LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Peyton Siva scored 15 points, freshman center Gorgui Dieng had 13 points and 12 rebounds and No. 16 Louisville rolled by punchless No. 13 Connecticut 71-58 on Friday night.
The Cardinals (20-7, 9-5 Big East) bounced back from a loss at Cincinnati on Wednesday by harassing UConn star Kemba Walker into a rare off night.
The national player of the year candidate finished with 16 points on 3 of 10 shooting and received a technical foullate in the second half after venting his frustrations at officials.
“This was definitely, defensively a gem,” Louisville Coach Rick Pitino said.
Jamal Coombs-McDaniel also scored 16 points for the Huskies (20-6, 8-6), but UConn struggled after taking its only lead of the game early in the second half.
While UConn sagged, Louisville surged. The Cardinals took control for good with a15-4 run to sweep the season series from the Huskies.
Dieng, forced into action after starter Terrence Jennings ran into foul trouble, held his own against UConn’s bigger, more experienced frontline of Alex Oriakhi and Charles Okwandu - using his long arms to reach for rebounds and his soft hands to control the ball in traffic.
It allowed the Cardinals to hold a 40-36 rebounding edge and overcome a subpar night from senior captain Preston Knowles, who finished with six points on 2 of 13 shooting but added seven assists.
Sports, Pages 24 on 02/19/2011