Louisville got 20 points from reserve Reyne Smith as the host Cardinals pulled away from Winthrop 76-61 on Friday.
Two teams that came in averaging more than 82 points a game found themselves in a more defensive-minded contest as Louisville’s Pat Kelsey coached against the school he led for nine seasons now. The Eagles are now coached by Mark Prosser, a longtime Kelsey assistant.
The Cardinals (3-1) held the Eagles (4-3) to a season-worst 31.4 percent shooting, including only 28.9 percent in the first half. Even so, Winthrop stayed with Louisville throughout the half, trailing just 35-27 at halftime thanks to grabbing 11 offensive rebounds that led to 12 second-chance points and forcing 12 Louisville turnovers.
While Winthrop’s shooting woes continued in the second half, Louisville tightened up on the boards. A 25-18 margin on the boards following the break allowed the Cardinals to keep the Eagles at bay, as Louisville led by double digits for the final 7:54.
Smith, who came with Kelsey from the College of Charleston, did his damage from outside. He made 5 of 9 3-point attempts to lead Louisville.
J’Vonne Hadley posted 12 points and 13 rebounds, the latter total a career high for the transfer from Colorado.
Louisville’s James Scott added 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting. After being held scoreless without a shot against Tennessee two weeks ago, the 6-foot-11 transfer from College of Charleston has made 10 of his past 11 shots.
Louisville came into the Friday game short-handed. Besides Aboubacar Traore, who is out with a broken arm and expected to miss several weeks, the Cardinals also were without Koren Johnson, who also missed his second straight game with a shoulder injury. It’s uncertain when Johnson, a reserve guard who averaged 20 minutes in the Cardinals’ first two games, will return to action.
Winthrop struggled both inside and out. The Eagles hit just 6 of 29 3-point attempts and succeeded on only 8 of 19 layup attempts.
Kelton Talford led the Eagles with 15 points and nine rebounds. K.J. Doucet scored all 13 of his points in the second half and grabbed 10 boards. Paul Jones III added 12 points, and Kasen Harrison finished with 10 points.
