Turnovers Costly for Cards in 83-70 Loss to Pitt

Saturday, January 6

LOUISVILLE, KY

12 p.m.

University of Louisville

5-9,0-3ACC

Pitt

10-5,1-3ACC

Pittsburgh

Louisville

Mike James drives to the basket against Pitt at the KFC Yum! Center on Jan. 6, 2024.

January 06, 2024 | Men's Basketball

Box Score PDF Box VIDEO: Kenny Payne Press Conference VIDEO: Kaleb Glenn/Mike James Photo Gallery

By: Zach Greenwell

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Pitt took advantage of turnovers and made a living at the free-throw line and behind the arc Saturday, as Louisville men's basketball fell 83-70 at the KFC Yum! Center.

The Cardinals (5-9, 0-3) outshot the Panthers from the field (51%) and the 3-point line (48%), but Pitt scored 28 points off UofL's 18 turnovers, knocked down 12 3s and went 19-for-21 from the stripe.

"They shoot the ball well," Louisville head coach Kenny Payne said. "They play with swagger. They are tough. They are a great rebounding team. I felt like we started the game in the first five minutes with them being the aggressors on the board which hurt us and put us on our heels. It didn't set the tone for the way we wanted the game to go. … If we shoot those numbers and are that efficient, how are we not winning the game? So, then I go back to 18 turnovers. Then I go back to how many times did we foul a 3-point shooter? It is the mental focus to be able to fight through and play winning basketball. Yeah, you did some things well, but we all know that winning is hard and we have to do a lot of things well consistently."

Pitt scored the first six points of the game and pushed its lead to 12 at 28-16 with 8:00 left in the first half. The Cardinals responded with a 13-4 run to get back within three and trailed 40-34 at the break.

Pitt scored the first five points of the second half and got its lead to 14 before UofL redshirt sophomore guard/forward Mike James caught fire.

James knocked down three straight 3-pointers to make it a 57-50 game with 11:40 to play, but the Panthers answered with a 10-0 run to put the game out of reach.

James scored a game-high 23 points, including a 5-for-7 clip from deep. Sophomore guard Skyy Clark and freshman wing Curtis Williams each had 11 points, and freshman forward Kaleb Glenn finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.

"I feel like I'm getting way more comfortable as I'm out there more, just playing with energy and effort, trying to make winning plays, that's that gets me going," Glenn said.

The Cardinals were again shorthanded on Saturday with just seven scholarship players in uniform and 10 overall. It was compounded with the news that senior forward JJ Traynor will miss the remainder of the season after reinjuring his shoulder in practice Friday.

"It's unfortunate for sure, but every team deals with injuries," James said. "We've just got to make sure guys stay ready and be ready to step up. We had a deep team to begin with, but guys are starting to go down, some for the year, some for just a little bit of time and so the guys that weren't playing as much stay ready and they're starting to get more opportunities and they're making the most of it.

Blake Hinson led Pitt with 21 points.

The Cardinals hit the road again next week with a road trip to Miami at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday in Coral Gables, Fla. The game will air on ACC Network.