WASHINGTON – The Catholic University of America men's basketball team was topped on Saturday afternoon inside the DuFour Center as Juniata outscored the Cardinals, 81-71.

Senior guard Louis Khouri led all scorers with 18 points, but the Eagles countered with a strong shooting performance as they knocked down 50-percent of their shots which included a 10-of-16 mark from 3-point range.

Juniata led the entire first half and built a 29-19 lead with 4:23 to play in the initial period but Catholic ended the stanza on a 9-3 run to make it just a four-point game at the half.

The Cards came out hot in the second as Khouri and sophomore Andre Mitchell each hit two 3-pointers to give Catholic a 40-36 lead.

The advantage changed hands four times with three ties, but it was a layup by Juniata's Brandon Martinazzi with 9:07 to play that broke a 49-all tie and gave the Eagles the lead for good. It also sparked a 13-4 run that put the game out of reach for the Cardinals.

Sophomore Jay Howard finished with a full line that included 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists while Mitchell joined him and Khouri as double-digit scorers with 15 points. He went 4-of-4 from long range and added six rebounds and two assists.

Juniata boasted five double-digit scorers with both Damon Rickens and Martinazzi netting 17. 

Catholic caps its three-game homestand this Wednesday at 7 p.m., when the Cards host Goucher.