Louisville Cardinals at Miami Hurricanes

Rozier scores 22 and No. 9 Louisville beats Miami 63-55

Led by Terry Rozier and Chris Jones, the No. 9-ranked Cardinals built an early 13-point lead and withstood a comeback bid by the Hurricanes in the second half to win 63-55.

The day off helped, Jones said.

"We did a lot of stuff away from the court," he said. "Coach gave us a lot of time to free our minds and not think about basketball. We took it as a business trip, but also as a vacation. A lot of guys went to the beach and the mall and did a lot of things. Coach believes in us, and we got a victory."

Jones had 16 points, six steals, eight rebounds and five assists, while backcourt mate Rozier scored 22 points. Montrezl Harrell added 18 points and nine rebounds.

It's a good thing they were well-rested, because all three played at least 38 minutes.

"We played a terrific game," Pitino said. "We controlled tempo, and that's what we wanted to do."

The Cardinals (19-3, 7-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) earned their fourth consecutive victory. The Hurricanes (14-8, 4-5) lost their third game in a row and lost for the fifth time at home this season.

Miami sophomore Davon Reed sank five 3-pointers and tied a career high with 19 points. Tonye Jekiri added 10 points and 10 rebounds, but the Hurricanes shot only 34 percent and fell to 3-3 against ranked teams.

Sheldon McClellan and Angel Rodriguez, the Hurricanes' leading scorers this season, both had tough nights. McClellan scored six points and Rodriguez continued a recent shooting slump, going 2 for 9.

"We needed Angel and Sheldon to have big-time games," coach Jim Larranaga said. "Unfortunately they were a combined 4 of 14, and 0 for 4 from 3. We need to shoot the ball better."

Pitino decided against deploying Louisville's smothering full-court press, mindful of Miami's guard-heavy lineup. And because the Hurricanes run a lot of pick and roll, Pitino substituted sparingly.

As a result, only four Cardinals scored. Their bench was outscored by Miami's 30-0, but it didn't matter, in part because Louisville shot 68 percent in the first half.

The attendance-challenged Hurricanes drew a noisy crowd of 6,563, and they were on their feet as the home team mounted its comeback. The Hurricanes trailed 41-28 with 15:30 left, and Reed sank a trio of 3-pointers as they scored nine consecutive points to climb back into the game.

Two free throws by Rodriguez cut Louisville's lead to 53-50 with 2:06 left, but the Cardinals sank eight of 10 free throws in the final 1:12 to seal the win.

DWYANE WADE TRIBUTE

Rozier fooled the Hurricanes with a fake and spin in the post before sinking a floater. He said he stole the move from a certain Miami Heat guard.

"That's 2006 D-Wade," Rozier said. "I'm in the city; it just happened."

OVERSHADOWED

Pitino playfully scolded the media when the first question at his postgame news conference focused on Rozier rather than Jones.

TIP-INS

Louisville: Chinanu Onuaku didn't take a shot but had three blocks.

Miami: The Hurricanes fell to 0-4 against Pitino. One of those losses came when he coached at Providence.

UP NEXT

Louisville plays at No. 3 Virginia on Saturday.

Miami plays host to Clemson on Sunday.

How can I watch Louisville vs. Miami?

• TV Channel: Louisville at Miami 2021 College Basketball, week 13, is broadcasted on ESPN3.
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