No. 5 Louisville clinches ACC outright with win over BC

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kylee Shook matched a season high with 18 points and added 10 rebounds as No. 5 Louisville beat Boston College 68-48 on Thursday night and clinched the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title.

The Cardinals (26-3, 15-2) claimed the program’s first outright regular-season title since winning Conference USA in 2001. And they did that while short-handed, as starters Dana Evans and Elizabeth Balogun missed their second straight games due to ankle injuries.

Louisville made seven of their first nine shots and jumped out to an 18-6 lead. Boston College closed the first quarter on an 8-0 run, cutting its deficit to 20-17. The Cardinals then used an 18-3 run in the second quarter to put the game away.

In the closing seconds of the first half, the 6-foot-4 Shook got a steal in Boston College’s backcourt, dribbled down and hit a buzzer-beating jumper that gave Louisville a 46-24 lead, their largest of the half.

Jazmine Jones added 17, and Yacine Diop scored 13 in the win.

The Eagles (17-11, 10-7), who had their five-game winning streak get snapped, were led by Tyler Soule’s 11 points.

Boston College committed 23 turnovers that led to 29 points for the Cardinals.

BIG PICTURE

Boston College: The Eagles had earned their way onto the NCAA Tournament bubble thanks seven wins in their last eight games entering Thursday. Unfortunately, the league’s third-worst defense allowed the Cardinals to shoot 60.6% in the first half and kept the Eagles from competing for what would have been a signature victory.

Louisville: In the two games the Cardinals have played without leading scorer Evans and Balogun, fourth on the team in scoring, they’ve scored 95 first-half points. While that’s been against two of the worst defenses in the ACC, it’s an indication this team may be starting to peak as postseason play draws near.

UP NEXT

Boston College: Closes out the regular season at Syracuse on Sunday afternoon.

Louisville: Wraps up the regular season hosting Virginia Tech on Sunday afternoon.