WASHINGTON – In the Cardinals' first contest of 2015, Catholic University head women's basketball coach Matt Donohue utilized his entire roster to defeat the Merchant Marine Academy 66-49 at the DuFour Athletic Center on Saturday, January 3 for an 3-0 finish on the week.

Melissa Errico (Harrington Park, N.J. / Old Tappan) and Jayni Webster (Bryn Mawr, Pa. / Country Day Sacred Heart) led the squad with 13 points apiece, alongside a game-high 10 boards from Josephine Migash (Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Trinity) and Kristen Walheim (Malvern, Pa. / Villa Maria Academy), as Michelle DeSantis (Trumbull, Conn. / Lauralton Hall) dropped eight dimes on the night. Bridget Power and Payton Smith added three steals each to Catholic's numbers.

CUA opened the contest with dominance, as DeSantis netted a three pointer within the opening seconds of competition, and Webster, Power and Migash added two points each for an early 9-0 lead by the 17:35 mark.

USMMA scored its first point with 16:57 remaining in the first half on a jumper by Myckenzie Toler, who tied the evening as the third leading scorer with five points.

Despite the Mariners getting on the board, Catholic still reached a 22-point margin lead by the half.

Following the intermission, the Cards reached a 30-point lead before a conquering USMMA 66-49.

The total team effort led to a 70 (14-20) percent finish from the charity stripe, a 37 (24-65) percent outing from the field and 25 (4-16) percent cap from three-point range.

Catholic continues Landmark Conference action on Tuesday, January 6, with a 7:00 p.m. home contest against Elizabethtown at the DuFour AthletiC Center in Washington, D.C.

-CUA-