Reyne Smith scores 27 points and Louisville defeats Florida State 90-76

Dec 22, 2024, 05:56 am

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- — Reyne Smith scored 27 points off the bench and led a 3-point barrage in the second half that lifted Louisville to a 90-76 victory over Florida State on Saturday.

Smith made 8 of 12 shots overall and 6 of 9 3-pointers to go with 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. Terrence Edwards Jr. had 19 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the Cardinals.

Louisville made 10 of 15 3-pointers in the second half, including Smith's 5 for 5. The Cardinals finished 15 for 29 from deep compared to Florida State's 8 for 20.

The Cardinals led by two points at halftime, then extended their lead early in the second half. An 8-0 run made it 59-50 with 15 1/2 minutes remaining and 3-pointers from Smith and Noah Waterman had Louisville out front 56-45 with 13 1/2 minutes left.

A 3-pointer by Jamir Watkins got the Seminoles within 62-58 but Smith answered with a pair of 3s and the Cardinals were back up by 10. The two 3-pointers capped a 6 1/2-minute stretch in which every Louisville point came on six 3-pointers, four by Smith.

Florida State cut it to six points a couple more times, but Smith's final 3 of the game gave the Cardinals an 80-68 lead with a little under 4 minutes remaining. They led by at least eight points the rest of the way.

Watkins led Florida State (9-4, 0-2 ACC) with 25 points, making 4 of 6 3-pointers. Malique Ewin added 17 points.

Chucky Hepburn scored 16 for Louisville (7-5, 1-1) and Waterman finished with 15 points. Smith, Hepburn and Waterman combined for 13 of Louisville's 15 3-pointers.

Louisville hosts Eastern Kentucky on Saturday. Florida State hosts Syracuse on Jan. 4.

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