LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Damion Lee scored 16 points, all in the second half, and No. 22 Louisville shot 53 percent from the field to overwhelm Eastern Michigan 86-53 on Saturday.
Louisville (7-1) torched another opponent in shooting better than 50 percent for the seventh time in eight games this season. The Cardinals entered the game leading the country in scoring margin at more than 30 points a game.
Quentin Snider scored 13 points, Chinanu Onuaku had 12 and Ray Spalding and Trey Lewis added 11 each for Louisville. The Cardinals had 20 assists on 31 field goals.
Raven Lee led Eastern Michigan (6-4) with 19 points. Freshman James Thompson IV had 12 points and 13 rebounds to earn his sixth straight double-double. Eastern Michigan shot 30 percent (19 of 64) from the field.
Lee, Louisville's leading scorer at 19 points per game, was held scoreless in the first half and the Cardinals appeared hesitant to attack Eastern Michigan's 2-3 zone early, relying on five 3s in the first 10 1/2 minutes to gain an early edge. Thompson's jumper cut the Louisville lead to one before a 7-0 run in 70 seconds made it 16-8 midway through the opening half.
Spalding and Snider, both local products, filled Lee's void as the Cardinals worked together to score. Spalding had six points, two rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal in the opening half while Snider had 10 points. Snider's floater at the buzzer gave Louisville a 37-21 lead.
A 10-0 Louisville burst to start the second half put the game out of reach at 47-21. Lee later capped an 8-0 run with consecutive 3s that gave Louisville a 62-30 lead with 12:18 to play. Spalding and Onuaku had seven rebounds each for Louisville.
TIP-INS
Eastern Michigan: The Eagles had nine steals after entering third in the nation (11.4 per game). ... The Eagles had won four of their last five games. . Louisville and Eastern Michigan both lost at now-No. 1 Michigan State.
Louisville: The Cardinals entered leading the nation in rebounding margin (18.9) and scoring margin (30.3). They are second in scoring defense with 55.7 points allowed per game. . Lewis scored 11 points to go above 1,200 for his career. The graduate transfer played his first three seasons with Penn State and Cleveland State.
UP NEXT
Eastern Michigan visits Coppin State on Dec. 21.
Louisville hosts Kennesaw State on Wednesday.
