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Providence scores 90 in rout of No. 14 Louisville

Jan 11, 2012 - 5:02 AM Providence, RI (Sports Network) - Kadeem Batts and Bryce Cotton each totaled a game-high 27 points as Providence ripped No. 14 Louisville, 90-59, on Tuesday night.

"All in all, this was just an incredible game for our guys," Providence head coach Ed Cooley said. "Let's face it, we've been struggling a little bit, but I thought we were getting better."

Vincent Council added 15 points and a game-best 14 assists for the Friars (12-6, 1-4 Big East), whose first conference win of the season came at the expense of current Louisville bench boss Rick Pitino. He led Providence from 1985-87, including an improbable Final Four appearance in his final year at the helm.

In fact, Providence honored Pitino and that memorable squad before turning in a record-setting decision.

The 31-point spread was the Friars' largest margin of victory ever over a ranked team in school history, besting a 90-64 win over Holy Cross on January 18, 1978.

Chris Smith scored 16 points and Kyle Kuric had 11 for the Cardinals (13-4, 1-3), who have lost four of five overall.

Providence broke open a close game with a 17-4 run in the later stages of the first half.

With the Friars down 17-16, Batts hit an easy shot to give them the lead. Council drained two treys around a layup for a 28-19 score, then added another bucket.

Cotton ended the burst with a shot from long distance to make it 33-21 with 4:50 to play.

Batts drained a free throw with just more than a minute to play, ending the half's scoring and giving Providence a 43-25 lead at intermission.

Cotton opened the second half with a three and the Friars kept up the pressure, going up 69-38 on a pair of free throws by Batts with 9:34 remaining. Batts' dunk off the break on the next possession pushed the margin to a game-high 33 points, and the hosts cruised home.

Game Notes

Louisville holds an 11-6 advantage in the all-time series, but Providence has taken two of the last three meetings...LaDontae Henton added 14 points for the victors, but committed five of the Friars' 12 turnovers...Kuric paced the Cardinals with nine boards...Providence shot 53 percent, while Louisville hit just 38 percent from the floor.