Louisville 64, Pittsburgh 61
LOUISVILLE -- No. 12 Louisville, which struggled with late free throws in recent games, went 6-for-6 from the foul line in the final 24 seconds Monday, and the Cardinals held on to beat Pittsburgh 64-61.
Louisville (17-4, 5-3 Big East) was clinging to a 58-55 lead when Chane Behanan hit two free throws with 24 seconds left to make it 60-55.
Pitt's Tray Woodall answered with a 3-pointer with 14 second to go, making it 60-58, but Louisville's Gorgui Dieng hit two free throws with 12 seconds left. After a Pitt miss, Russ Smith sank two foul shots with four seconds remaining.
Woodall sank a long 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it only affected the final margin.
Smith finished with a game-high 20 points. Dieng added 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Behanan scored 12 points.
Woodall led Pitt (17-5, 5-4) with 14 points, while Lamar Peterson scored 10.
Smith scored 13 first-half points, and Louisville held a 32-26 lead at the break.
The Cardinals took command with a 12-0 run early in the game, grabbing an 18-9 lead. Pitt got no closer than six points the remainder of the half.
Smith started Louisville's run with a 3-pointer from the corner and ended it with a dunk on a run-out. The Panthers went scoreless for almost 4 1/2 minutes.
Also providing a spark for the Cardinals was freshman reserve forward Montrezl Harrell, who had six first-half points, four of which came during the 12-0 run.
Pitt center Steven Adams scored six points in the first half. The Panthers stayed in the game with offensive rebounds, getting five second-chance baskets before intermission.
It was a sloppy half, with Pitt committing 11 turnovers and Louisville committing six. Neither team shot well before halftime. Louisville was 13 of 31 (41.9 percent), while Pitt was 12 of 26 (46.2 percent).
NOTES: Louisville starting forward Wayne Blackshear and top backcourt sub Kevin Ware did not play for the Cardinals. Blackshear, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, suffered a shoulder injury Sunday in practice. He is not expected to be out of action long. He was averaging 9.2 points, fourth on the team, and 3.9 rebounds a game. Ware was suspended for an unspecified violation of team rules. The 6-2 sophomore guard was averaging 3.8 points and 1.5 rebounds a game. He had played in all 20 games before Monday.
