Smith, Scott lead Louisville to its first season-sweep of Virginia since joining the ACC

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Chucky Hepburn turns defense into offense

Chucky Hepburn gets the steal, then finds Aboubacar Traore on the break for the and-1 finish vs Virginia.

Jan 18, 2025, 02:53 pm

LOUISVILLE, Ky., -- — Reyne Smith scored 19 points and James Scott posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds as Louisville completed a season sweep of Virginia, defeating the Cavaliers 81-67 on Saturday, for the Cardinals' eighth-straight win.

It's the first time the Cardinals have swept the series since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2014 and was their first win over the Cavaliers in Louisville since February 9, 2020.

Louisville never trailed after taking the lead when Smith drew a foul and knocked down three straight free throws 22 seconds into the contest. Scott's dunk with 1:08 left in the first half sent the Cardinals into intermission with a 39-28 lead and they pushed the advantage to as many as 21 points, 77-56 with 3:35 left.

Smith was 4 of 11 from beyond the arc and a perfect 7-for-7 at the line to lead Louisville (14-5, 7-1). Terrence Edwards Jr. scored 16 points and J'Vonne Hadley contributed 13.

Saunders hit 3 of 6 from deep and finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds and Isaac McKneely added 10 to lead Virginia (8-10, 1-6). The Cavaliers have lost five straight, a streak that started with a 70-50 loss to the Cardinals in Charlottesville.

Four of Louisville's five losses under first-year coach Pat Kelsey have been to teams ranked in the AP Top 25 — No. 12 Tennessee, No. 23 Mississippi, No., 9 Duke and No. 5 Kentucky. None of the Cardinals' 12 remaining games are against a team currently ranked.

Louisville plays at SMU on Tuesday. Virginia returns home to play host to Boston College on Tuesday.

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