And so the scoreboard read Louisville 100, IPFW 79 on Monday.

But look closer at the box score, and it will say that the Mastodons scored 54 points in the second half.

Pride's an amazing thing with athletes and coaches.

Pride is what keeps you going, keeps you playing hard when the outcome is pretty much determined. And that, regardless of what the scoreboard says, lasts much longer than any final score.

So IPFW got beat by 21 on Monday by a better, bigger, more physical team that rolled out to a 16-0 lead.

What has to be kept in perspective, though, is that the Mastodons didn't fold.

IPFW Coach Chris Paul said he'll walk out of the Gates Center proud of the last 35 minutes and not dwell on the first five.

My guess is so will the rest of the fans, including Louisville, if anybody paid attention.