re able to play 12 guys, that just means were able to work harder and thats important in speeding teams

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Baskets fell when Louisville needed them, but coach Rick Pitino was more pleased by the defense that created those timely opportunities against Purdues fierce rally.Nearly every Cardinal had a hand in the effort, literally and figuratively, to gut out a tough win.Ray Spalding and Mangok Mathiang each scored 11 points and Donovan Mitchell had critical points and rebounds down the stretch to help No. 14 Louisville hold off No. 15 Purdue 71-64 on Wednesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.Seeking a rebound from their second-half collapse against Baylor in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship when they lost a 22-point lead, the Cardinals held Purdue to a season-low 36 percent shooting but needed key baskets in the final minutes as the Boilermakers cut a 51-33 deficit to four with 14.4 seconds left.Ryan McMahons 3-pointer with 4 minutes remaining helped along with Mathiangs layup with 2:30 left, but Mitchells late scoring, including a jumper then two free throws with 2 seconds left, helped the Cardinals (6-1) escape with their first win over Purdue since 1996. Mitchell finished with five rebounds with the final one setting up his game-clinching free throws.Louisvilles 32-18 advantage in the paint was big with Anas Mahmoud adding nine points. He fouled out with 1:41 left. Spalding had nine rebounds and Mathiang eight as the Cardinals edged the Boilermakers 36-34 on the boards.I definitely think our length and athleticism bothered them, Spalding said after recording season highs in points and rebounds. They were really big guys, really good basketball players. ... We just had to use our quickness against them.Caleb Swanigan had 14 second-half points and 11 rebounds and P.J. Thompson scored 13, but the Boilermakers (5-2) had their four-game winning streak stopped along with a conference-record seven-game winning streak in the Challenge. Swanigans scoreless first half symbolized Louisvilles effectiveness that carried over into getting the needed late stops as Purdue cut into its lead.We trapped. We fronted. We went after it really hard, Pitino said. The guys really focused on the game plan. We knew how tough they are and they wanted to stay in the game, but Ray is the length guy. When Ray pressures the ball up top, they cant get the high-low.THE BIG PICTUREPurdue: The Boilermakers entered ranked seventh in assists at nearly 20 per game but had just five in the first half and finished with 13. A perimeter game that started just 4 of 12 in the first half improved to 6 of 11 in the second en route to finishing above 43 percent for the fifth straight game. Their 17 turnovers led to just 11 Louisville points, but coach Matt Painter wasnt happy with the mistakes.Just a lack of concentration with those 10 (first half) turnovers, he said. We have experienced players turning the basketball over. We have to do a better job of concentrating and making easy plays and getting good shots in the half court.Louisville: The Cardinals pushed the tempo from the start and their defense forced 10 first-half turnovers against Purdues height. They forced 17 turnovers overall and shot 48 percent. ... Pitino used his bench early, playing 12 in the first half alone. That depth was really important because of the style we play, graduate transfer guard Tony Hicks said. If were able to play 12 guys, that just means were able to work harder and thats important in speeding teams up and turning them over on the defensive end.POLL IMPLICATIONSLouisville figures to remain the same depending on what happens at Grand Canyon. Purdue shouldnt drop much with a loss to the No. 14 team.UP NEXTPurdue: The Boilermakers will face their second straight Kentucky school when they host Morehead State on Saturday in their first meeting since 1985.Louisville: The Cardinals travel Phoenix to face Dan Majerle-coached Grand Canyon on Saturday night. They won last years inaugural meeting 111-63.---More AP College Basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.orgJohn Hannah Womens Jersey . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium. Stephon Gilmore Womens Jersey . Soukalova missed only one target and completed the 15-kilometre course in 40 minutes, 32.6 seconds for both victories in this seasons individual discipline. Darya Domracheva of Belarus was second, 34. http://www.patriotsjerseysauthentic.com/Andre-Tippett-Super-Bowl-Jersey/ . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie Keenan Allen and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory against the Colts on Monday night. Andre Tippett Jersey . - Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is not a fan of his teams use of the wildcat formation, saying "it makes you look like a high school offence. Irving Fryar Patriots Jersey . Michell Burger, a woman who lives on an estate next to Pistorius gated community, said she and her husband were awoken by the screams in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14 last year, when Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp by shooting four times through a door in his bathroom.North Queensland will heed a lesson from their rollercoaster 2015 playoffs campaign in attempting to rebound from their first-up finals loss to Melbourne.The Cowboys will again be forced to take the hard road to the NRL grand final after losing 16-10 to the Storm in Saturdays qualifying final.However it is a familiar journey for the premiers.After losing in week one of the playoffs last year to Brisbane, they won three straight games to claim their inaugural title.Skipper Johnathan Thurston said the Cowboys could take confidence having done it before ahead of Fridays semi-final against Brisbane in Townsville.The amount of ball we turned over against the Storm wasnt great, but the way we defended our line we will take a lot out of that, we just have to execute better, Thurston told AAP.We are disappointed about some of the tries that we let in and the way we played.But we were in this position last year, needing to win three games to get there and we got the job done.That starts on Friday night against the Broncos.The Cowboys lost in week one off the finals last year, before thumping Cronulla in Townsville and beating the Storm in Melbourne before claiming the grand final in extra time against Brisbane.ddddddddddddast years epic decider between the Cowboys and the Broncos has served to enhance the rivalry between the Queensland sides, Maroons and Kangaroos playmaker Thurston said.It is always fun when you come up against the boys you play rep footy beside, he said.There is a great amount of respect between the two clubs. I really enjoy those types of match-ups.They have a lot to play for with Cozza (Corey Parker) retiring. No doubt they will want to send him out the way he deserves.North Queensland boasted an equal NRL-best home record (alongside Cronulla) of 11-1 over the regular season. Brisbane were 6-6 away.Brisbane beat North Queensland 21-20 in golden point in round four at Suncorp Stadium.The Cowboys beat the Broncos 19-18 in Townsville in round 11. ' ' '