Written by Danny Morales
Jahlil Okafor scored 18 points and had seven rebounds as the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils defeated the No. 6 Louisville Cardinals 63-52 in an ACC-matchup at the KFC Yum Center in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday.
Okafor and Amile Jefferson combined for 37 points on the game, the two combined for half of the teams points during the first half, helping the Blue Devils take a 30-20 lead into halftime after falling behind 10-6 8:52 into the game.
Duke opened up the second half with a 9-2 run to jump out to a 20-point lead over Louisville. The Cardinals would battle back and bring the game as close as 58-48 with 1:27 remaining in the game, but the deficit was too large to overcome as the Blue Devils went on to win their 15th game of the season.
Okafor finished the game shooting 8-10 from the field while Jefferson only missed one shot from the floor, going 6-7.
Terry Rozier led Louisville in scoring with 17 points, while Montrezl Harrell had a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
The win snaps a two-game losing streak for Duke (15-2, 3-2 ACC) and gives head coach Mike Krzyzewski his 998th win as a head coach.
The Blue Devils will now return to Durham, North Carolina, where they will take on Pitt on Monday, Jan. 19 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Louisville’s record falls to 15-3 with the loss and gives them their second defeat in ACC play. The Cardinals next opponent will also be Pitt, but they will have until Sunday, Jan. 25 to prepare for the Panthers at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Okafor and Amile Jefferson combined for 37 points on the game, the two combined for half of the teams points during the first half, helping the Blue Devils take a 30-20 lead into halftime after falling behind 10-6 8:52 into the game.
Duke opened up the second half with a 9-2 run to jump out to a 20-point lead over Louisville. The Cardinals would battle back and bring the game as close as 58-48 with 1:27 remaining in the game, but the deficit was too large to overcome as the Blue Devils went on to win their 15th game of the season.
Okafor finished the game shooting 8-10 from the field while Jefferson only missed one shot from the floor, going 6-7.
Terry Rozier led Louisville in scoring with 17 points, while Montrezl Harrell had a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
The win snaps a two-game losing streak for Duke (15-2, 3-2 ACC) and gives head coach Mike Krzyzewski his 998th win as a head coach.
The Blue Devils will now return to Durham, North Carolina, where they will take on Pitt on Monday, Jan. 19 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Louisville’s record falls to 15-3 with the loss and gives them their second defeat in ACC play. The Cardinals next opponent will also be Pitt, but they will have until Sunday, Jan. 25 to prepare for the Panthers at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.