Cards From Deep Do Enough to Hold Off Bulls in Buffalo

Despite a furious second half rally when all seemed lost, the Louisville Cardinals held on to defeat the South Florida Bulls 83-79 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Thursday afternoon.

The Bulls (25-9, 15-3 American) finished 5-33 from three-point range, while the Cardinals were terrific at 13-25. Joseph Pinion was the only USF player to make a shot from distance, finishing 5-14 from downtown as part of his team-high 27 points. His teammates combined for an 0-19 performance beyond the arc.

The Bulls were down 23 with 12:50 to play, but rallied via furious full-court pressure late in the game to put the Cards (24-10, 11-7 ACC) in uncomfortable situations. USF forced a total of 22 UL turnovers while committing just nine themselves, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the difference from the field.

American Conference Player of The Year Izaiyah Nelson finished with 22 points and a team-high nine rebounds in his final collegiate game. The Arkansas State transfer came with his head coach Bryan Hodgson from Jonesboro to Tampa before this season, and finishes his collegiate career with a Sun Belt regular season championship, as well as an American Conference regular season and tournament title.

Senior Isaac McKneely put on a career performance for the Cards, with 23 points including 7-10 from three-point range. from the floor. More to come from Buffalo later.

More to come from Buffalo later.

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