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Men's Basketball Faces New Mexico in NCAA Tournament Third Round Matchup
March 16, 2012
PORTLAND, Ore. - After its NCAA second round victory, the University of Louisville men's basketball team will face No. 5-seed New Mexico on Saturday, March 17, at the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore. Tip is set for 9:40 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised on TBS, with Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Dan Bonner (color) and Jenn Hildreth (reporter) calling the action. Behind 17 points from Peyton Siva, the fourth-seeded Cardinals (27-9) posted a 69-62 victory over No. 13-seed Davidson. Siva, playing in front of many family members, shot 7-of-12 from the field and tallied six assists and two steals. Chane Behanan registered a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 boards, six on the offensive end. Kyle Kuric chipped in with 13. Collectively, the Cardinals shot 51.9 percent in the first half and then scored 22 points from the charity stripe in the second half. Davidson, which was held to a season-low 35 percent from the field, was led by Jake Cohen's 24 points and 10 rebounds. The Cardinals also limited the Wildcats to only four 3-pointers. New Mexico (28-6) advanced after beating a tough Long Beach State team, 75-68. Drew Gordon had a strong performance, totaling a game-high 18 points and collecting 13 rebounds. Starters Kendall Williams (16 points) and Hugh Greenwood (12 points) also posted double-digit point totals, while Demetrius Walker came off the bench to add 11. New Mexico shot 50 percent from the floor for the game and went 18-of-24 (75 percent) from the free throw line. Casper Ware led the 49ers with 17 points. Gordon leads the team in points (460), points per game (13.5) and rebounds per game (11), while Williams ranks first on the team in assists (137) and second in points per game (12.1). The Lobos, who won the Mountain West Conference Tournament title, are under the direction of fifth-year head coach Steve Alford, who's led the program to a 126-45 overall record. In the preseason, New Mexico was picked to win the Mountain West Conference. Gordon was tabbed the preseason player of the year, and Greenwood was named the freshman of the year. At the season's end, Gordon was named first team all-conference, a USBWA all-district honoree and a NABC first team all-district selection. GAME FACTS - No. 4 seed Louisville vs. No. 5 seed New Mexico
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