Coogs lose to Louisville by 15

Posted: February 5, 2014 -- 11:58pm CST.

HOUSTON, TX (Hofheinz Pavilion) -- On Guy V Lewis Night, the Houston Cougars were defeated by the Louisville Cardinals 77-62 in front of large, rowdy crowd of 7,247 fans.

The game was tied at 11; but, over the next nine minutes of the game, the Cardinals exploded with a 26-6 run. The Coogs turned the ball over seven times during the run.

Louisville scored inside and outside during the run. Senior guard Russ Smith drained two-three point shots while backcourt mate Chris Jones sank one three-pointer; and, Montrezl Harrell and Luke Hancock finished with dunks on the inside.

The Cardinals shot 69.6% (16 for 23) from the floor in the first -- including 6 for 10 from three-point range. On the other hand, the Cougars made just 10 of 23 field goals (43.5%).

Neither team took care of the ball in the first half. The Cardinals turned the ball over eight times while the Cougars committed nine turnovers. However, Louisville took advantage of the Coogs miscues with 18 points off the turnovers compared to just four points for the Cougars off the Cards' fumbles.

The Cougars (11-12 overall and 3-7 in the American Athletic Conference) trailed 45-26 at halftime.

Louisville (19-4, 8-2) scored the first four points in the second half; but, the Cougars scored seven straight points including five points by TaShawn Thomas to trim Houston's deficit to 16 points (49-33) with 16:32 remaining in the ball game. Louisville increased the lead to 20; but, the Cougars began attacking the basket; drawing fouls; and scoring with the clocked.

The Cougars crept within nine points twice; but, Chris Jones scored seven points during a 9-3 run to put the Cardinals up 71-56 with just 4:41 left in the ball game.

The Cougars didn't get closer than 11 points in the final minutes of the game.

Russ Smith scored a game-high 17 points. Teammates Luke Hancock and Montrezl Harrell each scored 15 points. Chris Jones added 14 points. Louisville shot 55.6% (25 for 45 from the floor) and 62.5% (20 for 32) from the free throw line.

TaShawn Thomas and Jherrod each scored 14 points to lead the Cougars. LJ Rose added 11. The Coogs shot 45.8% (22 for 48) from the floor and just 56.5% (13 for 23) from the foul line.

Houston's next game is a Sunday afternoon match-up with Temple. Tip is set for 1 p.m. inside Hofheinz Pavilion.

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