THE BASICS:

• Score: Sacred Heart 81, Holy Cross 68
• Records: Holy Cross 4-2, Sacred Heart 4-3
• Location: William H. Pitt Center, Fairfield, Conn.
• Date: December 6, 2014
• The Lead: Senior guard Justin Burrell (Dumfries, Va.) totaled 16 points, four steals and three assists, but the Holy Cross men's basketball team was defeated by Sacred Heart 81-68 at the William H. Pitt Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The game was close early on, as Holy Cross held a 9-8 lead with 12:30 remaining in the first half.
• Sacred Heart scored the next seven points to pull ahead, and was still up by three (24-21) with seven minutes to go before the break.
• The Pioneers then closed out the half with a 16-6 spurt to take a 40-27 advantage into the locker room.
• Sacred Heart maintained a comfortable lead early in the second half, and was up by 16 points (63-47) with 10:50 left to play.
• The Crusaders then went on a quick 9-0 run to trim the margin down to seven points (63-56) with eight minutes remaining.
• But the Pioneers responded with a 7-0 spurt of their own, and would lead by at least nine points the rest of the way before finally winning by 13.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Sophomore guard Anthony Thompson (Glenn Dale, Md.) finished the game with 16 points, two rebounds and two steals.
• Senior forward Malcolm Miller (Laytonsville, Md.) added 15 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
• The Pioneers were led by Cane Broome with 25 points and nine rebounds.
• Sacred Heart made 55.1 percent of its field goals (27 of 49), 45.5 percent of its three-pointers (five of 11) and 73.3 percent of its free throws (22 of 30) on the day.
• The Crusaders were only able to connect on 32.4 percent of their shots from the floor (22 of 68), and were outrebounded 42-35.

UP NEXT:

• Holy Cross returns to action on Tuesday, Dec. 9, when it plays host to Hartford at 7:05 p.m.

BE PART OF THE ACTION:

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