It wasn’t quite time for Richard Pitino’s Gophers to beat his father’s Louisville Cardinals.
Rick Pitino’s Cardinals used a big run midway through the first half to build an insurmountable lead and beat the Gophers 81-68 Friday night in Puerto Rico, as part of the Armed Forces Classic.
Louisville on a 15-2 run right now with Harrell scoring 10 points 5-6 FT shooting. #Gophers are 2-3 from foul line. Difference right there.
— Marcus R. Fuller (@Marcus_R_Fuller) November 15, 2014
The Gophers didn’t appear to be in midseason form. They struggled to handle the Cardinals’ pressure in the first half and missed a lot of open looks. Minnesota trailed 43-30 at the half.
The Gophers never really could grasp any momentum in the second half to get back into the game. They threatened to trim the score to single digits a couple of times, but Louisville held them off every time.
Montrezl Harrell was the difference maker for the Cardinals. He posted a career-high 30 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Harrell was 9-of-12 from the floor and 9-of-1o from the free-throw line. Terry Rozier added 18 points and six rebounds.
Andre Hollins led the Gophers with 22. Maurice Walker and Nate Mason each added 10.
The Gophers (0-1) host Western Kentucky on Tuesday night at Williams Arena.
