The third day of the Big East Tournament came to a close as the Louisville Cardinals slammed the door on Marquette in the second half to pull away for an 81-56 win. Louisville took a five-point lead into the half, but the buckets came in bunches in the second as Marquette couldn't find the range. The end result was an easy, 25-point win for the Cardinals and a date with Notre Dame on Friday.
Mike Marra scored a team-high 22 points for Louisville in a reserve role off the bench. Preston Knowles, 15 points, Terrence Jennings, 12 points, and Kyle Kuric, 11 points, were also in double-figures for the Cardinals. Chris Smith finished with a game-high 11 rebounds, as well.
Jimmy Butler scored 14 points in the loss, with Darius Johnson-Odom adding 13. Butler also had a team-high seven rebounds. Jae Crowder was in double-figures off the bench, finishing with 10 points.
Louisville moves on to face Notre Dame on Friday night in the second semifinal. Notre Dame and Louisville tip it off at 9 p.m. on ESPN with a spot in the Big East Tournament Championship on the line.
For more on the Cardinals, check out SB Nation's Card Chronicles. To connect with Marquette fans, visit Anonymous Eagle.
Quarterfinals: Thursday, March 10
UConn def. No. 1 Pittsburgh Panthers, 76-74
No. 4 Syracuse Orange def. St. John's, 79-73
No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Cincinnati, 89-51
No. 3 Louisville Cardinals def Marquette, 81-56
Semifinals: Friday, March 11
UConn vs. Syracuse, 7, ESPN
Notre Dame vs. Louisville winner, 9, ESPN
Championship game: Saturday, March 12
Semifinals winners, 9, ESPN
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