WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Catholic University men's basketball team defeated Moravian on Saturday afternoon to win its 11th-straight contest and remain at the summit of the Landmark Conference standings.
The Cardinals took a 14-point lead into the halftime break before Moravian gave No. 16 Catholic its best second-half punch, battling all the way back to take a three-point lead with seven-and-a-half minutes remaining. Aaron Kelly's team was then able to regain its composure and see of the Greyhounds, holding Moravian to just four points in the final seven minutes of the game.
Tommy Kelly led the way for the Cardinals by dropping 18 and providing four assists. Kelly made three of Catholic's final four field goals, registering a vital seven points in the final four minutes of the contest.
Catholic's stand-out performer on the afternoon was Jamie Ntiamoah. The sophomore scored eight points and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds off the bench, all while being tasked with guarding Moravian's impressive sophomore Marquis Ratcliff.
Ntiamoah made Ratcliff's day difficult, using his physicality to battle the Greyhound big in the post. Seven of Ntiamoah's eight rebounds came on the offensive end of the floor, including two in quick succession that led to a Moravian foul with under four minutes remaining, a sequence that energized the DuFour Center crowd and his Catholic teammates.
Enzo Sechi put together a brilliant afternoon, scoring a very efficient 17 points while pulling down seven rebounds. The graduate transfer from Trinity (TX) shot 6-of-7 from the field and added two blocks to his already-impressive statline in just 23 minutes.
The trio of Sechi, Ntiamoah and Brian Herbert were handed the difficult task of slowing Ratcliffe down. The Greyhound sophomore was able to score a game-high 26 points but the Catholic defenders did well to make him uncomfortable at times and none of the three suffered from any foul trouble. Ratcliffe entered the contest averaging 21.8 points and just under 10 rebounds per game.
The Cardinals had a significant advantage on the offensive glass, grabbing 16 offensive boards while holding the Greyhounds to just five. Catholic made good on that discrepancy to the tune of a 19-4 advantage in second chance points. The Cardinal reserves also dominated Moravian's bench, outscoring them 25-6.
With the triumph, Catholic remains undefeated at home (12-0) and moves to 11-1 in conference play. Coach Kelly and company will look to keep its momentum during a three-game road trip, beginning with a trip north to Elizabethtown on Wednesday night. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
