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Freshman Dre Davis poured in 21 points, Carlik Jones netted 18 and David Johnson tallied 17 points as the host Louisville Cardinals won their fourth straight game to open the season, besting the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 75-54 in a nonconference game on Tuesday night.

The Cardinals (4-0) shot 47.3 percent from the floor, but they hit 8 of 18 attempts from 3-point range, compared with the Hilltoppers making 3 of 18 attempts from deep. Western Kentucky shot 43.4 percent from the floor.

Johnson added eight assists and six rebounds, and Jae'Lyn notched nine rebounds for Louisville.

Taveion Hollingsworth scored 19 points to lead the Hilltoppers (2-2), and Charles Bassey added 13 to go with 15 rebounds and five blocks. But Bassey, who on Monday was named to the Wooden Award watch list, was also responsible for six of Western Kentucky's 21 turnovers.

The Cardinals led by five at halftime, and Jones scored the first four points of the second half to extend the lead to 38-29. Western Kentucky, which had turnovers on its first four possessions of the half, couldn't take advantage of its few chances to get back in the game.

The Hilltoppers' best opportunity came when Dayvion McKnight scored on a layup to pull within 45-41 with 11:41 left, but Davis answered with two buckets, the first of those a 3-pointer, to push the lead back to nine. Western Kentucky didn't get any closer the rest of the way.

The Hilltoppers led 25-17 with 9:02 left in the first half when they went cold from the field, missing nine straight shots at one point and 10 of their final 12 before intermission.

The Cardinals took advantage, getting points from six different players as they scored the next 12 points, with a 3-pointer by Jones and a jumper by Aidan Igiehon capping the run to lead 29-25 with 3:01 left.

Western Kentucky scored on a dunk by Bassey and a layup by McKnight to tie the game at 29 with 1:40 to go before halftime, but Johnson hit a trey and JJ Traynor canned a pair of free throws to put Louisville up 34-29 at the break.

Johnson scored 11 in the half to lead the Cardinals. Bassey and Hollingsworth had seven apiece for the Hilltoppers, though they made 6 of 14 attempts from the floor between them, including all four of their shots from beyond the arc.

Bassey remained a force defensively, getting 12 rebounds and blocking three shots in the half.

--Field Level Media