The Louisville Cardinals (4-4, 0-1 ACC) fell to the Virginia Tech Hokies (6-3, 1-0 ACC) 75-68 on Sunday in their Atlantic Coast Conference opener. Despite a strong first half and five players scoring in double figures, the Cardinals were unable to overcome a 16-2 run by the Hokies spanning both halves.
First Half Highlights:
- The Cardinals opened the game on a 10-2 run, with five points from redshirt sophomore Mike James.
- Back-to-back 3-pointers by Skyy Clark and James gave Louisville a 20-15 lead.
- UofL led by as many as eight points before Virginia Tech cut the deficit to 31-30 at halftime.
Second Half Struggles:
- The Hokies opened the second half with an 8-0 run, taking their first lead since early in the first half.
- Freshman Ty-Laur Johnson briefly reclaimed the lead for the Cardinals with a four-point play, but Virginia Tech answered with a 12-2 run to take control.
- Despite five players scoring in double figures for Louisville, the Hokies capitalized on their free throw opportunities, making 19 of 23 attempts in the second half.
Lead Scorers:
- Louisville: Skyy Clark (16 points, 3 assists), Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (14 points, 9 rebounds), Mike James (10 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists), Ty-Laur Johnson (10 points), Tre White (10 points)
- Virginia Tech: MJ Collins (20 points), Lynn Kidd (15 points)
Postgame Quotes:
- Head Coach Kenny Payne: “They took the fight to us, especially in the second half. They’re a well-coached team, hard-fighting team and hard to beat this team at home. I thought we did a lot of things well, but at critical times I just thought we made mistakes. Especially in the second half, they shoot 48% and made 19 of 23 free throws. To me, that’s the game.”
- Mike James: “Our goal was to come here, get off to a strong start, carry it into the second half and get this win. We really wanted this win to open conference play … so we really had a lot of focus on that start.”
- Brandon Huntley-Hatfield: “I want to keep building every single game on both ends of the floor. My whole mindset coming into the game from the start is that I want to get 10 rebounds. I want to dominate the boards, bring a lot of energy and physicality. There were a couple of rebounds in this game that I had to have that I missed … but I’m going to correct that. I feel myself getting better, and I know what I’m capable of on the boards. I think I’m going to figure it out with that consistent energy.”
Up Next:
The Cardinals will look to bounce back on the road next weekend with a trip to DePaul on Saturday, December 10th. The game will tip off at 2:00 PM ET and air on FS1.