THE BASICS:

• Score: Holy Cross 65, Bryant 64
• Records: Holy Cross (1-5); Bryant (2-3)
• Location: Worcester, Mass.
• Arena: Hart Center (768)
• The Lead: Holy Cross senior center Molly Hourigan (Memphis, N.Y.) scored a team-high 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting to help lead the Crusaders to a 65-64 victory over Bryant in non-conference women's basketball action on Sunday afternoon at the Hart Center.

TURNING POINT:

• With Bryant ahead 57-52 at the 5:00-mark of the fourth quarter, the Crusaders embarked on a 7-2 surge to grab a 59-58 lead (2:03). Over the final five minutes of the game, Holy Cross held Bryant to 1-for-8 shooting from the field and forced a pair of turnovers.
• The Crusaders iced the game going by 6-of-8 from the charity stripe to secure the victory.

Postgame Press Conference and Highlights

HOLY CROSS HIGHLIGHTS:

• Hourigan also hauled in three rebounds and recorded a trio of blocked shots.
• Crusader senior forward Raquel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.) notched her third double-double of the season with 10 points and a team-high 13 rebounds, while senior guard Lisa Mifsud (Erie, Pa.) totaled 13 points and a team-best six assists.
• Sophomore guard Katie Doherty (Holbrook, N.Y.) scored 10 points, while classmate Infiniti Thomas-Waheed (Newton, Mass.) filled the stat sheet with nine points, four assists, three rebounds, three blocks and a trio of steals.

FIRST HALF:

• Holy Cross jumped out with an early 11-4 lead at the 6:36-mark of the first quarter, as Hourigan scored four points during the surge. The Crusaders continued their hot start and went on a 9-3 run to gain a 20-7 advantage (2:07) on the back of a Doherty three-pointer.
• The Bulldogs, however, responded with a 9-2 rally to slice the deficit to six points (22-16) with 29 seconds left in the period. Crusader sophomore guard Tricia Byrne (Dunmore, Pa.) ended the quarter with a layup to give Holy Cross a 24-16 edge.
• Bryant cut the margin to three points on a pair of occasions to begin the second quarter, as it trailed Holy Cross 29-26 with 4:55 on the clock. The Crusaders, however, answered with a 9-0 run over the next 3:41 to go ahead 38-26 (1:04), as Mifsud scored all of her seven first-half points during the rally.
• Alex Klein of Bryant closed the scoring for the half with an old-fashioned three-pointer, as Holy Cross held the 38-29 lead at intermission.

SECOND HALF:

• Hourigan scored the first basket of the second half to put Holy Cross ahead by 11 points (40-29), but the Bulldogs retorted with a 13-4 surge to make it a one-possession game (44-42) at the 4:20-mark of the third quarter.
• Bryant cut the deficit to one point (46-45) with 2:26 on the clock, but a layup by Hourigan with 1:58 left in the stanza gave the Crusaders a 48-45 lead after three quarters of action.
• The Bulldogs canned a three-pointer just 13 seconds into the fourth quarter to tie the game at 48-48. The trey ignited a 9-4 Bryant run to give the visitors a 57-52 lead with five minutes on the clock.
• Holy Cross, however, slowly chipped away at the deficit and regained the lead (59-58) less than three minutes later (2:03) on a Thomas-Waheed free throw. The Crusaders made 4-of-8 from the charity stripe on its next two possessions to gain a 63-58 advantage with 13 ticks on the clock.
• Bryant would not go away quietly, as Ivory Bailey was fouled shooting a three pointer with five seconds left, and converted all three free throws to slice the margin to 63-61.
• Scott drained what would be two critical free throws on the other end to go up by four points (65-61), as Tiersa Winder of Bryant hit a long three-pointer as time expired to make the score its final, 65-64.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Holy Cross shot 44.0 percent from the field (22-50) and 35.7 percent from downtown (5-14), as it limited Bryant to 38.3 percent from the floor (23-60) and 31.8 percent from behind the arc (7-22).
• The Crusaders connected on 16-of-22 from the free-throw line (72.7%), while the Bulldogs hit on 11-of-17 from the charity stripe (64.7%).
• Holy Cross held the statistical advantage in points in the paint (32-26) and blocked shots (6-2), while Bryant led in total rebounds (37-31) and second-chance points (9-4). Both teams recorded 16 assists and 19 points off turnovers.

NEWS & NOTES:

• The double-double for Scott was her third of the season and the 35th of her career, as she is now tied for third place in Holy Cross history.
• Hourigan's 15 points are a season-high, as she was one point shy of tying her personal-best of 16.
• Holy Cross is 8-2 in the all-time series against Bryant and 5-0 in games versus the Bulldogs at the Hart Center.

UP NEXT:

• Holy Cross will stay at home for its next contest on Wednesday, Dec. 2, when it hosts Vermont at 7:05 p.m.

BE PART OF THE ACTION:

• To purchase single-game tickets for the 2015-2016 Holy Cross women's basketball season, visit GoHolyCross.com/Tickets or call the ticket office at 1-844-GOCROSS.

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