Dawson Powers / USATODAY">

Dawson Powers / USATODAY

by CU Athletic Communications - Thu Jan 19 23:06:34 GMT-04:00 2017

LOUISVILLE, KY. — Donovan Mitchell sparked an 18-2 run to break a tie late in the first half and propel No. 11 Louisville to a 92-60 victory over Clemson on Thursday at the KFC Yum! Center. The Cardinals, who shot over 57 percent, moved to 16-3 on the season, 4-2 in ACC play. The Tigers fell to 11-7 overall, 1-5 in the league.

Mitchell did not miss in eight attempts in the first half, and connected on two trifectas inside the final seconds to push Louisville into a commanding lead it would not relinquish. He finished with 18 points, along with Deng Adel. The Tigers were led by Marcquise Reed with 13.

Clemson led 7-0 early, and prompted a first-half timeout 12 minutes in from Rick Pitino when the Tigers extended their lead to 21-12 on a driving layup by Gabe DeVoe. That stopped Clemson’s momentum and put the Cards on an 8-0 run over the next two minutes until Jaron Blossomgame knocked in his second long ball of the half. The Tigers were in great position tied at 31, but UofL’s 10-0 run ruined any kind of momentum heading into halftime.

The Tigers return home to face Virginia Tech on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. The game has been designated Military Appreciation Day for basketball.