Reyne Smith sank a Louisville-record 10 3-pointers and Chucky Hepburn dished out a program-record 16 assists as the 25th-ranked Cardinals trounced SMU 98-73 on Tuesday in Dallas.
Smith poured in a season-high 30 points while James Scott and J’Vonne Hadley each had 16 for Louisville (15-5, 8-1 Atlantic Coast Conference).
The Cardinals recorded their second-highest point total of the season, trailing just a 100-68 victory over Bellarmine on Nov. 19.
Louisville’s previous single-game record for assists was 15, set by Francisco Garcia in January 2004. The old Cardinals mark for 3-pointers in a game, nine, was established by Taquan Dean in December 2003.
SMU (14-5, 5-3) struggled on defense, allowing more than 90 points for the first time this season. Matt Cross led the Mustangs with 18 points and eight rebounds. B.J. Edwards had 16 points, and Samet Yigitoglu scored 11.
Louisville set the tone in the first two minutes of the game, claiming a 6-0 lead on 3-pointers from Hepburn and Hadley. After Edwards cut the SMU deficit to 6-4, Hepburn answered with a trey on the Cardinals’ ensuing possession, sparking an 11-2 run that also featured another 3-pointer from Hepburn and one from Khani Rooths.
The Mustangs shot just 20.7 percent from the field and were 2 of 11 from beyond the arc in the first half. One of those two treys came with 6:09 left from Chuck Harris to slice the hosts’ deficit to 16, but Louisville pushed the lead to 41-17 in the next 1:25. The Cardinals had a rebuttal for every SMU momentum boost, evidenced by their 23-point halftime lead.
Louisville’s Terrence Edwards Jr. (nine points, five assists) drew a foul on a layup with 13:41 remaining in the game. He made the ensuing free throw for a three-point play, giving the Cardinals their first 30-point lead at 63-33.
Cross had a pair of three-point plays sandwiched around a tip-in from Yigitoglu near the midpoint of the second half, part of a 10-2 run that drew SMU within 73-49.
Louisville never saw the lead fall below 17 points the rest of the way as the Cardinals improved to 5-1 on the road. SMU had a three-game overall winning streak end.
–Field Level Media
