Louisville Defeats FSU in Shootout for First ACC Win

The Cardinals shot 15-of-29 on three point tries in their takedown of the Seminoles.

Dec 3, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Chucky Hepburn (24) dribbles against Mississippi Rebels forward Jaemyn Brakefield (4) during the second half at KFC Yum! Center. / Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Heading down to Florida State for their first road game in ACC play this season, the Louisville men's basketball program was able to get back in the win column after a lengthy layover, capturing a 90-76 decision down at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center on Saturday.

It's the Cardinals' (7-5, 1-1 ACC) first win in league play after dropping their conference opener to Duke, and their first win overall in 10 days. Louisville beat UTEP, 77-74, on Dec. 11 before falling at Kentucky, 93-85, in their last time out. They also win back-to-back against the Seminoles (9-4, 0-2 ACC) after previously losing the last seven.

A team who has struggled for most of the season when it comes to shooting the basketball, Louisville's victory was powered by arguably their best shooting performance of the season. The Cardinals connected on 50.9 percent of their field goal attempts, while shooting a white-hot 15-of-29 on three-point tries.

This was Louisville's third-best single-game overall shooting percentage of the season, as well as their most made threes of the year against their fourth-fewest attempts.

The three-point barrage was led by none other than Reyne Smith, who shot 8-for-12 overall and 6-9 from downtown to finish with a game-high 27 points. Three other Cardinals also cracked double figures in scoring, with Terrence Edwards Jr. adding 19 points, Chucky Hepburn tallying 16 and Noah Waterman scoring 15.

This helped negate an equally as hot shooting day from Florida State. The 'Noles shot a more efficient 52.7 percent from the field, but were "just" 8-20 on threes. Jamir Watkins led FSU with 25 points.

Additionally, Louisville out-rebounded Florida State, had a better showing at the free throw line, and took better care of the basketball. The Cardinals had 29 boards to the Seminoles' 23, were 19-of-23 from the charity stripe compared to 10-of-14 by their hosts, and posted an 18-to-7 assist/turnover ratio vs. 13-to-9 by FSU.

Louisville got off to a very efficient start on both ends of the floor against Florida State. The Cardinals hit six of their first eight shots of the games, while simultaneously holding the Seminoles to just two for their first nine. It helped produce a 16-2 run for the Cards after the 'Noles scored the first points, including a 11-0 stretch that gave them a 16-5 advantage roughly six minutes in.

After that, Louisville was decidedly not as crisp on either side. They went just 7-of-20 over the remainder of the first half, while Florida State made adjustments and went 10-of-18 over the remainder of the period. Still, the Cardinals did just enough to keep the Seminoles from getting over the hump during the stretch, and went into halftime holding a 36-34 lead.

In the second half, the shooting for both teams kicked way up a notch. Louisville shot a blazing 15-for-27 after halftime, while Florida State was an equally as hot 17-for-28.

The key difference in this half, however, was the three-point shot. The Cards were 10-for-15 from beyond the arc in this period, including 5-for-5 from Smith, while the 'Noles were 5-of-13. FSU was never truly out of the game, trailing by as little as three, but ever punch by them was met by a UofL counter-punch.

Next up, Louisville will return home and wrap up their non-conference slate of games vs. Eastern Kentucky. Tip-off against the Colonels is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 28 at 12:00 p.m. EST.

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

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