WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Catholic University women's basketball team fell to Mary Washington at home on Saturday afternoon.

The Cardinals (8-2) battled throughout the contest but ultimately fell by 18. Rachel Bussanich and Erin Doherty led the way for Catholic as Doherty scored 18 points and Bussanich added 16 along with eight rebounds.

The Cardinals showed good fightback after Mary Washington (9-1) began the game on a 12-3 run and led 24-10 after the first quarter. 

Catholic was able to rally in the second stanza, outsourcing the Eagles 21-12 to cut Mary Washington's lead to just five at the break. The successful second quarter was capped off by Anna Scoblick, who beat the halftime buzzer with a layup after a fine assist from Sammie McCarter.

Matt Donohue's team battled all the way back to tie the game when Doherty converted a layup with 5:19 remaining in the third quarter but was never able to take the lead as the Eagles ultimately pulled away. Mary Washington closed the game on a 34-16 run that spanned across the final 15 minutes of game action.

The Eagles shot an impressive 58.8 percent from beyond the three-point line whereas Catholic struggled to convert the three ball, only finding the net on 3-of-18 attempts from deep. Mary Washington also gained a significant advantage when it came to bench points as the Eagle bench outscored the Cardinal bench, 24-10.

Catholic will now enjoy an eight-day break from competitive action before returning to the court on Monday, Dec. 19. The Cardinals will kick off the Jamie L. Roberts-Fairfield Inn DC Holiday Tournament by doing battle with Gwynedd Mercy. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. on Franny Murray Court.