LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Interstat) — A blistering offensive display from beyond the arc and a dominant second-half surge propelled the Louisville Cardinals to an 87-70 victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball action Saturday afternoon at a sold-out KFC Yum! Center.

A crowd of 16,350 watched the Cardinals, now 20-7 overall, separate decisively after halftime, leveraging a significant advantage in three-point shooting to overcome a scrappy Georgia Tech team that fell to 11-17.

The game’s pivotal sequence unfolded early in the second half, transforming a competitive contest into a comfortable Louisville lead. Leading 42-31 at the break, Louisville saw its advantage trimmed to 44-36 after an Akai Fleming stepback jumper for Georgia Tech. The Cardinals then unleashed a decisive 17-5 run over the next five minutes, a stretch defined by defensive pressure and efficient scoring.

The run featured a Khani Rooths three-pointer assisted by Aly Khalifa, a tip-in by Kobe Rodgers, and a driving layup and subsequent free throw from Ryan Conwell. It was capped by a Mikel Brown jump shot off a turnover, pushing the Louisville lead to 61-41 with 13:02 remaining. During this span, Georgia Tech committed four turnovers and managed just a single layup from Baye Ndongo, as the Cardinals’ defense tightened and their offensive machine found its rhythm.

Louisville’s victory was built on exceptional perimeter shooting and near-flawless work at the free-throw line. The Cardinals connected on 14 of 31 attempts from three-point range, a 45.2% clip, while Georgia Tech struggled mightily, making only 3 of 18. At the charity stripe, Louisville was nearly perfect, converting 19 of 20 attempts. Georgia Tech was also efficient at the line, making 11 of 12, but could not offset the disparity from deep.

The Cardinals also won the possession battle, scoring 87 points on 74 possessions for an offensive rating of 118.4, while Georgia Tech managed 70 points on 73 possessions for a rating of 96.3. Louisville shot 51.9% from the field overall compared to Georgia Tech’s 45.9%. Both teams were active defensively, with Louisville recording 11 steals and Georgia Tech nine, leading to 18 Cardinals turnovers and 16 for the Yellow Jackets.

Mikel Brown, Louisville’s standout guard from Orlando, Florida, led all scorers with 19 points, adding four rebounds and two assists. His backcourt mate, Ryan Conwell of Indianapolis, provided 15 points and four assists, while Saint Paul native J’Vonne Hadley contributed 17 points and five rebounds. The Cardinals’ ball movement was sharp, resulting in 11 assists on 27 made field goals.

Georgia Tech was led by a formidable performance from sophomore big man Baye Ndongo. The 6-foot-9 forward from Mbour, Senegal, played 36 minutes and tallied 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks, showcasing his versatility. Akai Fleming added 15 points and five rebounds, and Lamar Washington and Jaeden Mustaf each scored 12 points. Freshman center Cole Kirouac of Cumming, Georgia, provided a strong interior presence with six points and a game-high 11 rebounds in 27 minutes.

The first half was a tale of Louisville’s three-point barrage against Georgia Tech’s interior work. The Cardinals hit 8 of 17 from deep before halftime, with Conwell sinking a stepback three at the buzzer to give Louisville its 11-point lead at the break. The Yellow Jackets kept pace early by scoring 22 of their 31 first-half points in the paint, but their 1-for-9 shooting from three-point range in the period foreshadowed their eventual downfall.

Louisville’s win reinforced its position in the upper tier of the ACC as it heads into a quick turnaround, traveling to face North Carolina on Monday night. The Cardinals entered the game as heavy favorites, projected with a 96.6% win probability by analytics systems and installed as 23.5-point favorites, a spread they narrowly covered. The total score of 157 points fell under the over/under line of 162.

Georgia Tech, mired in a losing streak that now reached five games, will look to regroup before hosting Florida State next Saturday. The Yellow Jackets have now lost 12 of their last 14 contests following a promising start to conference play.