LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — El Ellis scored 18 points off the bench, including seven consecutive for Louisville during a critical late stretch to put the Cardinals ahead for good before holding off Pittsburgh 75-72 on Wednesday night.
A thrilling second half featuring 16 lead changes finally swung the Cardinals' way thanks to Ellis, who scored 14 points after halftime including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 5:11 remaining for a 63-61 lead. The junior guard added another go-ahead jumper and two free throws to make it 67-63 before Sydney Curry added a layup and Noah Locke (13 points) a 3 for a 72-65 cushion that Louisville needed.
Jamarius Burton scored seven consecutive points to get Pitt within 74-72 with seven seconds left. Samuell Willamson’s missed free throw gave Burton a chance to tie in the final second, but his 3-point attempt missed and was grabbed by Ellis to seal Louisville’s third consecutive win.
Ellis made 6 of 10 including 2 of 4 3s for Louisville (10-4, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), which shot 54% in the second half and 48% overall to remain atop the league.
Burton scored 21 points, Mouhamadou Gueye added 15 and Ithiel Horton 13 in his return from a 13-game suspension for the Panthers (5-9, 0-3), who played their first game since Dec. 28 after Saturday’s game at Virginia Tech was postponed. Pitt finished 44% from the field.
The teams finished tied on the boards with 34 but Louisville earned a 28-20 edge in the paint and 13-11 on second-chance points.
Pittsburgh hosts Boston College on Saturday. Louisville visits Florida State on Saturday night.
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