In an exciting showdown in Louisville, Kentucky, Terrance Edwards Jr. dazzled with a career-high 35-point performance to propel the 14th-ranked Louisville Cardinals to an 85-68 win over California on Wednesday night. Edwards, named the Sun Belt Player of the Year last season at James Madison, ignited the offensive charge by sinking six of his first eight shots, which helped the Cardinals (24-6, 17-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) secure a 22-19 edge with 7:22 left in the first half.
During that stretch, however, Edwards’ support cast struggled, missing 10 out of 11 shots. Despite this, Edwards finished strong, hitting 11 of 19 shots from the field, including an impressive seven 3-pointers from 11 attempts, setting a new personal best.
Other significant contributions came from Chucky Hepburn, who added 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, while J’Vonne Hadley chipped in with 16 points and eight rebounds.
On the opposite side, Jovan Blacksher Jr. led California (13-17, 6-13) with 22 points, and Jeremiah Wilkerson contributed 11 points.
The Cardinals extended their lead to 53-29 following a three-point play by Hepburn with 17:20 left in the game. Though the Bears managed to narrow the gap to 64-51 after a 3-pointer by DJ Campbell with 11:36 on the clock, Louisville reasserted its dominance to close out the game.
California, struggling with shooting throughout the season, managed just 29.6% from the field, marking the third occasion they shot under 30%. On the other hand, Louisville excelled from beyond the arc, making 11 of 23 attempts, even without Reyne Smith, one of their standout shooters, who exited the game due to a first-half leg injury.
A pivotal moment came when Mady Sissoko’s jumper granted Cal a 19-16 lead with 8:06 to go before the break. However, after missing their next 14 attempts, California’s offense stalled while Louisville capitalized, going 8 for 12, to secure a 41-26 halftime lead.
Significantly for Louisville, Edwards now holds the distinction of being among Cardinals players Hepburn, Smith, and Hadley, to have scored 30 points in a game this season.
Looking ahead, California will finish the regular season with a matchup against Notre Dame on Saturday. Louisville, meanwhile, is set to host Stanford on the same day.
