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No. 14 Louisville outlasts No. 15 Purdue 71-64
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) Ray Spalding and Mangok Mathiang each scored11 points and Donovan Mitchell contributed seven critical points down the stretch to help No. 14 Louisville hold off No. 15 Purdue 71-64 on Wednesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Seeking a rebound from their second-half collapse against Baylor in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship when they lost a 22-point lead, the Cardinals held Purdue to a season-low 36 percent shooting but needed key baskets in the final minutes as the Boilermakers cut a 51-33 deficit to four with 14.4 seconds left.
Ryan McMahon's 3-pointer with 4 minutes remaining helped along with Mathiang's layup with 2:30 left, but Mitchell's late scoring including a 3 helped the Cardinals (6-1) escape with their first win over Purdue since 1996.
Caleb Swanigan had 14 points and 11 rebounds and P.J. Thompson had 13 points, but the Boilermakers (5-2) had their four-game winning streak stopped along with a conference-record seven-game winning streak in the Challenge.
THE BIG PICTURE
Purdue: The Boilermakers entered ranked seventh in assists at nearly 20 per game but had just five in the first half with just two through 13 minutes. They relied heavily on a perimeter game and started 2 of 10 from the field with both baskets coming from behind the arc. They were outscored 18-6 in the paint in the first half.
Louisville: The Cardinals pushed the tempo from the start and their defense forced 10 first-half turnovers against Purdue's height. They forced 17 turnovers overall and shot 48 percent. ... Coach Rick Pitino used his bench early, playing 12 in the first half alone.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Louisville figures to remain the same depending on what happens at Grand Canyon. Purdue shouldn't drop much with a loss to the No. 14 team.
UP NEXT
Purdue: The Boilermakers will face their second straight Kentucky school when they host Morehead State on Saturday in their first meeting since 1985.
Louisville: The Cardinals travel Phoenix to face Dan Majerle-coached Grand Canyon on Saturday night. They won last year's inaugural meeting 111-63.
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More AP College Basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org
