CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Kyle Guy scored 22 points and No. 2 Virginia held off hot-shooting Louisville to win its 13th straight, 74-64 on Wednesday night.
Ty Jerome added 16 points and Devon Hall 12 for the Cavaliers (21-1, 10-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). Virginia’s start is its best in ACC play since the 1980-81 team won its first 12 games. The winning streak is its longest since winning 19 in a row to begin the 2014-15 season.
Ray Spalding scored 16 points and Deng Adel had 15 points for the Cardinals (16-6, 6-3). Louisville made nine of 10 shots at one point down the stretch, closing to within 62-57 on a long 3-pointer by Ryan McMahon with 3:44 left, but Jerome answered with back-to-back 3s for the Cavaliers.
The victory gave Virginia a three-game lead in the conference.
The Cardinals continue to have trouble with Virginia’s Pack-Line defense, even while shooting 50 percent (25-50). They committed 13 turnovers and were outscored 22-6 off those mistakes. The loss was also the fifth straight for Louisville against Virginia, and sixth in seven games since the Cardinals joined the ACC.
A three-game suspension for reserve guard Nigel Johnson provided a rare opportunity for freshman Marco Anthony and he made the most of it, hitting a pair of 3-pointers and scoring 10 points in 18 minutes. It was only the fourth ACC game that Anthony has gotten into and his point total doubled his career high. He scored five against Savannah State on Dec. 19.
Louisville is at home against Florida State on Saturday.
Virginia is on the road at Syracuse on Saturday.
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