WASHINGTON, D.C.  — The 15th-ranked Catholic men's basketball team returned to action for the first time in the new year for a massive matchup against the fifth-ranked team in the country, Mary Washington. In a game that featured 21 ties and 13 lead changes, the Eagles came up with some big shots in the final two minutes of the contest to edge out the Cardinals, 76-70.

After the Cardinals fell behind 24-16 in the opening nine minutes of the game, Peter Gellene knocked down a jumper that sparked a 10-0 run for Catholic to put it on top 26-24. The teams traded buckets for the remainder of the half as Brian Herbert hit a mid-range shot in the final minute of the half to send the action to the halftime break all tied at 32. Catholic was efficient from the floor, going 13-for-26 as a team.

No team ever had a lead larger than six points throughout the second half as Gellene scored the first eight points in the half for the Cardinals, aided by two three-pointers, to give them a slim 40-39 in the opening four minutes of the half. The Eagles took a 57-52 lead with eight minutes remaining in regulation but the Cardinals responded with a triple from CJ Ruoff and a pair of free throws from Chris Rubayo to pull back even at 57. The half was back-and-forth from there as Catholic gained a late lead with 1:53 left when Ryan Pegg converted at the charity stripe.

Mary Washington sank three free throws, two from Jay Randall and one from Kye Robinson to take a 72-70 advantage. After getting a stop on the defensive end, the Eagles went back to Randall, who scored a game high 28 points, and he knocked down a jump shot from inside the paint with 23 seconds left to put the Eagles in the driver's seat. Catholic was unable to get a bucket in the closing seconds and Mary Washington came away with a six-point victory. The Cardinals are now 8-3 on the season after the loss.

Herbert came away with a key milestone during the game for the Cardinals as he became the 50th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. He led Catholic in the game with 18 points while shooting 10-for-11 at the free throw line to help him reach the milestone.

Gellene came in behind Herbert in points with 13 while hitting a trio of threes, while Ruoff and Charley Hepting also scored in double figures with 12 and 10 points respectively. Michael Dankert had a solid game on the glass, finishing with a career-high eight rebounds. 

The Cardinals will resume conference play on Wednesday, January 7 when they take on Moravian. Tipoff is set for 1 pm at Johnston Hall.