No. 3 Louisville rattled off 17 consecutive points late in the second half to finally gain separation from visiting Miami (Ohio) Wednesday night and register a 70-46 nonconference win at KFC Yum! Center.

Jordan Nwora paced the Cardinals (11-1) with a game-high 20 points and eight rebounds, while Ryan McMahon added 11 points. Dwayne Sutton (15 rebounds) and Malik Williams (11) combined for 26 boards for Louisville, which outrebounded the RedHawks 30-16 in the second half and 54-40 for the game.

Mekhi Lairy scored 10 points to lead Miami (5-6), which kept the Cardinals in check for about 32 minutes but couldn't make enough shots to put them in real danger. The RedHawks connected on just 27.3 percent from the field, including an awful 6 of 33 from the 3-point line.

Still, Miami pulled within 44-40 when Josh Brewer canned a 3-ball from the left wing with 9:02 left in the game. However, McMahon responded with a 3-pointer on Louisville's next possession to start the game's deciding stretch.

Sutton's putback with 8:21 remaining upped the margin to double figures for good at 50-40. Williams' stickback at the 3:45 mark finished the run, making the advantage 61-40. The Cardinals scored 26 of the game's last 32 points.

Louisville carved out a 17-5 lead when David Johnson canned a paint jumper with 11:17 left in the first half, capping a run of 12 straight points that lasted nearly five minutes.

The margin stayed in double figures for most of the half's remainder, although the Cardinals couldn't pull away from Miami. The RedHawks held them to 11 points over the half's final 11 minutes, helping them get to halftime with a real chance to win.

Miami got to intermission down only 28-20 after Dalonte Brown turned a Louisville turnover into a layup at the 1:04 mark. It was remarkable that the game was that tight, considering that the visitors went 9 for 36 from the field and a brutal 2 of 20 from the 3-point line in the opening 20 minutes.

--Field Level Media