Ryan Tufford | Catholic Athletics
LANCASTER, Pa. - In the First Round of the 2025 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament, Catholic University was dominant in an 84-50 victory over Franklin & Marshall, advancing to take on Randolph-Macon tomorrow at 6 p.m.
Dan Buckley erupted early, scoring 17 points in the first half as Catholic built a 46-29 lead at the break. The senior made five first-half threes before finishing the night with 22 points and four rebounds in 26 minutes. He was joined in the offensive effort by Brian Herbert (17 pts, 6 reb) and Charley Hepting (15 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast). Hepting played a massive role after Jamie Ntiamoah found himself in foul trouble. The junior forward finished with six points, three rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in just 14 minutes before fouling out.
The Cardinals trailed 11-10 just under six minutes into the contest before ripping off a 13-1 run to take a 23-12 lead with 9:20 remaining in the first half. Herbert scored seven points during the run, knocking down a three to make it 19-12 after a Googie Seidman steal. The Diplomats pulled back within six, but Buckley scored the next nine points, making three consecutive triples to push Catholic's lead to 15. The lead jumped to 19 for the first time as Hepting scored off a Seidman assist with 1:31 to play before Catholic walked into the locker room up 17.
The Cardinals jumped out to a 25-point edge less than five minutes into the second half on a Sean Neylon and-one. Catholic's lead reached 30 with 11:19 remaining as Hepting scored three points the old-fashioned way, putting Catholic ahead 64-34. It never dropped below 28, reaching as high as 38 with four minutes to play before the Cardinals finished off a 34-point win.
QUICK HITTERS
- With the victory, Catholic improves to 18-14 all-time in the NCAA Division III Tournament. Catholic has now advanced to the Second Round in five of its last six appearances in the tournament. The 34-point win is the largest margin of victory in Catholic's NCAA Tournament history, surpassing a 25-point victory over SUNY Old Westbury in 2004.
- The Cardinals shot 58.9 percent from the field, its best performance in an NCAA Tournament game, besting 51 percent from the field versus Clark in 2001. 19 assists is tied for the second-most in Catholic's NCAA Tournament history.
- Buckley's six makes from three-point range ties Steve Limberiou (2013 vs. Williams) and Tim Judge (2000 vs. William Paterson) as the most makes from three in NCAA Tournament history.
- Hepting's 15 points was a career-high, surpassing a 10-point effort at Drew in February.
Catholic will take on Randolph-Macon at 6 p.m. in Lancaster, Pa. on Saturday evening.