THE BASICS:

• Score: Holy Cross 63, Norfolk State 62 
• Records: Holy Cross (4-8); Norfolk State (2-8) 
• Location: Stony Brook, N.Y. (Island Federal Credit Union Arena)
• The Lead: Holy Cross junior guard Lisa Mifsud (Erie, Pa.) and junior forward Raquel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.) scored 16 and 12 points, respectively, to help lead the Crusaders to a 63-62 victory over Norfolk State in the first game of the Seawolves Holiday Classic in Stony Brook, N.Y. on Sunday afternoon.

TURNING POINT:

• Norfolk State held the 49-44 lead midway through the second half, but the Crusaders went on a 9-3 run to gain the 53-52 edge on the back of a freshman guard Infiniti Thomas-Waheed (Newton, Mass.) three-pointer.  

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Norfolk State slowly earned a 15-point lead (28-13) over the first 15 minutes of the first half, as the Crusaders committed 11 of their 18 turnovers during that stretch. Holy Cross, however, ended the stanza with a 14-5 surge to head into the locker room down 32-27.
• The two teams went back and forth to begin the second half, as the Spartans held the six-point lead (44-38) at the 14:40-mark. The Crusaders scored five quick points to make it a one-point game (44-43), but Norfolk State countered with a 5-1 spurt to gain the 49-44 lead (10:50).
• The Crusaders then went on a key 9-3 run to gain the 53-52 lead (7:40) on a Thomas-Waheed three-pointer. Norfolk State gained the lead back on the next possession and maintained the advantage for the next 5:51.
• During the stretch, Holy Cross tied the game on four occasions, but did not gain the lead until Mifsud converted a driving layup to give the Crusaders the 63-62 edge (0:57).  
• After the teams traded possessions, the Spartans drew a foul in the double-bonus (0:08), but they missed both free throws to keep it a one-point game. Scott hauled in the rebound to clinch the victory for Holy Cross.

INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS:

• Mifsud totaled 16 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field to go along with two assists, while Scott tallied 12 points and a team-best nine rebounds.
• Crusader junior center Molly Hourigan (Memphis, N.Y.) filled the stat sheet with seven points, eight rebounds, five blocked shots and a career-high five assists.
• Thomas-Waheed and senior forward Emily Parker (Johnston, Iowa) both posted seven points and four rebounds apiece.
• Norfolk State was led by Rae Corbo, who scored a game-high 25 points.  

TEAM STATISTICS:

• Holy Cross shot 40.7 percent from the field (24-59), including a 45.2 percent clip in the second half (14-31). The Spartans connected on 22-of-65 from the floor (33.8%).
• Both teams struggled from behind the arc as the Crusaders canned 20.0 percent from downtown (3-15), and the Spartans hit 16.7 percent from long range (2-12).
• Holy Cross drained 12-of-14 from the charity stripe (85.7%), while Norfolk State connected on 16-of-23 (69.9%) from the free-throw line.
• The Crusaders held the advantage in total rebounds (44-39), assists (16-10), blocked shots (7-0) and bench points (20-13).

UP NEXT:

• Holy Cross will play the final game of the Seawolves Holiday Classic and on Monday, Dec. 29, when it matches up with Western Michigan at 12:00 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.
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