No. 23 Louisville Holds Off Providence

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PROVIDENCE — Earl Clark had 20 points and nine rebounds and made a key 3-pointer with 2 1/2 minutes left to turn back Providence's last run and lead No. 23 Louisville to an 80-72 victory on Saturday.

Terrence Williams scored 12 points, and Jerry Smith and David Padgett had 11 apiece to help the Cardinals (20-6, 10-3 Big East) win their fifth consecutive game and 11th of 13. Louisville plays Monday night against Syracuse, which upset No. 8 Georgetown on Saturday.

Geoff McDermott scored 18 points and Randall Hanke had 14 points and eight rebounds for Providence (13-12, 4-9). Jeff Xavier had 11 points, nine rebounds and five steals for the Friars, who have lost three in a row and seven of eight.

Louisville, which had won consecutive games against ranked teams, struggled early in coach Rick Pitino's return to the school he coached for two seasons, including a 1987 Final Four appearance.

After a close game for the first 30 minutes, Providence opened a 56-53 lead on Weyinmi Efejuku's dunk with 9:49 left. But Louisville held the Friars to one basket during a 14-3 run over the next 6 minutes to take a 67-59 lead.

Providence came within 67-63 with 3 minutes left before Clark hit his 3-pointer to give the Cardinals some room.

The teams traded double-digit runs early, 11-0 for Providence to give the Friars a 15-8 lead, followed by a 10-0 run by Louisville that made it 18-15. But the rest of the half was close, with the teams trading the lead nine times. There were also six ties in the half.