By Jeff Milby–
A career-high 29 points from sophomore guard Donovan Mitchell and stifling defense led No. 13 men’s basketball to a resounding 106-51 victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers.
Junior big man Anas Mahmoud finished with 14 points, three rebounds and two blocks, while redshirt freshman guard Ryan McMahon came off the bench to add 15 points and five assists, going 5-for-7 from the three.
Just 26 seconds into the game, Pittsburgh’s Jamel Artis scored to put the Panthers in the lead, but it would be all Louisville after that. The Cards answered with a 17-3 run, and controlled the game throughout.
Mahmoud and Mitchell combined for 18 of the Cards’ first 27 points. Mahmoud was a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor in the first half, while Mitchell hit four threes before the break. As a team, Louisville shot 71 percent from the field in the first quarter.
Pittsburgh boasts the top two leading scorers in the ACC, but struggled offensively in the first half. The Panthers scored 18 points on 16 percent shooting before halftime.
The second half went just as well for the Cards, who finished the game shooting 54.5 percent from three while limiting Pittsburgh to 25.5 percent for the game.
With 14:24 to go in the game, Pittsburgh head coach Kevin Stallings was ejected after walking out to near mid-court to argue with referees.
Jalen Johnson led Louisville with 11 rebounds as the Cards out-rebounded Pittsburgh 48-26.
Following his 16-point performance against Florida State, senior transfer Tony Hicks got the starting nod at point guard. In place of the injured Quentin Snider, Hicks finished with 10 points and four assists.
Louisville’s 106 points were the most this season and the most Louisville has scored since dropping 111 on December 5, 2015 against Grand Canyon. It was also the highest scoring ACC game ever for Louisville.
Pittsburgh’s Artis, the conference’s leading scorer, finished with just nine points, while Michael Young, the second leading scorer in the league, led Pittsburgh with 12.
The men’s basketball team moves to 17-4 and 5-3 in league play. Louisville will take on NC State at home on Sunday with a 1 p.m. tip.
