Hepburn scores career-best 37 to lift No. 19 Louisville past Pittsburgh

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Chucky Hepburn scored a career-high 37 points to lead No. 19 Louisville to a 79-68 victory over Pittsburgh on Saturday night.

Terrence Edwards Jr. added 23 points and seven rebounds for the Cardinals (23-6, 16-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who shot 51.1% from the field (23 for 45) and went 11 for 21 (52.4%) from 3-point range.

Jaland Lowe led Pittsburgh (16-13, 7-11) with 16 points and Zack Austin added 15.

Hepburn, a senior transfer from Wisconsin, scored more than 30 for the second time this season. The point guard had 24 points and shot 6 for 6 from 3-point range in the first half, making them all in a span of six possessions. His last 3 gave Louisville a 39-29 lead with 1:05 left before halftime.

In the second half, Hepburn did it from the free-throw line, going 9 for 13. Overall, he shot 13 for 17, the fourth time he has made that many in a game this season.

The Panthers stuck around, using an 8-0 run to take a 62-59 lead on Austin's 3-pointer with 7:39 remaining. However, the Cardinals answered with a 9-0 run to go up 68-62 with 3:34 left after a layup by Hepburn.

Takeaways

Pittsburgh: For the first 32 minutes, the Panthers looked like the team that started the season 12-2, but Louisville eventually wore them down.

Louisville: Similar to the first game with Pitt, this was a hard-fought victory. While the Cardinals trailed a couple of times in the second half, the veteran leadership — led by Hepburn and Edwards — helped the team win its seventh straight and 17th in its last 18 games.

Key moment

After Austin’s 3-pointer gave the Panthers the 62-59 lead, they finished by making just two of their last 15 shots.

Up next

Pittsburgh travels to North Carolina State on Wednesday, and Louisville will host California on Wednesday.

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