No. 12 Louisville cruises to 32-point win over Clemson
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Deng Adel scored 18 points to match a career high, Donovan Mitchell scored 18 in the first half and No. 12 Louisville closed on a 10-0 run to pull away from Clemson 92-60 on Thursday night.
Playing their first game without injured point guard Quentin Snider (strained hip), the Cardinals (16-3, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) initially struggled to find a rhythm with numerous combinations. Mitchell scored their first six points to settle them down before adding eight during the pivotal spurt with consecutive 3-pointers, the last of which beat the buzzer and earned a 41-31 halftime lead.
Adel opened the second half with consecutive 3s for a 16-point lead that Louisville steadily widened in winning its fourth straight. Freshman V.J. King added 14 points while starting in Snider's place.
Marcquise Reed had 13 points and Donte Grantham added 11 for the Tigers (11-7, 1-5), who lost their fifth straight.
THE BIG PICTURE
Clemson: Three of their four straight defeats coming in were by five points or less, but the Tigers were thoroughly beaten this time. Rebounding continued to be a factor as they were dominated 45-25 and seemed to have nothing in the second half. Jaron Blossomgame had 10 points, eight below his average.
Louisville: Some adjustment was expected without their lone true point guard in Snider, and coach Rick Pitino experimented often. King, a 6-foot-6 freshman forward, ultimately got the nod, giving the Cardinals a bigger lineup and leaving Mitchell as the only guard at times. Mitchell had no problem taking on the scoring load as he made all eight first-half shots. Mangok Mathiang and Jaylen Johnson each added 12 points for the Cardinals, who shot 56 percent.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Louisville: This helps the Cardinals' quest toward returning to the Top 10, but their chances might be better with another win over No. 10 Florida State.
UP NEXT
Clemson: Hosts Virginia Tech on Sunday night in the first of two games against the Hokies this season. A win evens the series at 16.
Louisville: There's little rest for the Cardinals as they visit No. 10 Florida State on Saturday, less than 39 hours after this game ended.