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Taquan Dean's smile kept getting bigger with each 3-pointer.
The sophomore guard scored a career-high 31 on a record-breaking flurry of 3-pointers as No. 20 Louisville defeated overmatched VMI 107-56 on Tuesday night.
``I was just loose and having fun,'' Dean said. ``When I'm having fun, that's when I play my best.''
He made hit nine 3-pointers in 12 attempts in the Cardinals' 700th game in Freedom Hall, their home since 1956.
The former Louisville record for 3-pointers in a game was shared by Francisco Garcia, who made eight against Cincinnati on Feb. 5, and James Brewer, who got his against Oral Roberts on Jan. 2, 1993.
The Cardinals set
a school record with 34 assists, as their crisp passing led to an array of dunks
and layups.
``Our guys took care of business and did a professional job of passing,'' Louisville
coach Rick Pitino said. ``They thought pass before shot.''
Garcia, a sophomore guard, matched a career high with eight assists.
``Garcia could have had 30 points but he was looking for his teammates,'' VMI coach Bart Bellairs said.
The Keydets withered against the Cardinals' relentless first-half pressure. VMI committed nine turnovers on its first 11 possessions and had more miscues than points for most of the opening half. Louisville scored 31 points off VMI's 19 first-half turnovers.
The Cardinals (6-1) showed no signs of looking ahead to their showdown Saturday at second-ranked Kentucky.
Garcia said the performance should give the Cardinals plenty of confidence.
``We passed the ball very good and I hope it carries on for us to the next game,'' he said. ``As a matter of fact, we are shooting the ball very good, getting the ball to the open spots.''
AP - Dec 23, 9:20 pm EST
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Luke Whitehead scored 15 points and matched his career high with 15 rebounds.
Nate Daniels scored a career-high 17 points and Garcia had 12.
``A lot of times you don't stay focused when you are playing a team like this,'' Whitehead said. ``Sometimes you overlook them. But we stayed focused the whole game and didn't overlook them.''
The Cardinals took command from the outset, scoring the game's first 16 points.
Dean hit three 3-pointers in the first three minutes, and Otis George added four points for the Cardinals. Matt Murrer, who led VMI (2-7) with 11, broke the drought with a 3-pointer from the corner to make it 16-3 with 15:21 remaining in the first half.
The Cardinals hit 12-of-25 3-pointers and led 58-24 at the break.
Dean hit three shots from beyond the 3-point arc to open the second half, igniting a 15-4 Louisville spurt to a 73-28 lead.
At one point in the game, Louisville scored seven points in 18 seconds, capped by a dunk from Whitehead. The Cardinals called off their full-court pressure in the second half, and the Keydets finished with 23 turnovers.
The Cardinals hit 42 of 82 shots from the field, and had a season-high 18 3-pointers on 39 attempts.
Joshua Tinch, who also plays football at Louisville, hit a layup and a 3-pointer in his first action of the season to put the Cardinals over the century mark.
Three VMI players scored nine points apiece -- Richard Little, Tada Mankevicius and Fred Robinson.
The Keydets hit just 20 of 61 shots, including three of 17 3-pointers.
In the closing minutes, the Louisville crowd began chanting for a win over archrival Kentucky.
``We know we have a tough time ahead,'' Pitino said of his team's trip to Rupp Arena, where he used to coach the Wildcats. ``So the timing was perfect for this game.''
Bellairs said the Cardinals can match up with anyone in the country when their offense is on a roll.
``That's as good a team as we've ever played,'' he said. ``I don't know how good the No. 1 teams are, but when they are shooting the ball they're as good as anyone.''