WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Catholic University men's basketball team overcame a seven-point halftime deficit to defeat Hood College and hoist the Battle of D.C. trophy on Sunday afternoon.

Four Cardinals scored in double figures as Catholic rallied to knock off the Blazers, 83-71. Jesse Hafemeister scored a game-high 20 points with 12 coming in the second half comeback. The Cardinals outscored Hood 47-28 in the second stanza and outrebounded the Blazers 21-14 in the final 20 minutes.

Sean Neylon was on fire from the opening whistle, cashing his first four three-point attempts to score 12 of Catholic's opening 15 points. The sophomore finished with 17 points while also contributing four rebounds, one assist and one steal. 

Freshman Brian Herbert performed brilliantly on the day, scoring a career-high 15 points. He also led the Cardinals with seven assists and gathered four rebounds, all of which came on the offensive end of the floor.

Tommy Kelly accounted for 12 points with Ethan Hinds provided nine off of the bench.

The Blazers rode hot three-point shooting to a seven-point halftime advantage, going 6-for-10 from beyond the arch in the opening 20 minutes. Catholic, on the other hand, shot just 8-27 from three in the opening stanza. Hood also had much more success getting to the free-throw lining, earning nine attempts to Catholic's two.

The tables turned after hafltime as Aaron Kelly's men greatly improved their three-point defense, holding the Blazers to just 3-for-14 from deep. Catholic shot 42.1 percent from three in the second half and almost 50 percent from the floor en route to the emphatic comeback. The Cardinals also forced their way to the free-throw line at a much higher clip, going 11-for-14 from the charity strip in the second half.

Catholic registered an impressive 21 assists on 27 made baskets in the contest and only turned the ball over eight times.

With the victory, the Cardinals move to 6-0 on the season. They will now enjoy a 10-day break from game action before resuming with a Pope's Cup matchup against Marymount (Va.) on Wednesday, Nov. 30.