LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Tyreke Key scored at least 20 points for the second consecutive game this season and helped ignite a second half comeback before the No. 4 Louisville Cardinals proved to be too much down the stretch as they earned a 91-62 victory over the visiting Sycamores in front of 14,808 fans inside the KFC Yum! Center.
 
ISU fell to 0-2 on the season while Louisville improved to 3-0, 1-0 ACC. It was the fifth win in the all-time series as the Cardinals were the highest ranked team to face off against the Sycamores since No. 4 Wichita State in 2014.
 
Louisville built a 19-point lead in the first 20 minutes as they hit over 80 percent of their shots for much of the first half and hit all five of the first attempts from 3-point range. The Cardinals finished with a 58.5 shooting mark and posted nine trifectas.
 
The Sycamores were paced by 20 points from Tyreke Key. ISU was led in rebounding by De'Avion Washington with six boards. ISU hit 36 percent of their attempts in the opening 20 minutes and finished with a 33.9 mark for the game. The defense forced 15 Louisville turnovers and converted them into 18 points. Second chance points swayed in favor of the Cardinals by a 16-7 margin.
 
Indiana State surrendered the first bucket of the second half as Louisville extended their lead out to 23 points. But the Sycamores countered with an extended 8-0 run of their own which included a Christian Williams jumper to begin and continued with a second chance bucket by sophomore De'Avion Washington. After four free throws, the Sycamores trailed only 49-34 with 17:17 remaining. The Cardinals hit a lay-up of their own, but ISU made it 14 of 16 points in a row when Key drained 3-pointers on consecutive trips to trim the Louisville lead down to 51-40 with 15:30 remaining.
 
Key would connect on his third 3-pointer of the contest to push him to the 18-point plateau with 14:05 remaining which four in a row by the Cardinals to keep the Sycamores within striking distance. Louisville would go on to score the game's next ten points as they raced out to a 65-43 lead with 11:39 remaining on a Dwayne Sutton jumper. ISU ended a four and half minute drought with 11:12 on the clock as Bronson Kessinger made a turnaround jumper in the paint.
 
For the second consecutive game, Key would go over the 20-point mark with a pair of free throws with just over eight minutes to go which cut into the Louisville advantage at 72-47.
 
Things began well for the Sycamores when Christian Williams recorded a steal and fast break dunk on the first possession of the contest to push ISU ahead 2-0 just 17 seconds in the game. Louisville would take a 5-2 lead before Jordan Barnes and Tyreke Key connected on trifectas on consecutive possessions as ISU led 8-5 at the 17:05 mark.
 
But the Cardinals would score 10 in a row before C. Williams answered with his fifth point of the game on a 3-pointer with 12:47 remaining to inch the Sycamores within 15-11. A Cobie Barnes 3-pointer at the midway point of the first half cut the Cardinal lead down to 27-16. The Sycamore defense would hold Louisville without a field goal over the final 2:15 on the first half – but the Cardinals hit 17-of-28 from the field (60.7 percent) and 7-of-9 from long range (77.8 percent) as they took a 47-26 lead into the break. The Cardinals held a commanding 24-6 edge in rebounds. Jordan Barnes and Tyreke Key each had seven points for the Sycamores in the opening 20 minutes.
 
Jordan Nwora paced Louisville with 21 points in the contest.
 
Indiana State will take on in-state rival Ball State on Sunday, November 17 in Indianapolis at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Tip-off is set for 4:30 pm (ET) and will be televised live world-wide on ESPN3. Tickets to the game are still available for just $20 at Ticketmaster.com or in person at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.