(BCSNN) — It was a career night for Mikel Brown Jr. as the Louisville freshman scored a career-high 29 points to lead the No. 12 Cardinals to a signature win over in-state rival No. 9 Kentucky, 96–88, Tuesday night in front of a sold-out crowd of 22,586 at the KFC Yum! Center.

Brown poured in 20 first-half points — the most by a Louisville freshman in a half since 2007 — and added five assists in 33 minutes. Ryan Conwell followed with 24 points, including four three-pointers and an 8-for-12 mark from the free-throw line.

Louisville (3–0) led for more than 37 minutes and built an 18-point first-half lead before Kentucky (2–1) rallied to tie the game at 22 and briefly take a three-point lead. The Cardinals responded with a 22–12 run to open the second half and pushed their advantage to 78–58 before the Wildcats stormed back with a 24–10 run to cut the deficit to four.

The Cardinals held firm down the stretch, forcing 14 turnovers and converting them into 19 points. Louisville shot 45% from the field and recorded 20 assists to just eight turnovers. Sananda Fru added 10 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, while Isaac McKneely and J’Vonne Hadley scored nine apiece. Hadley led the team with eight rebounds and added three assists, two steals, and a block.

Louisville’s 96 points marked its second-highest total ever against Kentucky, trailing only the 97–75 win in 1988.

Looking for a silver-lining in the Wildcats' loss, Kentucky was led by Denzel Aberdeen with 26 points and seven rebounds. UK shot 47% overall and 35% from deep but couldn’t overcome Louisville’s defensive pressure and transition scoring.

The Cardinals will stay busy as Louisville will next host the Ohio Bobcats on Saturday, Nov. 16 at noon ET. That one will air nationally on the CW.