THE BASICS:

• Score: Manhattan 66, Holy Cross 60 
• Records: Manhattan (1-1); Holy Cross (0-1)
• Location: Worcester, Mass. (Hart Center)
• Date: November 16, 2014
• The Lead: Manhattan's Shayna Ericksen recorded a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds to help lead the visiting Jaspers to a 66-60 victory over Holy Cross in non-conference women's basketball action on Sunday afternoon at the Hart Center. Holy Cross junior guard Kate Gillespie (Washington, D.C.) scored a career-best 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting to lead the Crusaders.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Crusaders jumped out with the early 7-2 lead (17:06), as Gillespie tallied five points during the spurt. The Jaspers stormed back with a 9-2 run to grab the 11-9 lead (13:48), but Gillespie canned a trey to put Holy Cross back on top 12-11.
• The two teams traded buckets, as the score was tied at 17-17 (8:14), but a 7-0 run by the Crusaders gave them the 24-17 lead at the 5:59 mark of the first half. Gillespie had five points during the stretch for Holy Cross.
• The Jaspers responded with four straight points to make the score 24-21 (3:59), but a Gillespie three-pointer put Holy Cross back up by six points (27-21). After Manhattan made the score 27-24 (1:14), junior guard Lisa Mifsud (Erie, Pa.) scored the final five points of the half to give the Crusaders the 32-24 lead at intermission.
• The Crusaders picked up the 11-point lead (40-29) early in the second half (18:16) on the back of a Gillespie three-pointer, but the Jaspers erupted on a 9-0 surge to cut the deficit to 40-38 with 14:48 on the clock.
• Holy Cross, however, went on a 9-2 run over the next 3:31 to grab the 49-40 advantage with 11:17 left in the second half. Senior forward Clare Sullivan (Belmont, Mass.) had five points during the rally for Holy Cross.
• The Crusaders kept the nine-point lead (53-44), but Manhattan went on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 53-53 with 4:43 on the clock. The lead exchanged hands five times over the next three minutes, but the Jaspers gained the three-point advantage with 1:25 left in regulation.
• Junior center Molly Hourigan (Memphis, N.Y.) hit a jumper with one minute to go to make the score 61-60 in favor of Manhattan, but the Jaspers closed the game 5-of-8 from the charity stripe to make the score its final, 66-60.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• In addition to the career-high in points, Gillespie also set career-highs with five rebounds and five assists, as she canned 5-of-9 from behind the arc.
• Sullivan totaled 12 points for Holy Cross, while Hourigan tallied eight points and a team-best 10 rebounds to go along with two blocked shots.
• Mifsud recorded nine points and a career-best eight assists for Holy Cross. 
• Manhattan shot 51.0 percent from the field (26-51), including a 57.7 percent clip in the second half (15-26), while Holy Cross connected on 24-of-62 from the floor (38.7%).
• The Crusaders canned 37.5 percent from behind the arc (9-24), while Manhattan hit 21.4 percent from downtown (3-14).
• The Jaspers shot 73.3 percent from the free throw line (11-15), while Holy Cross only hit 3-of-9 from the charity stripe (33.3%).
• Manhattan held the advantages in rebounds (36-30), points in the paint (30-26) and second chance points (12-9), while Holy Cross led in assists (20-18) and blocked shots (5-1).

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Gillespie set career-highs in points (23), rebounds (5), field goals (9), assists (5) and minutes played (35). Her previous career-high in points was 16, which was set at Army on Feb. 12, 2014.
• Sullivan's 12 points were one shy of her career-best of 13, which was set versus Central Connecticut on Nov. 28, 2012.
• Holy Cross is now 12-9 all-time in games versus Manhattan and 7-2 in games played at the Hart Center. The Crusaders fall to 14-11 all-time in home-opening games and 23-18 in season-opening contests.

UP NEXT:

• Holy Cross returns to action on Tuesday, Nov. 18, when it travels to New Haven, Conn. to take on Yale at 7:00 p.m.

BE PART OF THE ACTION:

• To purchase single game tickets for the 2014-2015 Holy Cross women's basketball season, visit GoHolyCross.com/Tickets or call the ticket office at (508) 793-2573.

STAY CONNECTED:

• There are numerous ways to keep connected with the Holy Cross women's basketball team. You can follow the team on Twitter and Facebook as well as on Instagram.
• You can also get the latest news and results on the team sent directly to your e-mail. To sign up for e-mail alerts go here: http://www.goholycross.com/list-signup.