La Familia had a 17-point cushion, watched it disappear, and still found a way to leave with the first win.
Darryl Morsell finished the job with the game-winning dunk, and La Familia held off The Ville 72-68 on Saturday afternoon in Game 1 of the best-of-three opening-round series in The Basketball Tournament.
The ending got tense fast. The Ville wiped out the deficit, pulled even in the Elam Ending and got two looks from 3-point range at the finish, but neither shot dropped. Louisville had climbed to 68 points, one basket away from the target score of 71, before La Familia finally closed the door.
Morsell led all scorers with 17 points and delivered the decisive basket by slipping a screen on an inbounds play and taking one step for an unguarded dunk. La Familia also got major production from players who never wore a Kentucky uniform.
Sean McNeil scored 12 points off the bench and hit a pair of 3-pointers, James Mainor Bell added 10, and Chris Coffey chipped in 3 points and 8 rebounds. Those four combined for 42 of La Familia’s 72 points.
The Ville leaned on Chris Jones, who scored 16 points. David Johnson and Montrezl Harrell added 12 apiece.
Louisville opened the game with a 21-17 lead after the first quarter, but La Familia took over in the second. A 14-0 run turned a four-point deficit into a double-digit advantage, and Andrew Harrison scored the final six points of the half as La Familia went into the break ahead 41-33.
The margin stretched to 17 in the third quarter before The Ville started clawing back.
Perimeter shooting was a major separator. The Ville made just 6 of 28 shots from 3-point range, a 21.4% clip, while La Familia hit 7 of 17 for 41.2%. The teams were nearly even overall, with The Ville shooting 42.3% from the field and La Familia at 41.1%.
The comeback was built on defense. The Ville held La Familia to only three points in the timed portion of the fourth quarter and controlled the paint 32-24, but it still couldn’t finish the rally.
La Familia outrebounded The Ville 35-32 and made 19 of 26 free throws. The Ville went 18 of 24 at the line.
Game 2 is set for 7 p.m. Monday at Freedom Hall, where The Ville will try to even the series and force a decisive Game 3.
In Other News...
Pat Kelsey Is Making Louisville A Real Threat For Elite Forward
Louisville has already put itself in the middle of an early national recruiting battle for Moussa Kamissoko, one of the most sought-after players in the 2027 class. The highly ranked small forward is drawing attention from a long list of major programs, but the Cardinals have stayed firmly in the mix thanks to his ongoing communication with Pat Kelsey and his interest in how Louisville plays.
Kamissoko has made it clear that the fit matters to him, and Louisvilles style has caught his eye as the race around him keeps growing. With several blue-blood and high-major programs circling and talk of visits beginning to build, the Cardinals are trying to turn steady contact into a real edge before the recruiting picture sharpens even more. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Suddenly Has A New Recruiting Tease At Point Guard
Tai Bell is already one of the more closely watched point guards in the 2028 class, and Louisville has quietly entered the conversation. The Miami Columbus standout has been in touch with the Cardinals staff while sorting through a growing list of options, and the interest makes sense for a program that has long sold itself on developing guards and putting them in position to thrive.
Bell has 27 offers and has already made the rounds to several major campuses, though he has not lined up official visits yet. For Louisville, the intrigue is less about a finished recruiting race than the possibility of becoming a real player in it, especially if the relationship with the staff keeps building and the Cardinals decide to press forward. [Read more 🡒]
Pat Kelsey Just Sent Another Big Recruiting Signal At Louisville
Pat Kelseys staff is still working early and aggressively in the 2027 class, and the latest scholarship offer only adds to the sense that Louisville wants to be in the mix for elite talent before the race gets crowded. The Cardinals have already been tied to several highly regarded prospects in that group, and the approach is clear: identify top-end targets now and make sure the program is part of the conversation while national recruiting boards are still taking shape.
The newest name on that list brings the kind of profile that draws attention across the country, with a rsum that already includes major international experience and a long line of high-major interest. Louisville is not alone in pushing for that level of player, and the broader picture here is less about one offer than the pattern it fits into, as Kelsey keeps putting the Cardinals in position with some of the classs most sought-after wings and bigs. [Read more 🡒]