Louisville closes strong to beat Pitt

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Montrezl Harrell had 28 points and 12 rebounds, and led a 22-2 second half run that helped No. 9 Louisville beat Pittsburgh 69-56 on Wednesday night.
Strong shooting positioned the Panthers to take control with a 45-39 lead before the Cardinals (20-4, 8-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) answered with an energetic 14-1 run including several baskets set up by their trademark pressure defense. Harrell was in the mix on both ends with blocked shots, rebounds and a couple of steals along with momentum-changing baskets.
Louisville held Pitt (16-9, 5-6) to just two late field goals over the final 12:05 to break it open and complete a season sweep. The Cardinals struggled for about the same length of time during Saturday’s loss at No. 3 Virginia.
Terry Rozier scored 18 of his 22 points after halftime for the Cardinals, who shot 47 percent and outrebounded the Panthers 39-29.
Michael Young had 16 points and Jamel Artis 15 for Pitt, but neither were factors down the stretch thanks to Louisville’s defense, which eventually held the Panthers to 38-percent shooting en route to ending their three-game winning streak.
The Cardinals’ performance was especially impressive considering Pitt was coming off a season-high scoring output in Saturday’s 83-77 win over Syracuse with five players in double figures.
Louisville didn’t have that kind of balance but succeeded in getting eight bench points, which was than the past two games where just four players scored in each. The Cardinals also mounted that run with senior guard Chris Jones and senior forward Wayne Blackshear (hip pointer) on the bench.
Of course, it helped that Harrell was more than willing to carry the load with his shot working inside and out during a stretch that provided Louisville’s 27-22 halftime lead.
He showed flash on one basket when he dribbled once and quicklyy spun around a defender for a nifty reverse layup. Then came the first three 18-foot jumpers sandwiched around another layup before Harrell finished the half with a bad heave that rolled off his fingers but somehow found the basket.
Unfazed by shooting 31 percent in the first half, the Panthers started the second half quickly by making 10 of 14 including 8 of 9 during a 21-10 run for a 45-39 lead that proved to be their last highlight.