Cavaliers Fall to Cardinals 70-50
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Rebounding helped lift the Louisville Cardinals (8-6, 1-2 ACC) past the Virginia Cavaliers (8-6, 1-2 ACC) 70-50 on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 4) at John Paul Jones Arena.
Louisville dominated the boards 42-25, including a 14-6 offensive rebound edge that generated 10 second-chance points. The Cardinals shot 43.9 percent in the contest (25-for-57) with Aboubacar Traore and Reyne Smith tying with a game-high 15 points. Smith scored all 15 of his points off 3-pointers, draining five of Louisville’s seven total from behind the arc. Louisville’s bench outscored Virginia’s 34-2.
Andrew Rohde led the Cavaliers with his UVA-high 16 points (6-12 FG, 2 3FG) while Isaac McKneely added 13 (5-10 FG, 3 FG) and Elijah Saunders tallied 12 (6-12 FG). Virginia went 20-for-54 from the field (37 percent).
HOW IT HAPPENED
After the game was tied at both the first [6-6] and second [11-11] media timeouts, Louisville orchestrated a 7-0 run to claim an 18-11 lead midway through the half. The Cavaliers outscored the Cardinals 9-2 over the next four minutes to even the score at 20 before Louisville posted its second 7-0 run of the half to go up 27-20. Andrew Rohde scored as time expired to send the contest into intermission with a 32-27 Cardinal advantage. Rohde and Isaac McKneely led the Cavaliers in the first half with eight points.
UVA brought the game within two early in the second half but never could regain the lead, shooting 33.3 percent (9-for-27) and getting outrebounded 22-12.
UP NEXT
Virginia travels to California for an ACC contest on Wednesday, Jan. 8. Tipoff at Haas Pavilion is set for 11 p.m. on ESPN2/U.