LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Carlik Jones scored 18 points and had 11 rebounds, J.J. Traynor made a pair of free throws with 5.1 seconds left and Louisville held off Seton Hall 71-70 on Friday.
Traynor’s free throws gave Louisville (2-0) a 71-68 lead, but Quinn Slazinski fouled Seton Hall’s Takal Molson on his 3-point attempt with 0.7 seconds remaining. Molson made the first two free throws but the third rimmed out.
Jones was 6 of 17 from the floor and had a game-high six assists. Dre Davis and Jae’Lyn Withers added 11 points apiece for the Cardinals. Slazinski had 10 points.
Sandro Mamukelashvili, who returned for his senior year after initially declaring himself eligible for the 2020 NBA Draft, had 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead Seton Hall in its season opener.
Jared Rhoden and Shavar Reynolds added 11 points apiece for the Pirates. Molson, a junior transfer from Canisius and 72 percent career free-throw shooter, finished with eight points. Harvard transfer Bryce Aiken sprained his right ankle late in the first half and did not return.
Seton Hall used a 13-2 run, capped by Mamukelashvili’s 3-pointer, to take a 65-62 lead with 3:08 to play, its first since leading 28-27 with about five minutes left in the first half.
