THE BASICS:

• Score: Holy Cross 59, Lafayette 53 
• Records: Holy Cross (12-16, 8-7 PL); Lafayette (12-14, 5-10 PL) 
• Location: Worcester, Mass. (Hart Recreation Center)
• The Lead: Holy Cross senior forward Emily Parker (Johnston, Iowa) recorded her fifth career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds to help lead the Crusaders to a 59-53 victory over Lafayette in Patriot League women's basketball action on Wednesday evening at the Hart Center.

TURNING POINT:

• With the game knotted at 41-41 at the 14:31-mark of the second half, the Crusaders went on a 13-4 scoring surge to gain the 54-45 lead with 5:37 left in the contest. Parker and freshman guard Tricia Byrne (Dunmore, Pa.) scored four points apiece during the rally. Lafayette would not get any closer than five points for the remainder of the contest.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Holy Cross grabbed the early 12-7 lead at the 13:13-mark of the first half on a freshman guard Infiniti Thomas-Waheed (Newton, Mass.) old-fashioned three-point play.
• The Leopards worked the deficit to three points (17-14) midway through the opening stanza, but a 9-2 run by Holy Cross gave it the 26-16 advantage (5:48).
• The Crusaders pushed the lead to their largest of the game (32-19) with 2:47 left in the half, but Lafayette made it a 10-point game at intermission (36-26).
• Lafayette exploded out of the gate in the second half with a 13-2 rally to gain the 39-38 lead with 15:55 on the clock. The score was all square at 41-41 at the 14:34-mark of the second half, before the Crusaders began to pull away.
• A 13-4 run by Holy Cross gave it the nine-point, 54-45, advantage on the back of a Byrne layup (5:37). The Leopards cut the deficit to 56-51 with 2:36 on the clock, but the Crusaders would hold on for the 59-53 victory.

INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS:

• Holy Cross junior forward Raquel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.) scored a team-high 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go along with seven rebounds. Doherty totaled 10 points and a game-high six assists, while Thomas-Waheed totaled eight points, four rebounds and three assists.
• Junior guard Lisa Mifsud (Erie, Pa.) scored six, while Byrne chipped in with five points, three assists and a game-high three steals.
• Lafayette was led by Emily Homan, who totaled 21 points and eight rebounds, while Maddie Peabody added 11 points and four helpers.

TEAM STATISTICS:

• Both teams shot well in the contest, as Holy Cross edged Lafayette with a 44.6 percent clip from the field (25-56), compared to a 43.8 percent margin from the floor for the visitors (21-48).
• The Crusaders connected on 5-of-14 from behind the arc (35.7%), while Lafayette was limited to 4-of-17 from downtown (77.8%).
• Holy Cross only hit 44.4 percent from the free-throw line (4-9), as the Leopards drained 77.8 percent from the charity stripe (7-9)
• The Crusaders held the statistical edge in total rebounds (32-30), steals (9-3) and second-chance points (19-6).

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• With the win, the Crusaders earn the regular-season sweep over Lafayette and are now 53-8 all-time in games played against the Leopards. Holy Cross moves to 26-1 in home games against Lafayette.
• The Crusaders now hold an 11-game winning streak versus Lafayette dating back the Leopards last win over Holy Cross on Jan. 9, 2010.
• The game was the 500th home contest the Holy Cross women's basketball team played at the Hart Center.
• Doherty set a career-high with six assists, while Byrne tied a personal-best with five points. 

UP NEXT:

• Holy Cross returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 21, when it hosts Navy at 1:05 p.m. for its first annual Play 4Kay game. For more information about the event, click here.

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 click here: http://www.goholycross.com/list-signup.