Eagles Comeback Comes Up Short Against #15 Cardinals

HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata men's basketball team couldn't close the gap as they dropped a tight one to #15 Catholic of America, 66-59, Wednesday evening inside Memorial Gymnasium. 

Chase Husted led the way with a double-double, with 22 points, ten rebounds, an assist, and a block. Mason Hardy had 14 points, six rebounds, five assists, and five steals, while Gabe Guidinger tallied 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal. 

The Cardinals scored the game's first four points before Tyler Lapetina broke the seal for the Eagles. He caught the ball on the left wing, got his defender in the air with one of his patented ball fakes, took a dribble inside the arc, rose, and drilled a jumper. 

Michael Montecalvo found Husted all alone above the foul line, and he swished another jumper to make it 4-4. Hardy found Husted with his man on his back, and Husted finished with the left hand while being fouled to give the Eagles their first lead of the evening. 

The Cardinals took the lead back and managed to push their advantage to eight, but the Eagles didn't let the game get away from them, as Hardy poked an errant pass into the backcourt. He was first to the ball and beat everyone down the other way as his layup made it 29-23 as JC trailed by six at the halftime break. 

Midway through the second half, Hardy converted a three from the right wing off a Guidinger assist. After a stop, Montecalvo found Evan Eisenhart cutting to the hoop. He laid it in high off the glass to bring JC within one. 

Juniata hung within two over the next three minutes before a Cardinal layup pushed the deficit to four. The Cardinals quickly rattled off eight points to put the Eagles in a sudden 12-point hole.  

A Husted putback made it 53-47 with six and a half minutes showing on the clock, and an Eisenhart triple would make it 55-50 a few moments later. 

Hardy's layup from the left side while being knocked to the floor and the ensuing foul shot brought the Eagles within four, just under five minutes to go. 

Four straight points from Hardy a few minutes later put 61-57 up on the scoreboard, but the Eagles couldn't get any closer as Catholic made their foul shots to close the game. 

Juniata will travel to take on Goucher on Saturday at 4:00.