Kenny Payne breaks down what led to late success for Louisville in win vs. Georgia Tech

It was not looking good for Louisville on Saturday after they went down nine with just over eight to go in the second half. However, the Cardinals found a way to knock Georgia Tech out, especially on the offensive end, to take it by a dozen inside the Yum! Center.

Kenny Payne assessed how his team closed the 79-67 victory, their third in ACC play, during his postgame press conference. By sticking with their game plan as it continued on, he felt like the Cardinals started to get what they wanted late after the Yellow Jackets started to wear down.

“I don’t know how easy the buckets were for them. But I do know that they kept with it,” said Payne.

“The team was sagging in initially. We kept moving the ball, trying to get them to loosen up,” Payne explained. “As the game went on, they did loosen up. We got to drive the ball down the lane, create fouls, and create shots for each other.”

As part of that success, Payne gave credit to two players for the physicality that they brought to the table.

“Brandon (Huntley-Hatfield) got them in some foul trouble. (Kaleb Glenn) did a good job of posting hard,” noted Payne.

After going down 60-51 with 8:15 left, Louisville tied it at 62 just about four minutes later. That was just the beginning, though, as they closed the game on a 17-5 stretch over the last four minutes. Add it all up and it was good for a 28-7 run for Louisville to end the game and win.

The run started with turnovers by Georgia Tech and continued as they missed several attempts down the stretch. Louisville was able to capitalize with their own offensive success, especially with several second chance scores off of offensive rebounds.

Six Cardinals, including all five starters, finished in double figures. Glenn led that effort with a physical night down low. The freshman posted a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass, in a season-best outing. Huntley-Hatfield along with Tre White, Ty-Laur Johnson, Skyy Clark, and Mike James also each scored 11 or more as the six of them combined to essentially play all of the minutes in the lineup.

You have to go out and take wins, especially the ones in conference play. That’s why Payne was proud of how his team got a hold of this one considering they made their opponent yield and give in to them in the end.

“That’s what this is. Keep doing what you’re doing until they submit to you,” Payne said.