Palacios returns, helps Cardinals hold off Aggies
Welcome back Juan!
He hadn’t played since October due to a right knee injury, but he picked the perfect time to return, sinking two crucial free throws with 22.9 seconds left to lift Louisville over New Mexico State 70-65. The two free throws were his only points of the game.
The Cardinals, improving to 7-3, notched their second win this week, the first coming on Tuesday, Dec. 18th, a 10-point win over Marshall, 85-75.
Andre McGee and Earl Clarke led the way for the Cardinals, scoring 15 and 14 points respectively. Louisville had a night they’d much rather forget from the field, only shooting 37 percent. There weren’t many 3-point attempts Louisville didn’t like today either, bombing away from downtown 37 times, hitting only 12 (good for 32 percent).
One game removed from their second highest number of field goals made (32 in the win over Marshall), Louisville only hit on 23 field goals. They took a 35-23 lead into halftime, but a quick 7-2 spurt by the Aggies got them right back in the second half, cutting the lead to seven.
The comeback for NMSU was short lived, as McGee drained four straight three-pointers, and Louisville built up a 12-point again, 49-37. At one point, the largest lead in the second half for Louisville was a 14-point lead, but NMSU refused to go away quietly, slicing the lead all the way down to three points with a minute to play.
Palacios calmly stepped to the free throw and canned both attempts, putting the game out of reach for the Aggies. His health is vital to the success Louisville hopes to achieve, and his presence as another big man on the floor is crucial for the Cardinals, with the likes of Roy Hibbert, DeJuan Blair, and Hasheem Thabeet to contend with in the Big East.
Senior forward Justin Hawkins scored a game-high 25 points and led the way for New Mexico State, but he received little help from the rest of his teammates. Jonathan Gibson and Jahmar Young combined for 23 points, but were a combined 9-of-25 from the field.
Louisville won their second straight, both on their home floor. They are in the middle of a five-game homestand, with their next game coming at Freedom Hall on Wednesday, Dec. 26th against Morehead State.
Tags: Big East Basketball, louisville cardinals, NCAA Men's basketball, New Mexico State Aggies