Louisville shows off depth in 70-50 victory over Virginia

Field Level Media|published: Sat 4th January, 18:27 2025

Jan 1, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey calls out instructions during the second half against the North Carolina Tar Heels at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

Aboubacar Traore scored 15 points in just 16 minutes as Louisville earned a rare victory over host Virginia on Saturday, winning 70-50 in Charlottesville, Va.

Traore returned last weekend after missing 10 games due to a broken arm. He entered Saturday after scoring just five points in his first four games this season for the Cardinals (10-5, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Coming off the bench, Traore scored nine points in eight minutes during the first half. That included a 3-pointer with 48 seconds left in the half to give Louisville a 32-25 lead.

Virginia (8-6, 1-2) had a 7-0 run early in the second half, cutting the Cardinals' lead to 36-34 with 16:46 remaining after a Jacob Cofie layup. However, that was as close as the Cavaliers would get, even as they dictated the tempo for most of the contest.

A 12-2 four-minute run allowed Louisville to extend the lead to 64-47 with 2:54 remaining, and the Cardinals continued to pull away.

Reyne Smith added 15 points by going 5 of 10 from 3-point range, while also coming off the bench for Louisville. The Cardinals' reserves outscored the Hokies' 34-2. J'Vonne Hadley added 11 points in the victory.

Saturday's win broke the Cardinals' nine-game losing streak to the Cavaliers, who had won 18 of the past 19 games in the series. Louisville last beat Virginia 80-73 on Feb. 8, 2020. It was also just the second win in Charlottesville in 13 games. The last came in 1990 when Louisville played in the Metro Conference.

Chucky Hepburn, Louisville's leading scorer, went just 3 of 10 from the floor and finished with 10 points, while adding seven assists.

Louisville outrebounded Virginia 42-25 and pulled 14 of those off the offensive glass. James Scott and Terrence Edwards Jr. grabbed nine rebounds, and Traore had eight.

Andrew Rhode led the Cavaliers with 16 points. Isaac McKneely added 13, and Elijah Saunders finished with 12. Those three made 17 of 34 shots, while their teammates went just 3-for-20.

--Field Level Media

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