LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Louisvilles final home game for nearly a month was especially memorable because of its precision in a lopsided victory against Missouri State. Certainly, the sixth-ranked Cardinals have room to improve in many areas as they prepare for four road contests over 23 days including a Dec. 28 showdown against in-state rival No. 19 Kentucky in Lexington. For now, the defending national champions look forward to building on its best overall performance of the season. Montrezl Harrell had 17 points and eight rebounds, and Louisville manhandled the Bears 90-60 on Tuesday night. The Cardinals (10-1) took control early and never let up against the Bears (8-2). They combined dominant rebounding and offensive accuracy during a 16-0 first-half run for a 19-4 lead in the first meeting between the schools since 2006. Harrell was among four Cardinals with at least eight rebounds each, a combination that alone outdid MSU in Louisvilles 51-30 domination of the boards including 20-10 offensively. They also outscored the Bears 46-28 inside and held them to 38 per cent shooting to close a 5-0 home stand. Asked if this was Louisvilles best effort to date, Harrell answered, "Id say so. It was a great win. The first half we really got into it, (and it) got us going." Senior guard Russ Smith added 11 points and eight assists, while freshman Terry Rozier had 11 points and eight rebounds. Forwards Stephan Van Treese and Mangok Mathiang combined for 17 rebounds for Louisville, which shot 34 of 66 from the field (52 per cent). Louisville coach Rick Pitino agreed that it was the best he has seen his team play, adding, "I dont know what was better, the defence, the offence or the offensive rebounding. It was just awesome in the first half." Jarmar Gulleys 14 points led the Bears, whose two-game winning streak was thoroughly halted by a Cardinals squad that controlled every facet of the game. MSU led Louisville 4-3 before the Cardinals seized the pace with the big run. The Bears never got closer than 17 after that, spoiling Paul Lusks 100th career game as a coach. "They just dominated us on the glass," Lusk said. "Theyve got a lot of talent but they also play so darn hard. We just simply couldnt keep them off the glass. That was the telltale of the game." Missouri State brought some impressive credentials into its second meeting against Louisville and first since losing to the Cardinals in the 2006 NIT. The Bears were runners-up to Virginia in the Corpus Christi Challenge, a four-game run that included a win over previously unbeaten Texas A&M. They also boasted an impressive scoring combination in Gulley and Marcus Marshall, who had combined for nearly 27 points per game coming in and were developing into a strong scoring duo in just four games together. Against the Cardinals, though, they combined for only 22 points as Marshall finished with eight. MSUs bench was outscored 32-26, 10 points below their average. Louisville welcomed back point guard Chris Jones from a one-game absence because of a sprained right wrist. Rozier started but the 5-foot-10 junior came in five minutes later with the wrist bandaged and finished with nine points in 19 minutes. The Cardinals were in the midst of their key run when Jones entered. The sequence was highlighted by Chane Behanans thunderous one-handed dunk off of Van Treeses long lead pass and Roziers steal of the inbounds pass and layup seconds later. Louisville continued to overwhelm MSU, which was outrebounded 20-5 through 13 minutes and 27-10 overall in the first half. That statistic offered the best indicator of Louisvilles defensive effort, which disrupted the Bears dribbling, passing and shot selection. The Cardinals nearly matched their per-game blocks average (4.6) by the break alone, finishing with seven and answering everything MSU attempted. "They switched defences a lot," said MSU guard/forward Keith Pickens, who had four points. "It was sometimes hard to read. I think it came down to rebounding early. They killed us on the offensive glass." Louisvilles offence was just as effective, as the Cardinals dissected MSUs zone and muscled their way for baskets. Louisville also had 14 assists and recorded seven blocks. "If we play defence like that, we can beat any team in the country," Rozier said. Chase Anderson Jersey . Bowditch, the 30-year-old Australian seeking his first PGA Tour title, shot a 4-under 68 to reach 12 under at TPC San Antonio. Matt Kuchar and Andrew Loupe were tied for second. Kuchar shot 65, and Loupe had a 70. Zach Davies Brewers Jersey . Canada will host Japan in a World Group first-round match in 2015. It will be a rematch of their first-round clash last year when Japan defeated Canada 4-1 to reach the World Group quarter-finals for the first time in its history. https://www.cheapbrewers.com/1699y-loren...ey-brewers.html. Thats 14 consecutive losses to the two-time defending champs, and most of them were over before they even began. Result notwithstanding, Sundays game had a very different feel to it. Keston Hiura Brewers Jersey . -- Center Max Unger and tight end Zach Miller are both probable for the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday against the New York Giants and Percy Harvins recovery continues to be slow. Freddy Peralta Jersey . PAUL, Minn – The clock lingered for what seemed like an interminable two minutes and 51 seconds before Mark Fraser finally escaped to the bench during a wildly one-sided first period of an eventual loss to Boston.Canadas David Hearn came achingly close to his first PGA Tour victory last season. Hes had three top-10 results this season and feels ready to put it all together and finally hoist a trophy at the top level. "I feel really close," Hearn said Wednesday. "I got really close last year at the John Deere (Classic) just before the Canadian Open. Im a little bit surprised its taken me quite as long to get back into contention. "But I feel like everything is right where it needs to be to have a week where I know I could put it all together. Ive improved a lot of little areas of my game and I feel like my game is consistently better." Hearns best career finish came at the 2013 John Deere Classic. He was tied with Jordan Spieth and Zach Johnson after regulation but Spieth took the title by hitting a par putt on the fifth playoff hole. The 35-year-old from Brantford, Ont., is enjoying a short break before ramping things up in July. He plans to play at The Greenbrier Classic early next month before returning to the John Deere Classic. Entry in the British Open remains a question mark for now but Hearn is locked in for the July 24-27 RBC Canadian Open at the Royal Montreal Golf Club. He has yet to play the Ile-Bizard, Que., course but feels his game should be a good fit for the old-style, tree-lined layout. "Its a course from my understanding that keeping the ball in play off the tee is going to be at a premium," he said on a conference call. "Thats something that my game is well suited for." Hearn will be joined in the field by fellow Canadians Graham DeLaet, Mike Weir and Stephen Ames. Golff Canada confirmed Wednesday that world No.dddddddddddd15 Dustin Johnson is also entered along with Charl Schwartzel, Chris Kirk, Matt Every and Charley Hoffman. Theyll join a field that includes defending champion Brandt Snedeker, Ernie Els, Graeme McDowell, Luke Donald, Matt Kuchar, Jim Furyk and Hunter Mahan. Hearn, who celebrated a birthday Tuesday, said now that hes in his mid-30s he feels more comfortable taking a little time off before busy stretches on the Tour. "I think Ive gotten a lot better at setting my schedule out and giving myself breaks when I need them, so when I do play I feel like Im ready to compete each and every week that I do tee it up," he said. Hearn, who turned pro in 2001, finished tied for sixth at the Honda Classic last March and had another sixth-place effort last month at The Players Championship. However, he has missed the cut at six of his last 16 tournaments and currently holds the No. 90 position in the world rankings. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the last victory by a Canadian at the national open. Pat Fletcher was the last to do it in 1954. The 2014 field for the US$5.7-million event includes eight former champions in Snedeker (2013), Scott Piercy (2012), Sean OHair (2011), Carl Pettersson (2010), Nathan Green (2009), Jim Furyk (2006, 2007), Vijay Singh (2004) and John Rollins (2002). Canadians Adam Hadwin, Brad Fritsch and Beon Yeong Lee will also be in the field. The rest of the tournament entries will be finalized in the coming weeks. Follow (at)GregoryStrongCP on Twitter. ' ' '