CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Isaiah Wong had 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Miami beat No. 16 Louisville 78-72 on Saturday night to end an 18-game skid against ranked opponents.
Matt Cross scored 16 points and Elijah Olaniyi had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Miami. The previous time the Hurricanes (6-6, 2-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) topped a ranked foe was at No. 9 North Carolina in February of 2018.
Louisville (9-2, 4-1) rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit and got within 68-64 on Matt Slazinski’s three free throws with 2:21 remaining. Cross’ 3-pointer with 1:29 left gave Miami another seven-point margin.
Carlik Jones scored 25 points and Jae’Lyn Withers finished with 18 points for the Cardinals.
After allowing 18 3-pointers in a 84-62 loss Tuesday at Boston College, Miami limited Louisville to 3-of-20 from behind the arc. The Cardinals missed their first 11 3-pointers until Withers’ conversion 6:32 into the second half.
Wong’s jumper with 5:29 remaining capped an 18-4 run and gave the Hurricanes their largest lead of the first half at 25-12. Miami led 33-21 at halftime after Cross’ 3-pointer with 12 seconds left.
BIG PICTURE
Louisville: Because of two home postponements, the Cardinals completed a stretch of four-of-five conference road games Saturday. The Cardinals last encountered a similar stretch in 1994-95, when they played in the Metro Conference.
Miami: Senior point guard Chris Lykes missed his 10th consecutive game because of a left ankle injury. Lykes, the Hurricanes leading scorer as a junior and a pre-season second team All-ACC, has been sidelined since Dec. 4. Miami also played without starting guard Kameron McGusty, who is out with a right hamstring injury.
UP NEXT
Louisville: The Cardinals open a three-game homestand against Florida State on Monday night.
Miami: The Hurricanes will visit Syracuse Tuesday night.