Kritik und Lob » 27. Gortat had 13 points as Washington improved to 19-19 -

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Louisvilles final home game for nearly a month was especially memorable because of its precision in a lopsided victory against Missouri State. Certainly, the sixth-ranked Cardinals have room to improve in many areas as they prepare for four road contests over 23 days including a Dec. 28 showdown against in-state rival No. 19 Kentucky in Lexington. For now, the defending national champions look forward to building on its best overall performance of the season. Montrezl Harrell had 17 points and eight rebounds, and Louisville manhandled the Bears 90-60 on Tuesday night. The Cardinals (10-1) took control early and never let up against the Bears (8-2). They combined dominant rebounding and offensive accuracy during a 16-0 first-half run for a 19-4 lead in the first meeting between the schools since 2006. Harrell was among four Cardinals with at least eight rebounds each, a combination that alone outdid MSU in Louisvilles 51-30 domination of the boards including 20-10 offensively. They also outscored the Bears 46-28 inside and held them to 38 per cent shooting to close a 5-0 home stand. Asked if this was Louisvilles best effort to date, Harrell answered, "Id say so. It was a great win. The first half we really got into it, (and it) got us going." Senior guard Russ Smith added 11 points and eight assists, while freshman Terry Rozier had 11 points and eight rebounds. Forwards Stephan Van Treese and Mangok Mathiang combined for 17 rebounds for Louisville, which shot 34 of 66 from the field (52 per cent). Louisville coach Rick Pitino agreed that it was the best he has seen his team play, adding, "I dont know what was better, the defence, the offence or the offensive rebounding. It was just awesome in the first half." Jarmar Gulleys 14 points led the Bears, whose two-game winning streak was thoroughly halted by a Cardinals squad that controlled every facet of the game. MSU led Louisville 4-3 before the Cardinals seized the pace with the big run. The Bears never got closer than 17 after that, spoiling Paul Lusks 100th career game as a coach. "They just dominated us on the glass," Lusk said. "Theyve got a lot of talent but they also play so darn hard. We just simply couldnt keep them off the glass. That was the telltale of the game." Missouri State brought some impressive credentials into its second meeting against Louisville and first since losing to the Cardinals in the 2006 NIT. The Bears were runners-up to Virginia in the Corpus Christi Challenge, a four-game run that included a win over previously unbeaten Texas A&M. They also boasted an impressive scoring combination in Gulley and Marcus Marshall, who had combined for nearly 27 points per game coming in and were developing into a strong scoring duo in just four games together. Against the Cardinals, though, they combined for only 22 points as Marshall finished with eight. MSUs bench was outscored 32-26, 10 points below their average. Louisville welcomed back point guard Chris Jones from a one-game absence because of a sprained right wrist. Rozier started but the 5-foot-10 junior came in five minutes later with the wrist bandaged and finished with nine points in 19 minutes. The Cardinals were in the midst of their key run when Jones entered. The sequence was highlighted by Chane Behanans thunderous one-handed dunk off of Van Treeses long lead pass and Roziers steal of the inbounds pass and layup seconds later. Louisville continued to overwhelm MSU, which was outrebounded 20-5 through 13 minutes and 27-10 overall in the first half. That statistic offered the best indicator of Louisvilles defensive effort, which disrupted the Bears dribbling, passing and shot selection. The Cardinals nearly matched their per-game blocks average (4.6) by the break alone, finishing with seven and answering everything MSU attempted. "They switched defences a lot," said MSU guard/forward Keith Pickens, who had four points. "It was sometimes hard to read. I think it came down to rebounding early. They killed us on the offensive glass." Louisvilles offence was just as effective, as the Cardinals dissected MSUs zone and muscled their way for baskets. Louisville also had 14 assists and recorded seven blocks. "If we play defence like that, we can beat any team in the country," Rozier said. Fake Padres Jerseys . -- Jerome Williams glanced at Philadelphias schedule and realized he would be facing the Oakland Athletics yet again, with another new team. Cheap Padres Jerseys . The Canadian Football Leagues all-time passing leader said he has not made a final decision, but he will discuss his future with Montreal Alouettes owner Bob Wetenhall on the weekend. https://www.cheappadresjerseys.us/ . Last year, Islanders forward Colin Mcdonald released a "Do It For Colin" campaign to promote his teammate and friend John Tavares for the EA sports honour:The most popular sports voting video ever has to go to Chris Bosh who showcased his comedic abilities in his effort to get fans to vote him into the 2008 All Star Game:You can vote for TJ and other star players for the NHL 15 cover vote here. San Diego Padres Store . The league announced Thursday that Tom Higgins is leaving that post effective immediately. San Diego Padres Shirts . His Chicago Blackhawks teammates werent shocked when he found it. Kanes career has been defined by his brilliance in the Blackhawks biggest moments, and his tiebreaking goal with 3:45 to play in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals will rank among the best.WASHINGTON -- John Wall had 23 points and 11 assists, and the Washington Wizards reached .500 for the third time this season with a 96-93 win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night. The Wizards had six players score in double figures in their third straight victory, two of them coming against Chicago. Bradley Beal and Martell Webster had 14 points apiece. There were 12 lead changes and 11 ties. Washington took a 92-91 lead on Marcin Gortats layup with 4:28 to play. With the Wizards ahead 96-93 with 1:06 to play, Chicagos Joakim Noah threw a pass out of bounds, and teammate Taj Gibson missed a short jumper with 30 seconds left. As the clock wound down, Jimmy Butler tried a tying 3-pointer for the Bulls and Nene blocked it with less than a second to play. The Bulls were held to just one field goal in the final 5:16. They missed eight of their last nine shots. Kirk Hinrich led Chicago with 18 points, and D.J. Augustin scored 16. The Bulls had won six of seven, and were trying to reach .500 for the first time since Nov. 27. Gortat had 13 points as Washington improved to 19-19 -- the first tiime its been at .dddddddddddd500 since Dec. 30. Chicago played for the first time since their second triple-overtime game of the season, a win in Orlando on Wednesday. The Wizards also played on Wednesday, and scored their most satisfying win of the season, a drubbing of two-time NBA champion Miami. Washington shot 68.4 per cent in the first quarter and led 30-27 after one. The Wizards also had a 54-50 lead at halftime. Chicago went on a 14-2 run to take a 70-62 lead with 5:18 remaining in the third. But the Wizards responded with a 10-0 run that included an exciting shot by Wall. The speedy point guard was grabbed by Mike Dunleavy on a drive. He spun and flipped the ball into the hoop with his left hand as he fell backward. The game was tied at 74 after three. NOTES: Wizards coach Randy Wittman said F Al Harrington (right knee) isnt close to returning. Harrington hasnt played since Nov. 12. .The Bulls are the eighth NBA team to play two triple overtime games in the same season. . Noah had 12 rebounds for his 11th straight game in double digits, a career best. . Chicago had won four in a row on the road. ' ' '