LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Terry Rozier and Montrezl Harrell each scored 19 points and played big roles down the stretch in helping No. 4 Louisville survive UNC Wilmington 68-57 on Sunday night.
A game that the Cardinals seemed to be gaining control of with an 18-point lead early in the second half was soon cut to 52-50 as the Seahawks went on a 15-0 run over 4:07.
That's when Rozier asserted himself, scoring six of Louisville's next 10 points in a run that included Harrell's basket. UNCW cooled off after that, missing 10 of its final 13 shots to lose the first meeting between the schools.
Harrell also had 17 rebounds, and Wayne Blackshear scored 11 points for the Cardinals (9-0). They won despite shooting just 42 percent from the field and making only one of 13 3-point attempts.
Freddie Jackson scored 16 points and Jordon Talley had 13 for the stubborn Seahawks (3-3). They shot just 39 percent.
Despite the Cardinals' uneven performance, coach Rick Pitino earned his 350th victory with the program against 117 losses in 14 seasons. Louisville's win also spoiled the homecoming of first-year UNCW coach Kevin Keatts, who served the past three years as Pitino's assistant.
Before the game Pitino presented Keatts a small gift of appreciation for his recruiting efforts that helped land the 6-foot-8 Harrell, who eventually helped Louisville pull away from the Seahawks.
Louisville led 32-24 at the break but the game began as a back-and-forth affair with UNCW showing Cardinals-like aggression on offense. Chuck Ogbodo resembled Harrell on a fierce putback dunk for a 4-2 lead before Cedrick Williams threw down a one-handed slam to make it 10-9, one of several Seahawks leads.
