CARROLLTON, Ga. - The 2021-22 men's basketball preseason came to a close for UWG on Wednesday evening in Louisville, Kentucky as the Wolves lost 103-51 at the KFC Yum! Center in an exhibition game. 

Senior Jalen Sasser scored 14 points and pulled six rebounds to lead the Wolves against the perennial NCAA power. Michael Zabetakis, a 2021 First Team All-Gulf South Conference performer, was next on the team with nine points and Seth Brown-Carter scored six points on two three-pointers in his first action since the 2019-20 campaign. 

"I thought we played really good for the first five to six minutes," said head coach Dave Moore. "We competed, made shots, played a style of game that we wanted to play and got some stops. We didn't allow a ton of easy baskets and going into that first media timeout up a couple of points is exactly where we want to be."

After falling behind 6-2 early in the game, the Wolves began to shoot well, taking a 12-9 lead on a jumper from Jalen Sasser with 15:00 left in the first half. In the first eight minutes of the game, Zabetakis scored seven of his nine points in the game and with 14:05 left in the half, UWG held a slim 14-13 advantage. 

"Louisville just keeps coming at you with their transition game and you have to be able to keep up that pace for 40 minutes or you are going to give up easy baskets, and that's what happened as the game went along," Moore said. "And ultimately to stay close in a game like this, we have to shoot the ball and 19 percent from three is not going to be enough against a good team like this."

From the 13:15 mark where Zabetakis hit a shot to tie the game at 16-16 until the 7:43 mark and the under-8:00 timeout, the Cardinals went on a 15-2 run to take a commanding 31-18 lead. That lead continued to grow as Louisville shot 61.9 percent from the field in the first half to take a 54-28 lead into the locker room at the break. In the second half, the Cardinals continued to pour shots in, hitting 11-of-23 from three-point range and 57 percent from the field in the victory. 

The Wolves now turn their attention to the regular season, which is set to begin on November 12 in West Palm Beach, Florida, at the Gulf South / Sunshine State Conference crossover. UWG will take on Embry-Riddle in the first game on the 12th, then will play host Palm Beach Atlantic on November 13. The home opener is scheduled for November 23 when the Wolves host Clayton State at The Coliseum. 

"Overall, tonight was a good learning experience and a chance to put a lot of good stuff on tape," Moore said. "We need to continue to get better, the preseason is over and now it's time to get ready for the season."