Sananda Fru scored 17 points on 7-for-7 shooting to lead No. 24 Louisville, which extended its winning streak to three Saturday by beating a pesky Wake Forest squad 88-80 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The Cardinals (17-6, 7-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) never trailed as they feasted against one of the ACC’s poorer defensive teams, shooting 52.9% (27 of 51) against the Demon Deacons (11-12, 2-8). However, Wake Forest battled back from a 15-point deficit four minutes into the second half to tie it twice.
Juke Harris scored 16 of his 25 points in the second half to lead the Demon Deacons, who lost their fifth straight contest. The sophomore also pulled down 11 rebounds but missed his last five shots from the field.
Fru, a 6-foot-11 junior, was one of six Cardinals to score in double figures. J’Vonne Hadley finished with 15 points, and Khani Rooths added 13. Mikel Brown Jr. made six free throws in the final 5:06 as part of a 12-point, eight-assist game for the freshman point guard.
Louisville listed Hadley, who left Wednesday’s game against Notre Dame after just three minutes due to a back injury, as a game-time decision Saturday. The sixth-year guard started and scored Louisville’s first five points.
He also scored six points in 33 seconds to give the Cardinals a 54-39 lead, their biggest in the game, with 15:56 remaining.
Hadley made five of his seven shots.
Louisville also made 40% (10 of 25) of its 3-pointers. Isaac McKneely made three of his four, and Ryan Conwell hit two of his four. Both scored 11 points.
The Demon Deacons, however, shot 14 of 21 over an 11-minute stretch. A pair of Sebastian Akins free throws tied the game at 80 with 4:44 remaining. However, Wake Forest missed their last 11 shots, allowing Louisville to pull away by making 10 of its 12 free throws in the final 5:06.
Omaha Biliew added 14 points off the bench for the Demon Deacons, who also got 12 points from Akins and 10 from Myles Colvin.
–Field Level Media
