Louisville Routs Georgia Tech Behind Pair of Career Performances
(Photo of Michael Devoe, David Johnson: Jamie Rhodes/USA TODAY Sports)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Kicking off a busy week full of stout Atlantic Coast Conference competition, the Louisville men's basketball program got it started on the right foot with a 74-58 victory over Georgia Tech on Monday at the KFC Yum! Center.
While Louisville (11-4, 6-3 ACC) shot just 38.9% from the field, they were powered by not one, but two career performances. Guard David Johnson poured in a career-high 24 points, and finished with 10 rebounds - one short of his career high. His six made threes was also a personal best.
Not to be outdone, forward Samuell Williamson came off the bench for the third-straight game to have his best game in a Cardinal uniform. He finished with 20 points and 18 rebounds, both of which were career-bests.
On the other end, forward Moses Wright had 15 points, 16 rebounds, and was three blocks shy of a triple-double. Guard Jose Alvarado, who was the ACC's third-leading scorer at 18.3 points per game, finished with just seven.
Taking a page out of Clemson's playbook, the Cardinals held the Georgia Tech (8-6, 4-4 ACC) to just 32.4% from the floor and 29.6% on three-point attempts. Heading into this game, the Yellow Jackets were shooting 46.9% - the third-best mark in the ACC. Louisville also won the rebound battle decisively at 56-39 and 20-12 on the offensive end.
For most of the first half, Georgia Tech stifled Louisville down low in the post. Thanks in part by forward/center Moses Wright, who had seven points, 11 rebounds and five blocks before halftime, the Yellow Jackets forced the Cardinals to miss their first eight layups of the game.
Fortunately, Louisville's outside shot was working well early for them. Guard David Johnson continued to showcase his NBA Lottery caliber talent, pouring in 14 first half points on 5-9 shooting and 4-7 on three-point shots. Forward Samuell Williamson's midrange game also gave the Cards a boost, giving Louisville a 33-27 edge at half.
Once the teams reconvened, Louisville took over and never looked back. They fired off a 14-2 run right out of the half, and never let Georgia Tech gets any closer than 15 points from there on out.
Louisville's play around the rim was much better as well. After winning the rebounding battle by just a single board in the first half, the Cardinals out-rebounded the Yellow Jackets 34-18 after halftime. They also had 18 points in the paints as opposed to 6 in the first half.
Next up for Louisville, they have a short turnaround and will head back on the road to face Syracuse. Tipoff is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 7:00 p.m. EST on the ACC Network.
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