Obinna Ekezie Jr. was the biggest inside presence for Louisville in its exhibition win over Kansas last week. In the No. 11 Cardinals' second and last exhibition, it was Flory Bidunga who ruled the paint.
Bidunga collected 19 points and nine rebounds, along with two blocks to lead U of L to a 71-39 romp past Mercyhurst as 12,545 fans looked on Wednesday night in the KFC Yum! Center in the Cards' final tuneup for the season opener against Chattanooga Monday.
"The end of the preseason,” Louisville coach Pat Kelsey said. “.... Now, it starts the next chapter of non-conference, and we have one of the best non-conference schedules in the country. It’s the end of a chapter ... We are not a finished product; no team in the country is. We have a lot to improve on and a lot to get better at, but I like our guys’ attitude.”
Kelsey called the game a “tractor pull” on offense, noting that his team turned it over 17 times and started slow.
“We didn’t play well, but credit the other team,” he said.
Nevertheless, the Cards set a school record for fewest points allowed in exhibition play, breaking the previous mark set in a 90-41 win vs. Simmons College in 2018.
Bidunga's scoring output on 9-of-13 from the field helped atone for 2-of-13 3-point shooting by the Cards, although they made 50.8% overall. Seth Trimble, De'Shayne Montgomery and Karter Knox each scored 10 points for the winners, who led just 30-21 at halftime after missing all six of their 3-pointers.
Trimble also had a game-high six assists, while Alvaro Folgueiras added five.
Bigunda, who had two dunks on Louisville's first three possessions in the second half, and his teammates ruled the paint, outscoring Mercyhurst by a whopping 56-14 and outrebounded the visitors 51-32.
Jake Lemelman's 13 points accounted for Mercyhurst's only double-figure scorer and he needed 19 field goal attempts to reach that total, making only nine. U of L held the Lakers to 23.9 % (16-67) overall and 19.2% (5-26) from distance.
Kelsey distributed the minutes liberally, with 10 players getting 13 minutes or more on the court and no one playing more than Bidunga's 26 minutes.
DYNES SIDELINED FOR FOUR MONTHS OR MORE
U of L has lost one of its big men for most of the season, with the announcement Wednesday that 7-foot-5 junior center Gabe Dynes underwent shoulder surgery Tuesday and will be sidelined for at least four months. The school said in a release that the surgery was successful, and Dynes is expected to make a full recovery.
Kelsey said during Media Day on Oct. 8 that Dynes was dealing with a shoulder injury but indicated that it wouldn't be a longstanding problem.
"It's nothing serious, but it's been about a week and a half," Kelsey said. "He's got a little bit more time to go."
However, turns out it's going to be a lot more time. He could conceivably apply for a medical redshirt that would give him another season of eligibility.
The Independence, Ky. native and Simon Kenton High School graduate transferred to Louisville after one season at USC, where he averaged 2.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and one block per game while shooting 78.7% from the field.
Prior to transferring to USC, he played two seasons at Youngstown State, where he was named to the Horizon League's All-Defensive team both years. He led the nation with 104 blocks in 2024-25 while averaging 6.9 points and 5.8 rebounds.
Flory Bidunga's 19 points led Louisville in a rout over Mercyhurst, 71-39, in an exhibition college basketball game. (Louisville Athletics photo)
