How it happened: No. 24 Louisville bullies Notre Dame
For the second game in a row, 24th-ranked Louisville was the more rugged team, and for the second game in a row, Louisville has won while not shooting well from beyond the arc.
The Cardinals shot just 7-of-31 (22.6%) from 3-point land in Wednesday night’s 76-65 win over Notre Dame. The sixth conference win of the season came just days after Louisville scored 88 points and beat SMU by double-figures despite shooting 28.6 percent from distance.
Louisville started slow and had to overcome a nine-point Fighting Irish lead in the game’s first 10 minutes. In that span, starting forward J’Vonne Hadley called for a substitution and did not return due to a back injury. The senior was listed as a game-time decision just hours before tip-off after suffering a hard fall in practice a couple of days ago.
In his place, sophomore wing Khani Rooths picked up where he left off on Saturday, when he recorded his first career ACC double-double, with a second-straight 10+ point and 10+ rebound performance. In 25 minutes, the 6-foot-10 sophomore added 12 rebounds and 12 points. Also performing well against a young Fighting Irish frontcourt, Sananda Fru played 17 minutes and provided 12 points, five rebounds, and three blocks.
After not playing in the last three contests, Kasean Pryor played an ACC-high 15 minutes and posted a season-best 5-of-6 shooting for 10 points and five rebounds. As a team, Louisville outrebounded Notre Dame 46-35, including 16 offensive rebounds, 10 of which came in the first half. The Cards held a 40-22 point advantage in the paint.
Leading the Cards in scoring, Isaac McKneely finished with 13 after hitting three first-half triples as Louisville had five in double-figures and scored 33 points off the bench. Leading scorer, Ryan Conwell, may have two of his last 20 from 3, but still finished with 12 points and three assists.
Notre Dame was led by sharpshooter Cole Certa, who made five 3s and scored 18 points.
Louisville heads to Wake Forest over the weekend, as the Cards will make their first trip to Winston-Salem under Pat Kelsey. The game will tip off at 12 PM EST on the ACC Network.
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