LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville didn’t make a field goal in the final 2:58, but by the time the offense went cold, the Cardinals had already built enough of a cushion to muscle out a 74–64 win over Cincinnati. Behind a pair of star turns from Ryan Conwell and Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville weathered a late push and slammed the door shut with composure at the free throw line, hitting 24 of 28 free throws on the night.
Conwell was the stabilizer all night, pouring in a game-high 25 points on an efficient 8-of-15 shooting, including 5-of-10 from arc. His pair of free throws with 22 seconds remaining capped a poised finish for Louisville, which saw its largest lead stretch to 11 with 1:23 remaining before the Bearcats made one last charge. Brown Jr. struggled from the field shooting only 4-of-15, but the freshman guard controlled the game in nearly every other way; finishing with 22 points, 6 assists, and an excellent 12-of-14 at the free throw line. His steal in the final 20 seconds symbolized Louisville’s defensive bite in a game that demanded it.
Cincinnati, which at one point led by 11 in the first half, couldn’t sustain its early rhythm. The Bearcats shot just 37% from the floor and 8-of-29 from deep, undone by stretches of stagnant offense and 13 turnovers that turned into 17 Louisville points. Day Day Thomas and Shahar Abaev each finished with 12, while Moustapha Thiam delivered 10 points, 9 boards, and the Bearcats’ final field goal; a dunk with 27 seconds left that cut the margin to 8. However, Cincinnati never found the counterpunch needed after Louisville’s decisive 13–0 second-half run flipped the momentum for good.
For Louisville the win came not from a flawless offensive performance with just 21 made field goals and a team shooting clip under 38%, but from toughness on the glass, timely shooting, and the steadiness of its backcourt. The Cardinals outrebounded Cincinnati 41–38 and leaned on contributions across the lineup, including 11 points from center Sananda Fru and four players with at least four rebounds. Even without a basket in the final minutes, Louisville never looked rattled, trusting its defense and free throw shooting to finish the job.
If the gritty defense, balanced rebounding, and guards who can close out games at the line become a normal performance, Louisville may be carving out an identity that can carry it well beyond November.
Louisville is now 5-0 hoping to keep the streak going as the Cardinals go up against Eastern Michigan Nov. 24 at the Yum Center.
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