HUNTINGDON, Pa.  — The 18th-ranked Catholic men's basketball team returned to action on Wednesday night for a Landmark contest against Juniata, looking to extend its win streak to five games. The Cardinals put on an impressive offensive display, shooting 61 percent from the field and 65 percent from beyond the arc to help capture an 86-71 win over the Eagles.

After being all tied up at 16 midway through the first half, the Cardinals surged for a 12-0 in just three minutes of action to storm out to a 28-16 lead, which would be held onto for the remainder of the game. Brian Herbert led the attack with seven points during the run while CJ Ruoff also knocked down a triple. Herbert went on to connect on another three later in the half to reach double figures in the first 20 minutes and Catholic maintained an eight point advantage heading into halftime. Herbert and Ruoff combined for 26 of the Cardinals 40 points in the first half.

Ruoff came out on fire in the second half, scoring the team's first eight points to push the lead out to 14 in the early stages. The Cardinals continued to make shots at a high clip throughout the game opening up as large as a 23 during the second half. Catholic's shooting from downtown stood out over the course of the half as they went 8-for-10 as a team while also shooting an efficient 68 percent.

Catholic was able to hold off any kind of run from Juniata and went on to earn a 15 point win to advance to 6-1 on the season and 3-0 in conference play. It marked the first time this season the Cardinals shot above 60 percent from the floor as well as from deep. The Cardinals have now won five times in a row against the Eagles and have also taken eight of the last 10 matchups. 

Ruoff continued his impressive scoring display with a game-high 27 points while shooting 10-for-13 from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point range. He now has four games this season where he has eclipsed 20 points. Herbert also put together a 20 point performance while shooting an efficient 7-for-9 from the field.

Charley Hepting also reached double-digit points with 11 while also pulling down six rebounds with three assists. Jamie Ntiamoah and Peter Gellene also gave solid minutes for the Cardinals, each dropping eight points.
 
Catholic returns home for its next contest on Saturday, December 6 for another conference game against Wilkes. Tip off is scheduled for 2 pm at Franny Murray Court.