Montrezl Harrell took over Monday night, and The Ville rode that surge to an 82-62 win over La Familia in The Basketball Tournament at Freedom Hall.
Harrell was the difference from the moment the game tilted. He finished with 35 points, hitting 14 of 16 shots, and added eight rebounds and two assists as The Ville evened the best-of-three series.
It took a little while for the offense to wake up. The opening quarter was choppy on both sides, with The Ville making just 5 of 16 shots and 2 of 9 from beyond the arc. La Familia used that sluggish start to grab a 15-12 lead after one.
Once the second quarter began, Harrell turned the game into his own personal run. He opened with a layup and the foul, then scored 12 straight points as The Ville flipped the script. Malik Williams later knocked down a three-pointer to stretch the lead to nine with three minutes left before halftime, and a Harrell dunk followed by a Russ Smith three sent The Ville into the break up 36-22.
The third quarter never found much rhythm. Multiple technical fouls and reviews slowed everything down, but The Ville still managed to widen the gap by outscoring La Familia 10-7 in the period and carrying a 57-39 lead into the fourth.
Then came the closing stretch, and the crowd got its biggest jolt of the night. Alex Williams hammered home a dunk, then immediately fed Harrell for an alley-oop that pushed the lead to 72-49 as the Elam Ending arrived.
The target score was 82, and The Ville got there with help from Trey Lewis and Alex Matthews, who each hit three-pointers before Harrell finished it off with the game-winning layup.
Alex Matthews and David Johnson also scored 14 points apiece.
The Ville shot 50% from the floor and held La Familia to 33.9% shooting.
Game 3 is set for Wednesday evening at Lexington’s Memorial Coliseum, with tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m.
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Pat Kelsey Just Sent Another Big Recruiting Signal At Louisville
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The recruiting board is already taking shape around several high-end targets, and this latest offer only adds to the sense that Louisville wants to be in the mix for a class with real upside. Asa Montgomerys profile has drawn plenty of attention nationally, and the Cardinals are also chasing other premier names such as Darius Wabbington and DeMarcus Henry as Kelsey continues to signal that the program plans to recruit at a much higher level. [Read more 🡒]