LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Armaan Franklin and Kihei Clark each scored 14 points and No. 7 Virginia endured a stern challenge from struggling Louisville and its own poor free-throw shooting to win its third straight game, 61-58 on Wednesday night.
The Cavaliers (20-4, 12-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) led 58-50 with 3:47 remaining but missed five free throws down the stretch to give the ACC-worst Cardinals (3-23, 1-14) a chance. JJ Traynor’s jumper with 31 seconds left got Louisville within three, and Clark missed the front end of a 1-and-1.
But the Cardinals bled valuable time off the clock during their final possession while trying to get free for an open 3-pointer, and Kamari Lands’ off-balance 3 barely hit the rim with 3 seconds left. Ben Vander Plas got the rebound and Virginia escaped with its sixth consecutive win over the Cardinals while moving into a first-place tie with Pittsburgh in the ACC.
El Ellis had 21 points for Louisville, which has lost four straight since its lone ACC victory. The Cardinals were coming off another close game against one of the league’s best teams, a 93-85 loss at Miami.
Jayden Gardner and Vander Plas each scored 10 points for Virginia, which shot 57% after halftime and 44% overall.
The Cardinals and Cavaliers began by shooting a combined 10 for 31, but Ellis found comfort on the perimeter as Louisville led by as many as nine points.
Virginia trailed 26-17 with 5:18 left in the first half before outscoring Louisville 20-4 over the next 20 minutes. Despite taking a 10-point lead late in the game, the Cavaliers had to hang on in the final seconds.
The teams will meet again on March 4 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
BIG PICTURE
Virginia: The Cavaliers began the game shooting poorly but settled down to find a rhythm just before the break. They finished 9 of 16 from the free-throw line.
Louisville: The normally error-prone Cardinals committed just four turnovers in the first half, but a couple came during a late drought. That made a difference against a precise Cavs squad that didn’t turn the ball over until two minutes into the second half. Louisville ultimately had 10 giveaways that Virginia converted into 13 points.
UP NEXT
Virginia hosts Notre Dame on Saturday.
Louisville hosts Clemson on Saturday.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
