WORCESTER, Mass. – Sophomore guard Devin Brown (Baltimore, Md.) scored a season-high 20 points and pulled down five rebounds, but it was not enough as the Holy Cross men's basketball team fell to George Washington 70-68 at the Hart Center. The Crusaders trailed by 18 points in the first half and were down by 14 at the break, before rallying to nearly come back all the way back. Holy Cross falls to 2-10 on the season with the loss, while George Washington improves to 9-2 overall.

The Colonials started the game on fire, jumping out to a 20-4 lead after the first eight minutes of play. George Washington eventually extended its advantage to 18 points (28-10 at the 7:42-mark), before taking a 36-22 lead into the locker room.

The Colonials were still up 40-26 early in the second half, when the Crusaders scored six straight points to cut the lead to single digits. George Washington was able to build its lead back to 11 points (58-47) with 4:21 left to play, before Holy Cross went on a 13-4 spurt, including eight points from senior forward Adam May (Mentor, Ohio), making the score 62-60.

The Colonials clung to a slim lead the rest of way, and were up 70-68 with 3.5 seconds to go after a three-pointer by Brown. Tony Taylor then missed a pair of free throws to give the Crusaders one last chance, but a 30-foot shot by sophomore guard Mike Cavataio (Forest Hills, N.Y.) at the buzzer was just off the mark.

Sophomore guard R.J. Evans (Salem, Conn.) finished the game with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while junior guard Andrew Beinert (Floral Park, N.Y.) added 13 points and three assists.

George Washington was led by Damian Hollis with 19 points and five rebounds.

Holy Cross returns to action on Thursday, Dec. 31, when it travels to Stony Brook for a 2:00 p.m. game.