Louisville hung around for 32 minutes, but SMU’s late efficiency and composure told the story in a 95–85 loss that slipped away in the final stretch. The Cardinals last held a lead at 74–73 with eight minutes left, but a combination of turnovers and red-hot shooting by the Mustangs flipped the game quickly.
SMU closed on an 8-of-10 shooting run, turning a tight contest into a double digit margin before the final horn.
Offensively, Louisville did enough to stay competitive early. The Cards shot a respectable 38-percent from three and got a monster night from Mikel Brown Jr., who poured in 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting and hit four triples. J’Vonne Hadley added 14 points and a team high nine rebounds, while the Cardinals won the battle on the glass, 38–30, including 14 offensive boards. However, those extra possessions were undercut by 17 turnovers, many of them live ball mistakes that fueled SMU’s transition attack.
SMU’s balance and efficiency ultimately separated the teams. The Mustangs shot 58-percent from the field and 47-percent from beyond the arc, led by Jaron Pierre Jr.’s 25 points and Boopie Miller’s all-around control with 23 points and nine assists. Corey Washington was flawless from deep, knocking down all three of his attempts and finishing with 18 points.
In crunch time, SMU took care of the ball and punished Louisville’s mistakes, highlighted by Washington’s late steal that symbolized the Mustangs’ poise down the stretch. For Louisville, the loss stings not because of effort, but execution. The Cardinals generated shots and second chances, but couldn’t string together stops or protect the ball when the game tightened. Against a surging SMU squad playing its best basketball late, that margin for error proved too thin.
Louisville will take on Georgia Tech Saturday at the Yum.
