HAVERFORD, Pa. – On a day in which it moved into the national rankings, No. 14 CUA remained unbeaten with a hard-fought 74-68 win over Haverford on Monday.  The Cardinals (3-0) placed three players in double figures, led by Steve Limberiou with 23 points, and rode a hot-shooting performance in the first half to their third straight win. 

CUA opened up an eight-point lead early in the second half when Shawn Holmes got inside for a layup. 

Another Holmes layup pushed the lead to 10 with 16:20 remaining, and after Chris Kearney scored two minutes later, the Cardinals were in front by 12.

Haverford was able to cut into the lead, and after Eli Schwarz hit a 3-pointer with 10:02 to play, the Cards led by only three.

Schwarz then sank another three to tie it, but CUA took the lead back with four straight points.

A layup by Limberiou with 4:16 remaining pushed CUA's lead up to nine, but once again the Fords made a push, pulling to within two on Louis Cipriano's 3-pointer with under a minute left.

The teams then traded baskets before the Cardinals finished things off by going 6 for 6 at the foul line in the final 13 seconds to improve to 3-0.

Limberiou went 7 for 8 from the foul line and 2 for 4 from downtown en route to his 23 points, while Kearney netted 20 and Holmes added 15.  Limberiou also pulled down a team-high six rebounds and Holmes dished out five assists.

CUA shot 54% from the field in the first half, including a 56% clip from 3-point range to open up a 36-32 lead at halftime.  The Cardinals forced 16 Haverford turnovers on the night and turned them into 22 points.

The first half saw plenty of back-and-forth between the teams, with eight ties and five lead changes. 

After Schwarz tied things at 27 late in the half, CUA finished with a 9-5 run to grab the lead at intermission.

The Cardinals will be back in action on Wednesday evening when they make their home debut vs. Frostburg State.  Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. in what is the second game of a CUA basketball doubleheader.  The undefeated women's team will host Salisbury at 5:30 prior to the men's game.