No. 11 Louisville blows past short-handed UNC 72-55

Louisville forward Jordan Nwora (33) drives to the basket as he’s defended by North Carolina guard Brandon Robinson (4) during an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

by: STEVE BITTENBENDER Associated Press

Posted: Feb 22, 2020 / 06:13 PM EST

Updated: Feb 22, 2020 / 06:13 PM EST

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – Jordan Nwora scored 18 points to lead No. 11 Louisville over North Carolina 72-55.

The Cardinals won their second straight game and guaranteed they would stay in first place in the conference ahead of a big Monday night matchup at No. 8 Florida State.

Louisville never had a big run in the first half but ended it on a strong note by making seven of its final nine shots.

Lamarr Kimble’s jumper with 9 seconds left gave the Cardinals their biggest lead of the half at 36-23.

Nwora added 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.

Malik Williams added 17 points and nine rebounds.