The 110th season of Louisville men’s basketball began Monday night with a moment of silence for the coach who made winning feel second nature, Hall of Famer Denny Crum. 

Forty minutes later, the KFC Yum! Center was rocking like it rarely has during the Kenny Payne era. 

JJ Traynor’s putback dunk with seven seconds on the clock helped Louisville avoid disaster and beat UMBC, 94-93, in a game it trailed by as many as 13 points. 

The Retrievers had a chance to tie the game when Skyy Clark fouled Khydarius Smith as he was going up for a basket with two seconds remaining, but Smith missed the second of two free throws. 

U of L returns to the Yum! Center later this week for a game against Chattanooga of the Southern Conference. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday (ACC Network Extra).

This story will be updated.

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Reach Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brooks Holton at [email protected] and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.