No. 23 Louisville vs. Pittsburgh Final Score: Cardinals Pull Away From Panthers For 73-62 Win

The Louisville Cardinals led by as many as 14 points in the second half before settling on a 73-62 victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers on Saturday. The win is just the Cardinals' third in their last eight games. The Panthers, meanwhile, have now lost eight games in a row.

Louisville has struggled with injuries throughout the season, with eight different players missing time at some point in the season. Kyle Kuric and Chane Behanan led the way with 21 and 19 points, respectively, making up for the absences of Rakeem Buckles, Mike Marra, Stephan Van Treese and freshman Wayne Blackshear.

The Cardinals press defense had 12 steals--six from sophomore guard Russ Smith--and forced 18 Panthers turnovers on the night. Pittsburgh never regained the lead after the 6:39 mark in the first half, shooting 45.8 percent from the field compared to 55.3 percent for Louisville.

Ashton Gibbs had 14 points on the night, going 4-for-10 from beyond the arc. Nasir Robinson contributed 12 points and seven rebounds, but also accounted for four turnovers. Louisville center Gorgui Dieng had a monster game defensively, with 14 rebounds and five blocked shots.