Louisville Holds Off Clemson as Cards Honor 2013 Team
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It turns out that a celebration of the 10th anniversary of their 2013 national championship team was just what the Louisville men's basketball program needed to get back in the win column.
Hosting Clemson in what was their penultimate home game of the season, the Cardinals parlayed the energy from the raucous crowd in attendance onto the court, holding off their visitors long enough to capture a 83-73 upset victory Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center.
Louisville was ahead by as much as 14 points with under eight minutes to go, and looked to be in control down the stretch. Instead, Clemson responded with a 12-2 run to make it a four point game with just over three minutes left.
Instead of letting the bleeding continue, Louisville stepped up with clutch shot and timely free throws. Mike James and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield each tallied baskets after Clemson narrowed the lead the four, and the Cardinals as a whole went 15-17 at the free throw line in the second half.
The Cardinals (4-23, 2-14 ACC) snap a four-game losing streak on the season with the win, and move to 8-0 all-time against the Tigers (19-8, 11-5 ACC) at home.
Louisville shot 51.0 percent from the field to Clemson's 43.3 percent, and were 5-of 16 on three point attempts to 4-of-24 from their visitors. The Cardinals did turn the ball over 14 time for 16 Tigers points, but made up for it at the free throw line and on the back boards. The were 26-of-28 at the charity stripe to Clemson's 11-of-15, and won the rebounding battle 37-26.
El Ellis turned in another fantastic performance, pouring in a team- and game-tying-high 28 points. J.J. Traynor finished behind him in scoring with a career-high 16 points, and Mike James was the third and final Cardinal to crack double figures with 13 points. Four Clemson players scored double digit points, led by 28 from P.J. Hall.
The first half featured several runs from both sides, but neither team could gain much ground on the other. Even in the beginning of the half, where Louisville fired off a 10-0 run and Clemson responded with an 8-0 stretch, the lead on either side never got to more than five.
Louisville had trouble holding on the ball in the first half, turning it over nine times before halftime to Clemson's five, but countered that by shooting markedly better than their visitors. The Cardinals shot 50.0 from the field and 4-of-8 on three-point attempts to the Tigers' 40.6 percent and 2-of-11, respectively, to take a 39-36 lead into the half.
Following the halftime festivities where the 2013 title team's members were honored (with most in attendance), Louisville turned up the intensity while Clemson started to fade. In the first 12-plus minutes of the half, the Cardinals shot 9-of-16 while the Tigers were just 7-of-22, allowing UofL to pull ahead by as their 14-point margin.
Next up, Louisville will head back on the road for a short turnaround at Duke. Tip-off against the Blue Devils is set for Monday, Feb. 20 at 7:00 p.m. EST.
(Photo of Mike James, Brevin Galloway: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)
You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:
Facebook - @LouisvilleReport
Twitter - @UofLReport
Instagram - @louisville_report
You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter
