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Jan. 5, 2006

Box Score |  Quotes |  Notes

Post-Game Audio Clip

• Head Coach Rick Pitino

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Randy Foye scored 24 points and the third-ranked Wildcats pulled away late to beat No. 9 Louisville 76-67 on Thursday night.

Allan Ray added 17 points for the Wildcats (10-0, 1-0), whose four-guard lineup proved to be too much for the Cardinals (11-2, 0-1). Villanova's start is its best season-opening stretch since 1995-96.

With Foye and Ray forcing the Cardinals to spread the floor, Villanova reserve center Jason Fraser found enough room to score 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting. Villanova outrebounded Louisville 42-34 and held the Cardinals to 43 percent shooting from the field.

David Padgett led Louisville with 17 points and six rebounds before fouling out with less than 3 minutes to go. Brandon Jenkins and Chad Millard each added 12 points for Louisville, which got only nine points in 17 foul-plagued minutes from leading scorer Taquan Dean.

The Wildcats never trailed and hardly looked rattled playing their first game west of Pennsylvania. Though Louisville cut the lead to one possession a handful of times in the second half, whenever a big basket needed to be made, Foye or Ray would knock it down.

Louisville coach Rick Pitino tried to match Villanova's speed, starting three guards as a way to keep up with Villanova's guard-heavy rotation.

But in the first Big East game in school history, the Cardinals quickly realized they weren't in Conference USA anymore.

Foye hit his first four shots and the Wildcats took a 21-9 lead, rattling the Cardinals with their quickness.

Dean picked up his third foul 9 minutes in, but the Cardinals collected themselves behind improbable contributions from freshmen Millard and Bryan Harvey. They entered the game combing for less than four points per game but combined for 12 in the first half as the Cardinals drew within a point before a late run put the Wildcats up 36-30 at halftime.