Highlights and Notes: Louisville 70, Virginia 50

The highlights plus the team and player notes from the Cardinals' road win vs. the Cavaliers.

Jan 1, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Chucky Hepburn (24) reacts during the second half against the North Carolina Tar Heels at KFC Yum! Center. / Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - For the first time since 1990, the Louisville men's basketball program was triumphant on the road against Virginia, leaving Charlottesville with a resounding 70-50 victory on Saturday.

The Atlantic Coast Conference put together a highlight tape of the matchup, which you can see here:

Highlights:

Team Notes:

• KEY FIRST HALF RUN: Louisville used a 7-0 run to grab the lead nearing the end of the first half, the run was capped off by a three-point basket by Reyne Smith lasting 1:30. The Cards maintained their lead for the rest of the half, making the score 32-27 at the halftime break.
• KEY SECOND HALF RUN: Virginia bounced back during the second half, going on an 7-0 run that lasted 1:36, to bring the Cavaliers within two before a Louisville timeout at the 16:42 mark. Louisville answered with a run later in the second half, using a 12-2 run capped off by a James Scott Dunk that lasted 4:04 to stretch the lead to double digits.
• Louisville shot 25-57 (43.9%) from the field, 7-19 (36.8%) from deep and 13-14 (92.9%) from the free-throw line.
• The Cards led the rebounding battle 42-25, including a 14-6 margin on the offensive glass.
• Louisville outscored Virginia 34-2 in bench points.

Player Notes:

• ABOUBACAR TRAORE tied the Cards for the leading scorer while scoring a season-high 15 points and adding 8 rebounds, 3 of which were offensive, in 16 minutes of action. Traore shot 6-10 (60%) from the field and made his lone free throw attempt.
• Reyne Smith contributed 15 points, two assists, and a steal to tie the Cardinals team high scorer on the night in 30 minutes. Smith shot 5-10 from the field, all of which were from deep, for a 50% clip from beyond the arc.
• Chucky Hepburn scored 10 points and contributed a team-high seven assists in 32 minutes of action.
• J’Vonne Hadley contributed 11 points, five rebounds, and a block in a team-high 36 minutes. Hadley shot 4-9 from the field and a perfect 2-2 from the charity stripe.

(Photo of Chucky Hepburn: Jamie Rhodes - Imagn Images)

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