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University of Louisville
DUKE
No. 6 Louisville Topped by No. 4 Duke, 63-52
January 17, 2015 | Men's Basketball
PRESS CONFERENCE
Head Coach Rick Pitino
INTERVIEWS
Rozier | Jones | Blackshear
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Terry Rozier's 17 points led No. 6 Louisville, but it wasn't enough as the Cardinals lost to No. 4 Duke 63-52 on Saturday.
Jahlil Okafor scored 14 second-half points, Amile Jefferson added 19 as Duke (15-2, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) dominated Louisville inside.
Louisville (15-3, 3-2) shot just 18 of 61 from the field (30 percent) and failed to beat one of the ACC's powerhouses. The Cardinals also lost at North Carolina last Saturday.
Staggered by Tuesday's 16-point loss to Miami that ended their 41-game home winning streak, the Blue Devils rebounded on their home floor to end a two-game slide. The 6-foot-11 freshman Okafor and 6-9 Jefferson played a big role in outscoring Louisville 32-24 in the paint while denying the inside defensively.
Okafor finished with 18 points and seven rebounds as the Blue Devils finally put coach Mike Krzyzewski within two wins of 1,000.
Louisville trailed by 21 in the second half before getting within 10 points, at 58-48 with 1:29 remaining. But the Blue Devils were firmly in control at that point and won the matchup between Hall of Fame coaches Krzyzewski and Rick Pitino.
Most important for Duke was avoiding its first three-game league losing streak since the 2006-07 season.
Both teams shot poorly at the start, but Duke eventually took advantage of Louisville's misfires to close the half on a 15-6 run for a 30-20 halftime lead. The Blue Devils' zone defense succeeded in forcing the Cardinals into burning a lot of clock before taking long-range shots that missed despite good looks.
Louisville was ice cold in the first half, shooting 7 of 31 including 11 straight misses over a six-minute stretch before making its final three. The last one involved some drama, as Montrezl Harrell's jumper bounced three times on the rim before dropping through at the horn to trail 30-20. He finished with 10 points.
''This was the most open we've been and we just could not knock down the shot,'' Pitino said after the Cardinals' second-worst shooting performance this season. ''I have said that we are a little offensively challenged from the perimeter, so we've got to be meticulous with our paint touches because we're not a great shooting team.''
Rozier made 3 of 7 from 3-point range but the rest of the Cardinals combined to shoot 1-of-17 from behind the arc. Louisville's last double-digit loss was 74-63 at Marquette on Jan. 16, 2012 according to STATS.
The Blue Devils were outrebounded 38-32 but owned the defensive boards 27-20.
Duke's offense meanwhile took charge inside, outscoring Louisville 16-6 in the first half. Jefferson's 10 points helped offset a relatively quiet half by Okafor. Duke shot 49 percent from the field.
The ACC's leading scorer soon asserted himself, scoring eight of Duke's first 16 points to turn the game into a rout and quiet a sellout crowd hoping the Cardinals would earn a signature ACC win.
''I thought our offense was affecting our defense and we needed to change our point of pick up - whether it be man or zone - and put it at the top of the key,'' Krzyzewski said. ''Try not to let people get points in the paint against us. Our guys did a good job of that.''
Louisville played in 1980s-era throwback uniforms featuring a dunking Cardinal logo on shorts much longer than those worn back in the day. Members of the 1980 NCAA title squad were honored at halftime including Hall of Fame coach Denny Crum and star Darrell Griffith.
Louisville visits Pittsburgh on Jan. 25.
