Louisville survived a gritty, defensive battle Wednesday afternoon, closing the game on a 6–0 run over the final 2:28 to defeat SMU 62–58. In a game where offense was hard to come by for both teams, the Cardinals made just enough plays late while SMU went cold down the stretch.
Ryan Conwell led Louisville with 16 points, including the go-ahead layup with 29 seconds remaining that gave the Cardinals their final 62–58 lead. Louisville struggled from the field overall, shooting just 39.6% and 23.1% from three-point range (6-for-26), but the Cardinals made up for it at the free throw line. Louisville knocked down 14-of-20 free throws, a massive contrast to SMU, which attempted only three free throws all night and made just one.
The final minutes turned into a defensive stand for Louisville. SMU missed six straight field goals and went scoreless over the last 2:43. The Mustangs had multiple opportunities in the closing seconds after grabbing offensive rebounds, but missed three consecutive shots in the final seconds including a pair of missed three-pointers and a layup attempt at the buzzer.
Despite the loss, SMU had balanced production. Jaron Pierre Jr. led the Mustangs with 17 points and knocked down five three-pointers, while Jaden Toombs added 13 points and nine rebounds. Boopie Miller struggled offensively, finishing with eight points on 4-of-17 shooting and missing all eight of his three-point attempts.
Louisville also received key contributions from Adrian Wooley, who scored 14 points and went 7-for-8 from the free throw line, while Isaac McKneely filled the stat sheet with 10 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and a steal. While his stat line only shows 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist, Vangelis Zougris had a major contribution to this victory. He contributed by setting jarring screens and being a physical presence for the Cards on the interior in his 17 minutes. With the Cards down 50-46 with just under 7 minutes left, Zou went wild, scoring 6 straight points to put the Cards in the lead. While it still came down to the wire, that sequence gave the Cards life late in the game. Though the Cardinals shot only 40% from the field, they took care of the ball with just 10 turnovers and converted SMU mistakes into 16 points.
In the end, it was Louisville’s late game execution and SMU’s prolonged scoring drought that decided the outcome, as the Cardinals locked down defensively and escaped with a hard fought four point victory.
The Cards now look to another 2:30 pm game with Miami, who they beat on the road in the regular season finale.
