Turnovers Again Cost Cards in Road Loss at Boston College

Wednesday, January 25

Chestnut Hill, MA

9 p.m.

University of Louisville

2-18,0-9ACC

Boston College

10-11,4-6ACC

Louisville

Boston College

Turnovers Again Cost Cards in Road Loss at Boston College

January 26, 2023 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)VIDEO: Kenny Payne/Jae'Lyn Withers Postgame

By: Zach Greenwell

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Louisville men's basketball led Boston College for more than 24 minutes Wednesday, but turnovers again proved costly in a 75-65 road defeat.

The Cardinals (2-18, 0-9 ACC) committed 19 turnovers which led to 18 Boston College points, allowing what was at one point a 12-point advantage in the first half slip away.

"I thought this was a winnable game," UofL head coach Kenny Payne said. "The elephant in the room is the turnovers. You can't describe some of them. … It's turnovers that are unnecessary, which leads to layups. You look at the stat sheet, you walk away saying we did everything it took to win the game. But we didn't handle the elephant in the room, which is turnovers."

Louisville shot 53.1% for the game and 60% in the first half, while also knocking down 9 of 18 3-pointers.

But the Eagles (10-11, 4-6) caught fire after the break, making 7 of 11 long-range attempts in the second half, as well as 13 of 15 free throws. They made 17 of 21 overall from the stripe.

An early 11-0 run gave Louisville a 19-7 lead after a bucket by El Ellis at the 10:38 mark. The senior guard had 15 points in the first half, going 6 of 7 from the field and 3-for-3 from deep.

Redshirt freshman guard/forward Mike James also gave the Cardinals 10 points in the first seven-plus minutes of the game as UofL led 35-29 at halftime.

After a 3-pointer by James made it 45-38 Louisville with 14:45 to go, Boston College countered with a critical 10-0 run to open up a three-point lead.

The Cardinals answered with five straight points from junior forward JJ Traynor, but the Eagles exploded for another 8-0 burst and never relinquished that lead.

"I saw a lot more resiliency when that adversity did hit," redshirt junior forward Jae'Lyn Withers said. "We continued to fight, but attention to detail and rebounding hindered us."

Quinten Post paced Boston College with 22 points and six rebounds.

Ellis led Louisville with 17 points and five assists, while Withers contributed 16 points and seven rebounds.

James finished with 15 points, and senior forward Sydney Curry found double digits with 10 points.

Louisville stays on the road for a trip to Notre Dame at 12 p.m. ET Saturday in South Bend, Ind. The game will air on ESPN2.