LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Sydney Curry had 13 points and a career-high 19 rebounds, El Ellis added 13 points with seven assists, and Louisville defeated Florida A&M 61-55 on Saturday.
Louisville never trailed and picked up its second consecutive win after opening the season with nine losses.
Louisville went ahead by 10 points early in the second half, but the Rattlers tied it at 34 when Jaylen Bates hit a jumper with 14:11 remaining.
Kamari Lands hit a 3-pointer and later added two free throws as the Cardinals regained an eight-point lead. The lead reached 55-43 when Mike James converted a three-point play with 6:07 remaining.
Twice the Rattlers got within six points, the second time when Bates made a layup to make it 57-51 with 3:03 remaining. There was no more scoring until Ellis made two free throws for a 59-51 Louisville lead with 17 seconds left.
Jordan Tillmon scored 17 points and Bates had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Rattlers (2-7).
The Cardinals scored only two points in the final three minutes of the first half as an eight-point lead was cut to two. Louisville led 22-20 at the break.
The Cardinals snapped a nine-game losing streak to start the season with a 94-83 victory over Western Kentucky on Wednesday. The win was also the first of Kenny Payne’s head coaching career.
___
More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25