Malik Williams added 10 points and 13 rebounds for Louisville (7-3), which rebounded from a 68-67 loss at Indiana on Saturday that snapped a three-game win streak.
Garrison Matthews led Lipscomb (7-3) with five 3-pointers and 20 points. Rob Marberry added 11 points.
Matthews made four free throws to pull the Bisons to 66-65 with 1:32 remaining. Williams then split a pair of free throws and Darius Perry forced a Lipscomb turnover. Following a Louisville timeout, Christen Cunningham's jumper stretched the Cardinals' lead to 69-65 with 21 seconds left. Another Lipscomb turnover and two free throws from Ryan McMahon made it 71-65 with 10 seconds left.
Nwora ignited the Cardinals, scoring their first 11 points. His 3-pointer and dunk pushed the Louisville advantage to 29-21 with 5:53 left in the half, but Lipscomb rallied to 34-33 when Nathan Moran found Matt Rose for a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Lipscomb grabbed its first lead at 35-34 on a bucket by Michael Buckland to open the second half. Louisville pushed its lead back to 12, but Lipscomb tied it at 52 with 9:25 to go.
BIG PICTURE
Louisville: The Cardinals figured to have an easier time following a tough loss to Indiana, but found themselves in another battle. Williams was a force on the boards grabbing three offensive and 10 defensive rebounds as the Cardinals outrebounded the Bisons 49-35. The Cardinals shot just 23 of 61 (38 percent) from the field.
Lipscomb: The Bisons entered averaging 85.6 points after beating Navy 107-81 on Saturday and losing to Nashville neighbor Belmont 76-74 on Dec. 4. Despite struggling to get shots to fall against Louisville— shooting 23 of 65_they still had a chance late against the Cardinals.
UP NEXT
Lipscomb hosts Division III Covent on Monday night. The Bisons return home after playing six of their last seven on the road.
Louisville hosts Kent State on Saturday as part of a five-game homestand that includes No. 19 Kentucky on Dec. 29.
