CUA Men’s Basketball Picks Up Action-Packed Win Over Elizabethtown
Image courtesy of Susie Blanchard and Catholic Athletics.
By Sam Bergstrom
Four days following a tight 61-58 victory at Drew, Catholic returned home to take on the Elizabethtown Blue Jays in their second-to-last game of the regular season. This proved to be one of the most thrilling outings of the season for Catholic, who had won eight previous contests against Elizabethtown coming into this Wednesday evening game. In this battle of the birds, the Cardinals flew away with a win, and the Blue Jays soared sadly all the way back to Pennsylvania.
After Catholic won the opening tip, the first five minutes proved to be a tough defensive battle. A plethora of shots were rimming out, but senior guard C.J. Ruoff was able to cash in on two left-wing threes, putting the Cardinals up 15-8 early. Senior forward Charley Hepting got his buckets the old-fashioned way, hitting a baseline bunny and cashing in on a right-handed baby hook shot. However, the Blue Jays showed off their range with no problem, hitting multiple threes from at least 24 feet out.
After Elizabethtown’s three-point exhibition, sophomore guard Matthew Gorman hit a tough right-handed layup followed by a left-wing 3 to put Catholic up 29-26. After a jump ball forced by senior forward Jamie Ntiamoah, freshman forward Michael Dankert knocked down a wide-open left corner 3. Ntiamoah was rewarded for his hustle, hitting the Blue Jays with a wondrous eurostep and scoring the left-handed layup. As the halftime buzzer sounded, Catholic headed to the locker room up 37-30.
The entertainment did not stop at halftime, as Catholic University Athletics held an exciting raffle; one lucky fan would have a chance to win a $250 VISA gift card if they could hit a half-court shot. The winning raffle ticket was drawn by junior football wide receiver Nole Henry. After hitting the back rim on the first shot, Henry regrouped and hit nothing but net on the second half-courter. After the game, Henry put it humbly, “I just got lucky, I guess. It was definitely cool to see all the students there cheering me on.” After Henry drained this shot, he was ardently chased by fellow Catholic U athletes—notably, members of the men’s football and soccer team—off the court in celebration, becoming $250 richer.
Following the halftime havoc, Catholic basketball got back down to business. It was a slow start to the second, with Elizabethtown scoring 7 points in the first two minutes and causing Catholic to call a timeout. After a questionable jump ball call, head coach Aaron Kelly was imploring the referees to “call fouls!” Following two more easy Blue Jay buckets, senior forward Charley Hepting provided Catholic with a crucial spark. Hepting dropped in a beautiful teardrop shot and subsequently blocked a reverse layup on the other end. A top-of-the-key triple by freshman guard Samuel Alexandre and a Hepting layup would notch up the score at 45-45 with 12:12 left in the half. Ntiamoah amped up the Cardinal faithful in response to an Elizabethtown timeout; a fiery ballgame was taking shape.
Coming out of the timeout, Alexandre hit the Blue Jays with a silky smooth right-handed layup on the left side of the basket. Ruoff would then get back into the action, hitting a right-wing three as the shot clock expired to tie things up at 50-50. With 5:44 to go, Ruoff would dive onto the floor for a loose ball, causing another jump with the Blue Jays; things were getting intense.
The final five minutes gave Cardinal fans a photo finish. After a missed jumper, Elizabethtown grabbed an offensive rebound and put-back layup. Coach Kelly yet again was dissatisfied with the officiating, asking for an over-the-back foul. A few plays later, sophomore guard Peter Gallene would find Ntiamoah for a smooth scoop layup. Following a stop on the other end, Gorman hit Ruoff for a signature right-wing 3. This was Ruoff’s fourth conversion from downtown, and it put Catholic up 67-62 with 2:35 remaining.
A fadeaway midrange shot from Elizabethtown would cut the lead to 67-64, but the next minute would feature misses by both teams. In a desperate attempt to tie the game, the Blue Jays would airball a deep 3-point attempt from straight on. This mortifying miss was met with much to the delight of the Catholic student-athlete fans, who let their voices be heard across the arena.
After drawing a shooting foul with 26 seconds left, Elizabethtown hit two free throws to trim the lead to 67-66. The foul game then ensued, with Charley Hepting being sent to the line intentionally. After sinking the first, the second one would scarily carom off the rim. However, Ntiamoah swooped in to save the day, grabbing an offensive rebound and putback layup! This heroic play proved to be the dagger for Catholic, as they were able to hold Elizabethtown in check to finish the game.
The final score of this thrilling matchup was 71-68, Catholic. Overall, Ruoff recorded a team-high 20 points, supplying timely baskets when it mattered most. Hepting and Ntiamoah each registered double-doubles, and the two big men provided zealous defensive & hustle plays. This crucial win improved the Cardinals’ record to a 17-6 record on the season, including an astounding 9-1 record at Franny Murrway Court. Not only this, but the Cardinals clinched the #1 seed and now possess home court advantage for the Landmark Conference Tournament.
Men’s basketball will face off against Scranton on Saturday for their season finale, where they will also celebrate senior day. They will then host the Landmark Conference semi-final next Thursday, where they will look to make a statement in the playoffs.
