Field Level Media
Jan 16, 2021
Isaiah Wong scored a career-high 30 points as the host Miami Hurricanes upset the 16th-ranked Louisville Cardinals 78-72 in an ACC game on Saturday night.
Wong seemed to sprain his ankle with 3:18 left in the game when he was stepped on by teammate Nysier Brooks. That would have been horrible news for injury-plagued Miami, but Wong remained in the game and got a dunk on the next Hurricanes' possession.
Miami (6-6, 2-5 ACC) also got 16 points from Matt Cross and 15 points and 10 rebounds from Elijah Olaniyi. Brooks had eight points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
Wong made 12-of-20 shots from the floor, with many on twisting and turning drives, and he added seven rebounds and six assists. He went 3-for-5 on 3-pointers and also 3-of-5 from the free-throw line.
Louisville (9-2, 4-1) was led by Carlik Jones, who had 25 points and a game-high seven assists. Jae'lyn Withers added 18 points and 11 rebounds, making 8-of-9 shots from the floor, including a 3-pointer.
The Hurricanes were without five injured players, including star freshman Earl Timberlake, who was added to the list for this game. They were also missing Chris Lykes and Kam McGusty -- two of their top three scorers last season -- as well as Rodney Miller and Sam Waardenburg.
Even so, Miami, using a 14-2 run, took a 25-12 lead with 5:28 left in the first half. Louisville went scoreless for 4:20 during that span.
By halftime, Miami had a 33-21 lead on the strength of a 24-14 rebound advantage, including 8-1 on the offensive glass. Brooks had 10 of those rebounds, including five offensive boards.
Neither team shot the ball well in the first half as Miami went 2-for-10 on 3-pointers while Louisville missed all 10 of its shots from beyond the arc. Louisville finished 3-for-20 from 3-point range for the game.
Miami led for the entire second half, although the Cardinals cut their deficit to 45-44 with 13:13 left on a layup by Dre Davis.
Jones had 15 of Louisville's 17 points down the stretch to cut the Cardinals' deficit to 66-61 with 2:39 left, but Miami hung on for the upset victory.
--Field Level Media