LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Francisco Garcia scored 25 points and Ellis Myles grabbed 16 rebounds to lead No. 17 Louisville to a 98-57 rout of Lafayette on Saturday.

Freshman Juan Palacios scored 16 and Larry O’Bannon added 13 for the Cardinals (4-1), playing for the first time since finishing fifth in the Maui Invitational. Garcia also had five assists and seven rebounds.

Paul Cummins scored 13 to lead overmatched Lafayette (1-4), which shot 28 percent and committed 19 turnovers.

The faster, more talented Cardinals seized control immediately, opening with a 17-1 run. The Leopards fueled the spurt by missing their first nine shots and committing three turnovers.

Garcia, Louisville’s leading scorer last season, got two quick fouls and coach Rick Pitino benched him. It didn’t matter.

After Matt Betley sank a 3-pointer for Lafayette with 14:07 left in the half, the Cardinals ran off 13 straight points to build a 30-4 lead.

For much of the rest of the half, Pitino used a unit of small, scrappy reserves, a group Pitino has dubbed the “kamikazes.” The group maintained Louisville’s comfortable lead with swarming full-court pressure and crisp offense.

The Cardinals led 54-19 at the half, going 19-of-33 from the field (58 percent) and generating 18 points off 11 Lafayette turnovers in the first 20 minutes.

Garcia scored 20 points after returning early in the second half. The lead never dipped below 35 after the break.

The Cardinals finished with 11 3-pointers, shot 51 percent overall and outrebounded the Leopards 49-35.

AP-ES-12-04-04 1414EST