By John McCarthy —
The No. 6 Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball team topped the Clemson Tigers at the KFC Yum! Center Jan. 25.
Louisville’s objective was to capitalize on the defensive side of the ball. Louisville wanted to contain Clemson’s pesky guards and did just that.
The Cardinals (17-3, 8-1) shot 66 percent from the field and had a 20-0 run that put them securely out in front.
Junior Darius Perry marked the scoring column first for the Cardinals with a jumper and a three-pointer. Senior Steven Enoch followed suit by sinking a corner three-pointer.
Clemson (10-9, 4-5) junior Clyde Trapp responded with a three-pointer of his own. Perry quickly silenced Trapp’s response with another three-pointer for the Cardinals. Perry’s shot peaked a 31-9 lead for the Cardinals.
Freshman Samuell Williamson provided an offensive boost off Louisville’s bench with 10 points in the opening half.
Freshman David Johnson had six assists alone in the first half. Clemson trailed Louisville 47-26 going into halftime.
Louisville’s offensive productivity shined in the second half. The Cardinals bottomed five three-pointers, and Louisville defense was much improved from their last game.
The Cardinals never let Clemson come within 15 points throughout the second half.
Louisville wrapped up this win, shooting 48 percent from the field. In addition, they corralled 12 more rebounds than the Tigers.
Clemson’s second half strategy was to foul often at the rim to slow the game down. Louisville did an impressive job from the charity stripe, making 18-22 free-throw attempts.
Louisville only shot 28 percent in the second half but still maintained a substantial lead. The Tigers could not keep up with the Cardinals and fell 80-62.
Perry achieved his career high with 19 points and hustled for five rebounds. Junior Jordan Nwora had 10 points, five rebounds and a pair of assists. Williamson provided 14 points off the bench. Enoch grabbed seven rebounds and 11 points. Johnson added eight points, five rebounds and six assists.
Louisville will travel to Boston College Jan. 29 to play the Golden Eagles at 9 p.m.
Photo by Anna Claire Will // The Louisville Cardinal
