Louisville Takes Down Georgia Tech for First Win in ACC Play
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball program is finally off the schneid.
Hosting Georgia Tech in what was a tremendous opportunity for them to capture their first win of the season against ACC competition, the Cardinals seized the moment, and were able to hold off the Yellow Jackets long enough to secure a 68-58 win Wednesday at the KFC Yum! Center.
The victory both hands first year head coach Kenny Payne win No. 1 in conference play, and snaps a 10-game losing streak for the Cardinals (3-19, 1-10 ACC) in the process. It had been tied for the longest losing streak of the modern era, and longest since dropping 12 straight from Feb. 23, 1940 to Feb. 8, 1941.
Conversely for the Yellow Jackets (8-14, 1-11 ACC), they're now on an eight-game losing streak, and have lost 11 of their last 13 contests stretching back to mid-December.
While Louisville did produce 15 turnovers for the game, they didn't let it bite them too hard, as it only led to 13 Georgia Tech points. They also shot noticeably better at 45.7 percent from the field to 29.5 percent by the visitors, and decisively won the rebounding battle at 46-32.
The winning effort was led mainly by Jae'Lyn Withers, as he finished with a season-high 19 points and career-high 13 rebounds for his fifth career double-double. Kamari Lands and El Ellis each had 11 points, while J.J. Traynor tallied 10 points.
The opening segments of the game played out exactly like you would expect a matchup pitting the two worst teams in the ACC against each other would. Louisville made just three of their first 12 attempts of the game, while Georgia Tech drained only three of their first 17 shots.
Both teams eventually started to hit shots more consistently, and thanks primarily to Withers and his 14 first half points, it was Louisville who held the 33-28 advantage at halftime. Despite turning the ball over ten times in the first half, this only led to nine Yellow Jackets points and zero off the fast break. The Cardinals also out-shot their visitors 45.8 percent to 30.0 percent during this time, and dominated them on the glass for a 25-11 rebounding advantage.
Louisville struggled to get much distance between them and Georgia Tech in the second half, but in the same breath, they also prevented the Jackets from generating much momentum and getting past them. While the Cardinals shot at a lower clip in the second half, 45.5 percent, they in turn forced GT to shoot 29.0 percent and go 0-for-11 on threes after they had gone 7-of-16 before halftime.
A crucial point of the game came in the waning moments, after Georgia Tech drained three free throws to cut Louisville's lead to just four with 1:12 left to go. Lands hit a dagger of a three-pointer with 43 seconds left, then immediately stole the ball on the next Jackets possession. An Ellis free throw, GT miss then two Withers free throws iced the game.
Next up, Louisville will stay at home and host Florida State. Tip-off against the Seminoles is set for Saturday, Feb. 4 at 2:00 p.m. EST.
(Photo of Tristan Maxwell, Kamari Lands: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)
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