Louisville, KY (My Sportsbook) - Edgar Sosa had 16 points, including four three-pointers, as the seventh-ranked Louisville Cardinals dominated the South Florida Bulls, 80-54, at Freedom Hall.

Samardo Samuels added 14 points for the Cardinals (16-3, 7-0 Big East), who improved their winning streak to eight games. Earl Clark finished with 12 points and seven boards. Terrence Williams pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.

Dominique Jones paced South Florida (7-13, 2-6) with 19 points and seven boards. Jesus Verdejo had 10 points and five assists for the Bulls, who have dropped four of their past five.

After a back-and-forth first half, Louisville came out with a sense of urgency in the second frame. The Cardinals, propelled by two big slams by Samuels, went on an 8-0 run to begin the final half.

"The second half was more like the way we have been playing," said Louisville head coach Rick Pitino. "We fell into the trap we fall into in so many games. We take quick shots and don't have vision of the ball on defense. In the second half we had to have a great start."

The highlight of the game came with 13:31 left, as Clark received a between- the-legs pass from Williams and dunked the ball with enthusiasm to put his team ahead 43-35. This was part of a 14-0 run by Louisville. Sosa's three finished off the amazing run and lifted the Cardinals to a 55-35 lead.

"Terrence Williams is playing great, just tonight he got himself off on the wrong foot by taking bad shots," said Pitino. "He still dominates the game even if he doesn't score. I think Earl (Clark) and T Will are playing like we hoped they would play this year."

Louisville took a 33-32 advantage into the locker room, in a half that had five ties. South Florida's Jones led all scorers at the break with 15 points.

The Louisville defense, which has excelled all season, did another fabulous job, especially in the second half. The Cardinals forced the Bulls to turn the ball over 21 times and shoot 45.3 percent from the field.

Heading into the contest, Louisville's defense was forcing 16.4 turnovers per game and holding opponents to a mere 38.0 percent shooting from the field.

Game Notes

The Cardinals shot 11-of-24 from beyond the arc, while the Bulls went just 3-of-9 from three-point land...Louisville has won the past nine meetings between the teams, including a 71-57 win earlier this season in Tampa. The Cardinals are now 23-3 all-time against USF.