ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. - The Catholic men's basketball team took down Elizabethtown for another Landmark Conference victory on Wednesday evening, 87-70. CJ Ruoff had a career night, dropping 38 points to lead the Cardinals to victory over the Blue Jays.

Ruoff put the Cardinals on the board with a driving layup in the third minute of play after Elizabethtown took a 4-0 lead to start the game. Brian Herbert and Charley Hepting each picked up two points to pick up the first tie of the game at 6-6.

Ruoff continued to be a leader on the court, notching double figures, picking up 10 points in the half. Hepting and Peter Gellene notched four points apiece while Michael Dankert led the charge in the battle of the boards with eight rebounds in the half. 

The game remained evenly matched, but Elizabethtown held the lead over Catholic at the half, 27-30.

The Cardinals quickly took the lead in the second half with two jumpers from Ruoff. Hepting, Herbert, and Gellene each contributed points to a 17-5 run over the Blue Jays in the first five minutes of post-break play.

The surge continued for the duration of the second half, the Cardinals outscoring the Blue Jays 60-40, and going 67.7 from the field. 

Catholic ultimately pulled out the win over Elizabethtown, 87-70, extending their overall record to 12-4 and Landmark Conference record to 8-1. Catholic has now won eight straight times over Elizabethtown dating back to the 2021-22 season.

Ruoff's 38 point performance was a new career-high, surpassing his previous career-best of 36 which he scored in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament last season against Roanoke. It's the most points scored by a Catholic player in a game since Jesse Hafemeister also scored 38 in the 2023-24 season. He also continues his run of scoring double-figures in points in every game so far this season.

Dankert continues to be a force for the Cardinals on the glass this season, once again pulling down his career-high in rebounds with 16 after recording 14 last time out. He also went a perfect 4-for-4 from the field to finish with eight points. Hepting was also effective from the field, going 6-for-9 with 15 points and six rebounds and Herbert also finished with double-digit points scoring 10. 

The Cardinals are back in action on Saturday, January 24 to take on Lycoming on Alumni Day. The 2000-01 National Championship team will also be back to celebrate the 25th anniversary of winning the championship and will be honored in a presentation at halftime of the game. Tipoff is set for 2 pm at Franny Murray Court.