SELINSGROVE, Pa. – CUA dropped its second straight on Saturday, falling to Susquehanna 80-71. Steve Limberiou's 3-pointer with 1:09 remaining pulled the Cardinals to within three, but they were unable to get any closer. With the loss, CUA is eliminated from the Landmark Conference Tournament.
After trailing by four at halftime, CUA quickly tied the game in the second half when Billy Donovan nailed a 3-pointer with 16:34 to play.
The Crusaders responded with a 17-4 run that ended with a Spenser Spencer 3-pointer at the 11:41 mark.
CUA hung tough, pulling to within seven on Shawn Holmes' free throw at the 6:35 mark, but four straight points by Susquehanna pushed the home team's lead back to double-digits.
Limberiou's bucket with 1:21 on the clock made it a five-point game, and following a Crusaders free throw, Limberiou struck from deep, making it a 71-68 game.
Susquehanna did a good job of making its free throws down the stretch and CUA missed 7 of its final 8 shots.
Holmes scored a team-high 17 points, and was joined in double figures by Kearney and Limberiou, with 15 points apiece. Kearney and Derek Puhalski shared the team lead in rebounds with five and Puhalski's five assists also led the way.
Susquehanna shot 44% for the game, including 50% in the opening half, with Spencer leading the way with a game-high 19 points. J.T. Wilson sank three 3-pointer en route to 18 points and Tony Seldon pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.
The Crusaders maintained a small lead in the early going, taking a 10-2 lead on Harley Sellinger's layup at the 17:10 mark of the first half.
Puhalski's trifecta at the 13:37 mark pulled the Cardinals to within three, and Jared Prince's 3-pointer three minutes later made it a two-point game.
Susquehanna pushed its lead up to nine with 5:45 on the clock, but CUA answered with a 7-0 run to pull within two at the 4:06 mark.
Nate Koenig's layup with only 1:45 to play pulled the Cardinals even at 35, but Susquehanna scored the final four points to take a 39-35 lead into the locker room.
The Cardinals close out their regular season with a trip to Goucher next Saturday, February 18. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.