Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Virginia regroups in second half to win fourth consecutive game
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — De’Andre Hunter scored 19 of his career-high 26 points after halftime, and No. 3 Virginia rallied from a 12-point deficit to beat No. 18 Louisville 64-52 on Saturday.
The Cavaliers (24-2, 12-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) trailed early in the second half before regrouping to hold the Cardinals (18-10, 9-6) to 6 of 30 from the field (20 percent) and 31 percent shooting overall. Virginia also found its offense, shooting 59 percent and using a 12-1 run over 4:36 for a 55-48 lead it stretched to 12 for its fourth consecutive victory.
Hunter was perfect after the break, making all six shots to finish 9 of 11 from the field. Mamadi Diakite added 14 points, while Jay Huff came off the bench to score 12. The Cavaliers maintained at least a share of the conference lead in the process.
“I was making my shots, so I was feeling good,” said Hunter, whose previous best was 23 points. “I just wanted to keep shooting and teammates kept feeding me the ball.”
After making 10 of 16 from long range in the first 20 minutes, Louisville managed just 2 of 17 afterward and lost for the fifth time in seven games.
The defeat for the Cardinals came 11 days after they blew a 23-point, second-half lead against No. 2 Duke in a 71-69 loss and three days after they were shellacked 69-49 at Syracuse.
“[Being] up 10 and you lose is unacceptable,” said guard Christen Cunningham, who had nine points. “We’ve blown leads now in three of the last five games. We go to Syracuse and just got annihilated. We’ve got to change be more resilient.”
Jordan Nwora had 17 points and reserve Ryan McMahon scored 12 for the Cardinals.
In other Top 25 men’s games Saturday, Cameron Johnson had 18 points and 10 rebounds for No. 8 North Carolina, and freshman Nassir Little scored 18 points as they defeated No. 16 Florida State 77-59. The Tar Heels (22-5, 12-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) have won 10 of 11 to remain in a first-place tie. David Nichols scored 16 points and Terance Mann added 10 for the Seminoles (21-6, 9-5). … Sam Hauser had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Sacar Anim scored 18 points for No. 11 Marquette as they beat Providence 76-58. The Golden Eagles (23-4, 12-2 in the Big East) led by 11 points at halftime and showed no signs of letting up. Alpha Diallo had 19 points and six rebounds for the Friars (15-13, 5-10 Big East). … Matt Haarms scored 17 points and Grady Eifert beat the shot clock for two huge baskets down the stretch for No. 15 Purdue as they held on to beat Nebraska 75-72. Purdue (207, 13-3 Big Ten) won its second consecutive close road game. Glynn Watson Jr. scored a season-high 25 points for Nebraska (15-13, 5-12). … Kouat Noi had 20 points with 13 rebounds and TCU ended a three-game losing streak by surprising No. 19 Iowa State 75-72. The Horned Frogs (18-9, 6-8 Big 12) hadn’t won since a 92-83 victory at Iowa State (19-8, 8-6) two weeks ago. … Kerry Blackshear Jr. had 22 points and 14 rebounds to help No. 20 Virginia Tech beat Notre Dame 67-59. The Hokies (21-6, 10-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) raced to a 14-4 lead. The Fighting Irish (13-14, 3-11) got as close as six points on three occasions in the second half. … Balanced offense, stellar defense and good shooting propelled No. 23 Kansas State over Oklahoma State 85-46. The Wildcats (21-6, 11-3 in Big 12 play) shot 62 percent and held the Cowboys to 31 percent. Oklahoma State (10-17, 3-11) was led by Yor Anei, who had 12 points. … Anthony Cowan Jr. scored 19 points, while Bruno Fernando had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 24 Maryland beat Ohio State 72-62. The Terrapins (21-7, 12-5 Big Ten) are in fourth place and in position to secure a double bye in the conference tournament. Duane Washington Jr. scored 15 and Andre Wesson had 13 for Ohio State (17-10, 7-9).