March 3, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Ryan Cornwell (3) shoots against Syracuse Orange guard JJ Starling (2) during the first half at the KFC Yum! center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Image Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneeley both hit five 3-pointers to lead Louisville to a 77-62 win over visiting Syracuse on Tuesday.
Conwell scored 23 points and McKneeley had 16 for Louisville (21-9, 10-7 ACC). Louisville has lost three of its last four games and is out of the top 25. J’Vonne Hadley also made a key contribution for the Cardinals, scoring 19 points by shooting 7 of 9 from the field and 3 of 3 from beyond the arc.
Naidan George scored 16 points and Nate Kings added 14 to pace Syracuse (15-15, 6-11), which has dropped four straight games. The team’s top two scorers this season, Donnie Freeman and JJ Starling, combined for just 12 points on 4-of-16 shooting.
The game was tied at 10-10 when Khani Rooths found Sananda Fru with an alley-oop to spark an 11-0 run. Conwell hit a 3-pointer just before McKneeley exploded with a four-point play.
Louisville held a similar 11-point lead late in the first half when the hosts went on a 10-0 run to take a 37-16 advantage. Hadley started the run with a dunk before McKneeley and Conwell took turns hitting 3-pointers. Hadley’s jumper highlighted the surge.
The Orange made some dent in the deficit and went into the locker room down 39-21.
Cornwell (11) and McNeely (10) led all scorers through the first 20 minutes.
Syracuse shot 7 of 25 (28%) from the field and 0 of 11 from 3-point range in the first half.
Louisville scored eight of its first 10 points in the second half, highlighted by 3-pointers from McNeely and Hadley.
Midway through the second half, Adrian Woolley scored five quick points and the Cardinals took a 22-point lead.
Syracuse countered with a 13-2 run to tie the game at 62-51 with 6:27 left. But it wasn’t long before McKneeley and Conwell each hit 3-pointers and the hosts waltzed to the finish line.
–Field level media
