Highlights, Photos and Notes: NC State 89, Louisville 83

Team Notes:

• KEY FIRST HALF RUN: The Wolfpack jumped out to an early 12-0 advantage, netting 4-5 shots from the field, and forcing four Cardinal turnovers. Louisville scored their first bucket of the game at the 15:41 mark after a jumper by Ty-Laur Johnson found the bottom of the net. The Cardinals remained at arm’s length for most of the first half, pulling within single digits after a layup by Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and a pair of free throws by Johnson to bring the Cards within nine entering halftime.
• KEY SECOND HALF RUN: The Cardinals came out hot to start the second half, going on a 9-0 run to pull within two with 16:11 remaining. Mike James and Huntley-Hatfield led the Cardinals during the run, combining for 11 points on 5-7 shooting. It was a back-and-forth contest throughout the half until NC State went on a 12-5 run to stretch the lead to 14 at the 2:18 mark. With 2:09 remaining in the game, Louisville fought back with an 11-3 run off a 3-pointer from Skyy Clark to cut the lead to just three with 22 seconds left. The Wolfpack iced the game at the free-throw line, going 4-4 as time expired in the second half.
• UofL shot 28 of 59 (47.5%) from the field, 8 of 15 (53.3%) from 3-point range, and 19 of 25 (76.0%) from the free-throw line.
• Both teams had valuable contributions off the bench with 40 points each.

Player Notes:

• Mike James paced the Cards with 20 points, making this his third straight game with 20 points or more. He netted 6 of 12 from the floor along with five boards and an assist in his 38 minutes of play.
• Brandon Huntley-Hatfield logged his sixth double-double of his career and fourth on the season, contributing 13 points and 10 rebounds, going 6-12 from the field in 35 minutes of action.
• Curtis Williams made four 3-pointers, tying his career-high, and scored 15 points off the bench. He has now reached double figures in five of his last six games played. He also pulled down a career-high five rebounds to go along with two assists.
• Ty-Laur Johnson tied his career-high with 14 points in 21 minutes of action. He also contributed five assists, two steals, and one rebound on the afternoon.
• Skyy Clark filled his stat sheet with 10 points, two assists, two steals, one board, and one block in 36 minutes.
• After missing three games due to injury, Tre White contributed seven points in 20 minutes of play. He netted 3-6 from the field to go along with four boards.

Gallery:

NOTE: Photos courtesy of USA TODAY's Jamie Rhodes