The University of Louisville men’s basketball team secured a hard-fought 77-74 win over the UTEP Miners on Wednesday night at the KFC Yum! Center, snapping a three-game losing streak.
“I thought it was a heck of a college basketball game,” head coach Pat Kelsey said after the win. “In preparation, we knew this was going to be a tough battle. UTEP leads the nation in forcing turnovers. They contest every pass and play with incredible energy. Early on, we struggled, committing five turnovers in the first four minutes. But for the rest of the game, we only had eight turnovers, and just three in the second half. That shows the resolve and resilience of this team.”
The game was closely contested from the start. The teams stayed within three points of each other through the first 10 minutes, tying the game three times and exchanging the lead five times. Louisville pulled ahead with an 8-0 run, including five points from Chucky Hepburn, to take a 25-18 lead midway through the first half. However, the Cardinals’ offense stalled, failing to score a field goal for the remainder of the period.
UTEP capitalized, closing the half on a 10-1 run. The Miners nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer to take a 36-32 lead into halftime.
Louisville started the second half strong, scoring seven unanswered points to tie the game at 43-43 just over four minutes in. The teams traded baskets and leads until the Cardinals broke away with a 9-0 run to claim a 63-55 advantage with under eight minutes remaining.
The Miners, however, refused to back down, responding with an 8-2 run to pull within two points. Louisville maintained its edge by drawing fouls and converting free throws. UTEP twice cut the deficit to one in the final minute, but the Cardinals had answers both times. Hepburn set up James Scott for a powerful dunk, and Reyne Smith sank two clutch free throws to push Louisville’s lead back to three.
In the final seconds, UTEP had a chance to force overtime but missed a three-pointer, sealing Louisville’s 77-74 victory.
The Cardinals dominated on the offensive glass, scoring 16 second-chance points on 16 offensive rebounds. Louisville also neutralized UTEP’s defensive strengths. The Miners, who lead the nation in forced turnovers (20.25 per game) and steals (12.1 per game), were held to just 11 turnovers and seven steals.
Louisville’s James Scott (11 points, 11 rebounds) and J’Vonne Hadley (13 points, 12 rebounds) each recorded double-doubles. Terrence Edwards Jr. led the Cardinals in scoring for the second straight game, finishing with 22 points off the bench on 6-of-13 shooting and an impressive 8-of-10 from the free-throw line.
UTEP was paced by Ahamad Bynum, the nation’s top three-point shooter, who hit 4-of-5 from deep and tallied 14 points. Corey Camper Jr. added 19 points, while Devon Barnes contributed 16.
Louisville now shifts its focus to a highly anticipated rivalry matchup against No. 5 Kentucky. The Battle of the Bluegrass tips off Saturday at 5:15 p.m. in Lexington and will be televised on ESPN.
