WASHINGTON, DC – The weeknight trip for Susquehanna men's basketball down to 16th-ranked Catholic was less than desirable past a close first half where the River Hawks were within three points of Catholic at the half 35-32. A Jackson Van Wagener and-one early in the second half put SU one point of CUA 41-40, but the Cardinals assembled a 15-1 run to send those red birds soaring towards a 75-67 decision.

Catholic's electric second half was due in part to a 59.3 second-half field goal percentage, making 16-of-27. Despite staring at as much as a late 73-55 discrepancy with five minutes left, the River Hawks refused to be counted out by utilizing a 12-2 run to close out the game and making it an eight-point decision. Wednesday's game offered a season split between the top two teams in the Landmark Conference, with the Cardinals holding the top spot with a 10-1 league record (16-2 overall) and the River Hawks at 9-2 (12-6 overall). Susquehanna won the opening meeting in Selinsgrove 60-57, with their only other Landmark defeat happening against Wilkes on Jan. 12.

Marcus Mitchell, making his fourth straight start, led all scorers with 18 points, shooting 7-of-14 with one 3-pointer and making 3-of-4 free throws. Brandon Lavitt was next on the team scoring sheet with 13 points with six rebounds, connecting on 3-of-5 and a perfect 7-for-7 touch from the free throw line in 26 minutes of play. Cooper Haberern was the team's leading rebounder with eight, posting up a 3-for-5 touch from behind the arc.

Susquehanna shot 38.3 percent (23-for-60) on the evening to Catholic's 46.3 (31-for-67), though the River Hawks outscored their counterparts in 3-point shooting (5-of-12 to 3-of-13) and free throws (16-of-20 to 10-of-11). CUA held the edge on the boards 40-36 and led 54-34 in points in the paint.

Still early in the second swing of Landmark Conference play, the River Hawks return home welcoming Elizabethtown Saturday at 2 p.m. as part of Susquehanna Athletics' Hall of Fame day and Basketball Alumni Day.