WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Catholic University men's basketball team won its 10th-straight game to open the 2022-23 season on Monday, marking its best start to a campaign in over a decade.

The Cardinals buried 17 three-pointers en route to an emphatic 43-point victory over Mount Aloysius on Franny Murray Court as 10 different Cardinals made a shot from beyond the three-point arch.

Catholic led the game wire-to-wire, making use of a dominant first half to get out to a substantal lead and nevering looking back.

The Cardinals shot over 55 percent from the field and 70 percent from three in the opening 20 minutes while limiting the Mounties to just total 21 points. Catholic took great care of the basketball in the opening stanza as well, only turning it over one singular time.

Just about four minutes into the contest, Dan Buckley made a huge play to dribble left, absorb contact and finish at the rim for an old-fashioned three-point play. 

The importance of the moment was amplified as he recognized that Mountie guard Alphonso Morrow had picked up two early fouls, so Buckley drove right at Morrow to give Mount Aloysius' key player his third foul, forcing him to sit for the remainder of the half.

Junior Jesse Hafemeister led all scorers with 17 while also grabbing a game-high eight rebounds. Sean Neylon, Colby Martins and Buckley each joined Hafemiester in double figures.

The Cardinals shot 56.7 percent both from the field and from beyond the three-point line in the contest while only allowing their opponents to make five total threes. Catholic also provided assists on 21 of their 38 made field goals, while only turning the ball over eight times.

Eighteen different players featured for head coach Aaron Kelly and 14 scored. Sophomore Owen Moynihan scored his first points of the season and posted a career-high five.

Jake Timby featured for the first time this season after working his way back from an injury. The junior checked in during the second half to a thunderous ovation from his teammates and the home crowd before two draining threes, the second of which pushed the Cardinals to 100 total points for the game.

Catholic's 10-game win streak is the first of its kind since the 2015-16 season and tonight's victory marks the first time that Catholic has hit the century mark in a game since January of 2018.

The Cardinals will look to enter 2023 unbeaten when they take on Southern Virginia on Wednesday at noon. If Catholic is able to down the Knights, it will move to 11-0 to begin a season for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign.