Strong Second Half Leads Miami to 78-73 Victory over No. 24 Louisville

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The University of Miami men’s basketball team utilized a strong second half to defeat No. 24 Louisville, 78-73, Thursday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament at the Spectrum Center.

In the first half, Miami (25-7) led early, 13-10, before Louisville (23-10) went on a 7-0 run. The Hurricanes responded with a 7-0 run of their own to take a 24-23 advantage. The half featured 12 lead changes in the first half before the Cardinals went into the break with a 38-37 lead.

Out of the half, Miami took its largest lead, eight, after going on a 10-0 run over a 1:50 span, as Malik Reneau hit a 3-pointer, made a layup and connected on a pair of free throws before Dante Allen converted an and-one on a fastbreak dunk.

Following the under-8 media timeout, Shelton Henderson made a free throw to give the Hurricanes a 62-54 lead before Louisville cut the lead to one just over six minutes remaining. A Reneau free throw and a dunk pushed the lead back up to four.

With Miami leading 69-68 with 1:23 remaining, Reneau made a layup before Tru Washington registered a steal on the ensuing inbounds pass and hit both free throws to push the advantage back up to five. Louisville responded with a bucket with 45 seconds before Reneau and Henderson put the game away with a pair of free throws and an emphatic dunk off a block.

Reneau led all scorers with 24 points while also hauling in six rebounds and three steals. Washington finished with 17 as Tre Donaldson had 14 points and six assists. Ernest Udeh Jr. cleaned up the glass with a game-high nine rebounds to go along with seven points and three blocks.

Miami takes on No. 10 Virginia in the semifinals of the tournament. The game will tip at 7 p.m. and will air on either ESPN or ESPN2.