No. 19 Louisville never trailed during an 84-72 win over St. Francis (Pa.), but the win on Friday was no walk in the park for the Cardinals in the KFC Yum! Center.

"We're 4-0 so that's the most important thing, obviously," Louisville coach David Padgett said. "We've got to do a better job of rebounding the ball, but we are pleased with the win. ... We have to get better from this."

The Cardinals (4-0) were led by junior forward Ray Spalding's 19 points and 13 rebounds. Louisville got double-figure points from five other players, including 13 from junior forward Deng Adel and 12 from senior center Anas Mahmoud.

The Red Flash (2-3) were led by 25 points from Keith Braxton, who was 10 of 18 from the floor with 11 rebounds.

The two teams were tied with seven minutes left in the first half before a Louisville run put the Cardinals ahead 42-31 with just over a minute left. The Cardinals ended the first half up 46-35, led by Spalding's 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Louisville continued to build its lead little by little until the Cardinals led 64-44 with 13 minutes to go. Spalding was shaken up with 10:19 to go and went to the bench.

"I think he's OK; it didn't seem like anything serious," Padgett said.

Despite Louisville's 20-point lead, St. Francis wasn't done yet. The Red Flash cut the Cardinals' lead to single digits with just over five minutes left.

The Red Flash were down 72-55 with 8:50 left, but scored 11 of the next 13 points to cut the margin to eight.

Louisville led 76-68 with 2:59 left when a pair of free throws by Adel sparked another Louisville run.

Adel hit a 3-pointer on Louisville's next possession to push the lead to 81-68.