LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- No. 12 Louisville used a 10-0 run to end the first half and started the second half just as hot during a 92-60 win over Clemson on Thursday night at the KFC Yum! Center.
"We played great tonight," Louisville coach Rick Pitino said. "That's what counts. We are a game away from being tied for the ACC lead and I am really proud of our effort tonight."
The Cardinals (16-3, 4-2) got 18 points from guard Donovan Mitchell, all in the first half, and 18 points from forward Deng Adel. Clemson (11-7, 1-5) was led by guard Marcquise Reed's 13 points.
Louisville's knockout punch came just before halftime. With the score tied at 31, Louisville ran off the final 10 points of the first half.
"Louisville is a good team with a lot of talent and a great coach," Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. "They run a great system and when they get on a roll like that early with Donovan Mitchell.
"We couldn't do anything to get our legs back under us. Once we got hit in the gut there at the end of the first half, it was over. I was disappointed in my guys... we didn't have the fight tonight."
The Cardinals got a jumper and two 3-pointers from Mitchell and a jumper from forward VJ King to close out the half with a 41-31 lead. Mitchell finished the half with 18 points on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting from the field.
"Obviously the play at the end of the first half really put us in a tough place, the two 3s from Mitchell, and we never recovered," Brownell said. "It was not a good performance at all, and their rebounding killed us."
Louisville opened the second-half as hot as it ended the first, pushing the lead to 58-35 with just over 14 minutes left. The Cardinals led 65-41 with 11:20 left. Louisville outrebounded Clemson 45-25.
It wasn't a blowout from the opening tip. The Tigers scored the first seven points of the game and led 21-12 midway through the first half. Clemson hit four of its first five shots and eight of its first 15.
Without injured starting point guard Quentin Snider, the Cardinals had six turnovers in the first 10 minutes and did not have an assist until 6:04 left. Down 21-12, Louisville went on a 15-2 run to take a 27-24 lead, first moving ahead with 5:28 left before halftime.
"I thought they played at a very high level tonight, especially with one of their guys being injured," Brownell said. "I am disappointed with the way we played the last 25 minutes of the game."
With the game firmly in Louisville's hand, the only drama in the last 15 minutes came when Louisville forward Jaylen Johnson and Clemson center Elijah Thomas got ejected for a quick skirmish under the basket with 5:53 left.
"Jaylen was relentless tonight," Pitino said of Johnson, who had 12 points and 10 rebounds. "He spoiled a really great night by stooping to a different level."
NOTES:
-- Louisville starting PG Quentin Snider has a strained hip flexor and will miss at least the next two weeks.
-- Louisville used its 154th different lineup of the season to start the game. The Cardinals started G Donovan Mitchell, F VJ King, F Deng Adel, F Jaylen Johnson and F Anas Mahmoud.
-- Clemson graduate F Jaron Blossomgame came into the game shooting just 14 percent from 3-point range. He had two 3-pointers in the first half.
