PHOENIX -- Louisville coach Rick Pitino has played in the most difficult arenas in college basketball. Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina.Hes faced some of the games best guards through the years. Bobby Hurley, John Wall, Sherman Douglass.Never before had he seen a combination like DeWayne Russell and the rowdy Grand Canyon Havocs.Overcoming a dominating performance by Russell and Grand Canyons boisterous student section, No. 14 Louisville escaped with a harder-than-expected, 79-70 win over the Antelopes Saturday night.It made us a much better team tonight, Pitino said. Whether we go to Duke or Kentucky, nothing will be as tough an environment as this.Pitino agreed to this rare road game against a small, private school out of respect for GCU coach Dan Majerle.The Cardinals (7-1) won in a blowout the first game of the series a year ago at home, but faced a much more difficult challenge heading to the desert.Grand Canyons student section is secretly one of the best in college basketball, racing to their seats before the game to create a rave-like atmosphere .The Cardinals knew Russell, the Antelopes blur of a point guard, would be able to score, yet had no way of stopping him, no matter what they did.And as Russell continued to pour in shots on his way to a career-high 42 points, the students known as the Havocs pushed the Antelopes within reach of the biggest win in school history.Ive never seen anything like it, Majerle said. Ive seen some great performances and thats the most amazing thing Ive seen.After struggling to find an offensive rhythm in the first half, Louisville started to find the mark with good passing. The Cardinals hit 17 of 31 shots in the second half and had a 22-point advantage in the paint to pull away.Deng Adel scored 15 points, while V.J. King and Ray Spalding added 14 each for Louisville, which played without 7-foot center Anas Muhmoud (concussion).Our passing was great in the second half, Pitino said. That was the difference.Missing three starters, Grand Canyon (3-4) led Louisville at halftime and kept the Cardinals close until the midpoint of the second half.Russell was the reason.The wispy 5-foot-11 senior weaved his way through Louisvilles defense despite facing constant traps and double teams, scoring on pull-up jumpers and a pair of 3-pointers for 18 points by halftime. Russell closed it with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to put Grand Canyon up 37-36 at halftime.Russell kept his one-man show rolling in the second half, bringing the crowd to its feet again and again, including a baseline teardrop shot that appeared to float as high as the shot clock.Coach Majerle told me where the traps were going to come from, how they were going to defend me and I just did the best I could to execute the plan, said Russell, who hit 14 of 27 shots.Louisville put together a short run midway through the second half to go up 10 and kept its cushion despite Russells performance.BIG PICTURELouisville had another rough night shooting from the perimeter and had a hard time shaking a small school that isnt in Division I yet. Not what the Cardinals had in mind on the trip to the desert, but there will be plenty for coach Rick Pitino to use in the film room and practice.Grand Canyon schedules games like this -- it also has Duke and Arizona on this seasons schedule -- to gain exposure and experience against big-time programs. The Lopes fell short, but will benefit in the long run.POLL IMPLICATIONSScraping past a the Lopes could cost the Cardinals a few spots in the poll Monday.UNEXPECTED LIFTWith the Cardinals struggling to get any kind of flow offensively in the first half, coach Rick Pitino turned to Matz Stockman.The junior from Norway played a total of 15 minutes through the first seven games, scoring five points. He came alive when given the chance against GCU, scoring 10 points and grabbing three rebounds in the first half.I never I thought Id see the day where Id call timeouts and run plays for him, Pitino said. But thats what happened and he executed it beautifully.UP NEXTLouisville hosts Southern Illinois on Wednesday night.Grand Canyon hosts San Diego State on Wednesday night. Air Max Plus Australia Online . A statement from the worlds top-ranked player says all checks "were satisfactory and showed positive evolution" regarding the injury, which contributed to his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final in Melbourne. Wholesale Air Max Plus Australia . Miller finished in two minutes, 6.09 seconds, one day before the first medal race on the Alpine schedule. The 36-year-old American also turned in the top time in Thursdays opening training session. http://www.airmaxplusaustralia.com/ . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. Air Max Plus Australia . Speaking to the Chicago Tribune at baseballs Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Boras called the former home of the Expos a "tremendous environment" for baseball. Discount Air Max Plus Australia . Duchene scored two goals and had an assist, helping the Colorado Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Friday night to match the best 10-game start in team history. STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Texas A&M quarterback Trevor Knight didnt start the second half for the Aggies after leaving the game in the second quarter following an apparent injury.Junior Jake Hubenak has started the second half for the Aggies. Mississippi State was leading No. 7 Texas A&M 28-14 in the third quarter.Knight appeared uncomfortable on the sideline after diving for a 19-yard touchdown late in the first quarter.dddddddddddd He didnt play the next series, but returned in the second quarter before he was knocked out of the game again following a hit along the sideline.Knight walked off the field with trainers, but didnt return. He was 5 of 14 passing for 43 yards in the first half. ' ' '