No. 8 Louisville Beats Minnesota 81-68
AGUADILLA, Puerto Rico (AP) — Montrezl Harrell had 30 points and Terry Rozier added 18 to help No. 8 Louisville beat Minnesota 81-68 on Friday night in the season opener for both teams.
The Armed Forces Classic, played at the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen in Puerto Rico, also pitted father against son as Louisville coach Rick Pitino improved to 2-0 against son Richard, coach for the Golden Gophers.
The athletic Cardinals never let Minnesota get comfortable, holding the Gophers to 40 percent shooting and forcing 18 turnovers. They seemed surprised by Minnesota's energy that included a 14-10 lead after freshman guard Nate Mason hit two free throws.
But the Cardinals' freshman Quentin Snider sparked a 19-2 run with a three-point play and Minnesota had no answers for Harrell.
Harrell could have turned pro last season, but he showed off an improved jump shot with 17 points in the first half on 5 for 6 shooting, including a 3-pointer to make it 29-16 with 6:38 left. The Gophers cut to a nine-point deficit, but Harrell dazzled the crowd with an emphatic alley-oop dunk during another Cardinals rally to take a 43-30 halftime lead.
Minnesota showed why it was the worst team in the Big Ten last season in defensive efficiency with 19 fouls in the first half, including four starters with two fouls each.
Andre Hollins kept Minnesota in the game with 10 of his team high 22 points in the first half. Starters Mo Walker, Joey King and DeAndre Mathieu combined for just two first-half points.
Harrell, who finished 9 for 12 from the field, had seven rebounds. Chris Jones also had 13 points for the Cardinals.
TIP INS:
Louisville: The Cardinals weren't perfect, either, with 15 turnovers, including five by Anton Gill. But 11 steals helped them make up the difference.
Minnesota: The Gophers shot poorly overall, but were particularly bad from beyond the arc, going just 4 of 18 (22 percent). They did have six steals but no blocks.
UP NEXT:
Louisville hosts Jacksonville State on Monday.
Minnesota hosts Western Kentucky on Tuesday.
FAMILY TIES:
The nationally televised event milked as much as it could out of the father-and-son matchup that had been building since the Pitinos celebrated Minnesota's NIT championship together last season at Madison Square Garden. The two met at half court for a long time before tipoff. Pitino vs. Pitino happened once before when Louisville walloped Florida International 79-55 during the 2012-13 season.
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