No. 11 CUA seeks seventh straight win on Saturday night vs. Rangers

WASHINGTON - No. 11 CUA puts its six-game win streak on the line Saturday evening when the Cardinals welcome Drew University to the DuFour Center.  CUA held off Juniata for a 62-53 win on Wednesday at home, behind a defensive performance that held the Eagles to 32.7 percent shooting.  Four starters reached double figures in the win, led by Shawn Holmes’ 16 points.

Freshman Kevin Phanord played a season-high 17 minutes off the bench in Wednesday’s win.  The Florida native provided strong perimeter defense, knocked down the lone 3-pointer he attempted, and added a steal, rebound and assist.

CUA puts its 10-0 record at home on the line this weekend.  In those 10 home wins, the Cardinals have outscored teams by 19.9 points per game, while holding the opposition to 34.4 percent shooting from the field and 26.5 percent from beyond the three-point arc.

Seniors Chris Kearney and Shawn Holmes average a combined 33.7 points per game between them, the highest number of any teammates in the Landmark Conference.  The pair of captains has scored in double figures in the same game 17 times.

Kearney, who scored his 1,000th career point on January 26, was named to the Capital One Academic All-District Team this week.  A business management major, Kearney carries over a 3.5 grade point average in the classroom, and is a multi-year member of the Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll.

In the last three games, CUA has forced its opponents into a total of 42 turnovers.  The Cardinals have converted those miscues into 48 points.

Drew arrives in town looking to snap a three-game skid, which includes a 20-point setback at Moravian earlier this week.  Despite their recent struggles, the Rangers are still very much alive for a potential conference tournament berth.  Drew ranks last in the conference in scoring defense, allowing 69.1 points per game, as well as rebound margin (-8.2).

Luke Glass is the team’s leading scorer at 16.4 points per game and is one of four Rangers averaging double figure points.  Drew’s last win vs. CUA was January 15, 2011 in New Jersey.

CUA and Drew meet for only the 15th time on Saturday with the Cardinals holding a commanding 12-2 advantage.  CUA has won the last five meetings, including a 66-55 victory earlier this season in Madison, N.J.

For more information on this weekend’s contest, check out the CUA game notes.

Saturday’s game will begin at 6 p.m. Links for live video and stats can be found here.