75 - 71 Anas Mahmoud scored a career-high 15 points and Chinanu Onuaku registered his sixth consecutive double-double as Louisville turned a 7-point halftime deficit into a 75-71 road victory over Georgia Tech on Saturday.
It was far from U of L's most complete performance of the season, but we may look back it as a game that was more significant than it seemed at the time ... a lot like we did with last season's 52-51 win at Hank McCamish Pavilion.
Even though he struggled against Georgia Tech's big frontcourt players on the other end of the floor, Anas' coming of age offensive performance could be huge not just for a year or two from now, but for the rest of this season. If he can be that type of offensive threat and be at least serviceable on the defensive end, he might demand minutes as both Nanu's primary backup and as a stretch 4.
This could also be a big moment for both Trey Lewis and Damion Lee, who got things done at crucial moments in the game. Lewis made two huge shots in the game's final eight minutes, both of which erased a lead that the Yellow Jackets had just grabbed. Lee, who scored a game-high 17 points, bounced back from a crucial free-throw miss to stick a 3-pointer that gave the Cards a 68-65 lead they never relinquished.
And we can't forget about perhaps the coolest customer of all, Donovan Mitchell. The freshman again showed no fear when the game was on the line, making a pair of enormous buckets at a critical juncture in the second half, rebounding and creating turnovers better than any other U of L guard, and draining a pair of free-throws to seal the deal with 16 seconds left.
People have been tossing around the "any conference win on the road is a great one" adage for years, but in a season like, it feels especially true.
