continued into the second stanza with Louisville taking a 37-36 lead following 1-of-2 from the free-throw line by Samuels with 14:15 remaining.

Western Kentucky, however, got a three-pointer from Slaughter and jumper from Anthony Sally for a 41-37 advantage. The Hilltoppers' lead hovered around four points until Jeremy Evans had a layup and tip-in, and Pettigrew deposited another basket to increase the margin to 49-40 with just under eight minutes left.

Slaughter's jumper with 3:35 on the clock pushed Western Kentucky's lead to double digits, at 59-48. A Preston Knowles three got Louisville's deficit to nine points with 2:13 left, but Slaughter made a pair of free throws, and Western Kentucky held on for the win from there.

In a closely contested first half of play, neither team had more than a four- point lead at any stage and the game was tied 28-28 heading into the intermission.