National Basketball Association
Louisville 76, Connecticut 64
When: 9:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 18, 2014
Where: Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, Storrs, Connecticut
Officials:
# Brian O'Connell, # Mike Stuart, # Ted Valentine
Attendance:
10167
By SportsDirect Inc.
No. 14 Louisville 76, Connecticut 64: Russ Smith scored 23 points and Montrezl Harrell posted his third double-double in the last four games, finishing with 18 points and 13 rebounds to fuel the Cardinals to a quality road victory.
Smith made 12-of-15 foul shots to overcome a 5-of-13 performance from the field as Louisville (16-3, 5-1 AAC) won for the fifth time in six games since losing to in-state rival Kentucky. Harrell finished 8-of-10 from the field and helped the Cardinals to a 42-30 advantage on the boards.
Shabazz Napier continued his terrific senior season by registering 30 points, including five 3-pointers, for the Huskies (14-4, 2-3). Napier did not receive much help, however, as Ryan Boatright and DeAndre Daniels combined for 13 points on 5-of-23 shooting.
Harrell dominated the first half, scoring 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting - not to mention six rebounds and three blocks - as Louisville led 34-28 at the break. Napier kept Connecticut close with 11 first-half points, including three 3-pointers.
The Huskies scored the first six points of the second half to tie it at 34-34, although the defending NCAA champions quickly unleashed a 20-4 run that began with a 3-pointer by Luke Hancock and later included three-point plays by Hancock and Smith. Connecticut finally got the margin back to single digits with 4:17 remaining, but Smith made eight free throws and a jumper in the final four minutes to seal the win.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie was ejected following back-to-back technical fouls for arguing a no-foul call in the second half. ... PG Chris Jones, the third-leading scorer for Louisville, missed his second straight game with an oblique injury. ... Harrell also had three blocks, as did Cardinals F Mangok Mathiang.
Top Game Performances
Louisville |
|
Connecticut |
Russ Smith 23 |
Scoring |
Shabazz Napier 30 |
Luke Hancock 3 |
Assists |
Ryan Boatright 3 |
Montrezl Harrell 13 |
Rebounds |
Amida Brimah 5 |
Russ Smith 12 |
Free Throws Made |
Shabazz Napier 11 |
Terry Rozier 2 |
Steals |
Ryan Boatright 2 |
Montrezl Harrell 3 |
Blocks |
Amida Brimah 2 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Louisville
|
76 |
45.6 |
3-13 |
21-33 |
10 |
40 |
7 |
5 |
13 |
Connecticut
|
64 |
35.2 |
8-23 |
18-21 |
7 |
24 |
5 |
7 |
10 |