Pat Kelsey club handles EKU in final 2024 game

On By Littum

It felt like Louisville basketball threw a knockout blow in the first half Saturday afternoon against Eastern Kentucky at KFC Yum! Center, using a 15-4 run to take a 42-27 lead into the final 3:41 before halftime.

Wrong. Pat Kelsey’s Cardinals (8-5) let off the gas a little and found themselves in a dogfight. With 9:49 left in regulation, the Colonels pulled ahead, 61-59; and even when U of L responded with 12 unanswered points, they refused to go down quietly.

Final score: Louisville 78, EKU 76. Noah Waterman hit the go-ahead with 1.2 seconds on the clock.

Exhale.

The Cards will be played next at 6:00 PM on New Year’s Day vs. North Carolina at the Yum! Center.

This story will be updated.

Reach Louisville basketball reporter Brooks Holton at [email protected] and follow him on the X at @brooksHolton.