Hepburn's putback at buzzer lifts No. 13 Louisville over Stanford in ACC Tournament
Published
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Chucky Hepburn’s putback jumper at the buzzer helped No. 13 Louisville overcome a 15-point second-half deficit to beat Stanford 75-73 on Thursday night and advance the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
Terrence Edwards scored 25 points and Hepburn added 20 for the Cardinals (26-6), who’ve won 10 straight. Noah Waterman and James Scott each had 12.
Oziyah Sellers had 22 points and Maxime Raynaud added 17 points for Stanford (20-13), which was playing in its first ACC Tournament.
Stanford led 33-30 at halftime and appeared ready to pull away in the second half, building a 52-37 lead in the second half behind an 11-0 run.
But Raynaud picked up his fourth foul with 13 1/2 minutes left and Louisville capitalized, battling back to take the lead 70-65 with 3 minutes remaining after Hepburn knocked down a 3 and then fed J'Vonne Hadley for a layup. Raynaud fouled out on the ensuing possession, but Stanford tied the game on Chisom Okpara's three-point play with 32 seconds left.
Edwards missed a 3-point shot, but as players collapsed for the rebound the ball bounced out directly to Hepburn, who caught it and buried a 15-footer for the win.
Takeaways
Stanford: Raynaud picking up his fourth foul early in the second half was a huge turning point, as the Cardinals turned the momentum of the game.
Louisville: The Cardinals played without guard Reyne Smith, their third-leading scorer at 13.4 points per games, due to an ankle injury. Smith's absence seemed to impact Louisville's chemistry, particularly in the first half.
Key moment
There was no bigger moment than Hepburn's putback at the buzzer.
Key stats
Louisville outrebounded Stanford 32-28.
Up next
Louisville will face the Clemson/SMU winner in the semifinals. Stanford is likely headed to the NIT.
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