RALEIGH, N.C – Heading back on the road for a matchup at NC State, the Louisville men’s basketball program took advantage of getting back to (relatively) full strength, claiming a 91-66 wire-to-wire blowout victory on Wednesday at the Lenovo Center.

The Cardinals (19-6, 12-2 ACC) are now on a three-game winning streak, and have won 13 of their last 14 games since opening up the season at 6-5. They also snap a four-game losing streak to the Wolfpack (9-15, 2-11 ACC), who themselves are now on a nine-game losing streak.

It was a matchup where Louisville was not as shorthanded as they expected to be. Point guard Chucky Hepburn, the Cardinals’ leader in points, assists and steals per game, returned to the lineup after missing the previous game vs. Miami due to a groin injury.

Additionally, center James Scott, one game removed from having his two front teeth knocked out against the Hurricanes and needing emergency dental work, still played against the Wolfpack – albeit with a Hannibal Lecter-style mask.

As a result, Louisville’s efficiency on both ends of the floor took a massive step forward from what it was vs. Miami. Despite posting an 18-to-17 assist/turnover ratio, they still shot a blazing 63.6 percent from the field, including 11-of-19 on three point tries.

It was UofL’s best shooting percentage in a road game since shooting 65.2 percent at Pitt on Jan. 25, 2015.

On the defensive end, despite giving up 14 offensive rebounds (and barely winning the overall rebounding battle, 34-to-28), they held the Wolfpack to just a 36.1 shooting percentage from the floor and an 11-of-33 mark on threes.

Louisville was led by a pair of 21-point performances from Terrence Edwards Jr. and Reyne Smith. J’Vonne Hadley added 17 points and a team-high nine rebounds, while Hepburn had 15 points and six assists in his return.

Louisville put their foot on NC State’s neck right from the opening tip-off. They made five of their first six baskets while forcing their hosts to miss their first four attempts, going on a 7-0 run in the first two-and-a-half minutes of the game.

In fact, early on, it seemed like a blowout was brewing. The Cardinals started the game shooting 13-of-18, while the Wolfpack opened up shooting 4-of-19, with UofL leading by as much as 17 with just under eight minutes until halftime.

But down the stretch, sloppiness started to creep in. Louisville made just four of their final shots of the period, and in the first half alone, turned the ball over nine times and gave up 10 offensive rebounds. In turn, NC State made six of their final 12 shots of the half, and even used a 7-0 run to trim their deficit to as little as nine before UofL took a 41-27 advantage into halftime.

As it turned out, the break was exactly what Louisville needed to get back on track. They hit seven of their first 12 shots of the period while NC State was held to two for their first eight, going on a 19-8 run to open the half and lead by as much as 25 just over seven minutes into the period.

NC State was able to pick up the pace offensively some after the slow start to the second half, but Louisville continued to put their foot on the gas until their hosts waved the white flag. The Wolfpack wound up shooting 12-of-30 in the second half, and the Cardinals countered with a 18-of-27 mark, never trailing by fewer than 19 in the final 13 minutes, and leading by as much as 28.

Next up, Louisville stays on the road and heads up north to Notre Dame. Tip-off against the Fighting Irish is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 16 at 8:00 p.m. EST.

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