THE BASICS:

• Score: Holy Cross 69, Bucknell 61 
• Records: Holy Cross (11-14; 7-5 PL); Bucknell (14-9, 6-6 PL) 
• Location: Worcester, Mass. (Hart Recreation Center) 
• The Lead: Holy Cross juniors Raquel Scott (Ridgewood, N.J.) and Lisa Mifsud (Erie, Pa.) scored 24 and 17 points, respectively, to help lead the Crusaders to a 69-61 victory over Bucknell in Patriot League women's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at the Hart Center.

TURNING POINT:

• The Bison held the 28-21 lead at the 4:36-mark of the first half, but the Crusaders would end the stanza on an 11-0 surge to gain the 32-28 halftime advantage. Scott had five points for Holy Cross during the run, while Mifsud scored four.
• Bucknell missed three shots during the spurt and committed four turnovers. Holy Cross would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the contest.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Bucknell opened the game with the 12-6 lead (14:36) and increased the margin to seven points (19-12) at the 9:21-mark of the first half. The Crusaders scored seven quick points to tie the contest at 19-19 (7:18), as senior guard Emily Parker (Johnston, Iowa) ignited the rally with an old-fashioned three-point play.
• The Bison went on a 9-2 spurt to open up a seven-point margin (28-21) with 4:36 on the clock, but Holy Cross outscored Bucknell, 11-0, to conclude the half and head into the locker room with the 32-28 advantage.
• Bucknell cut the deficit to two points on a pair of occasions to start the second half, but Holy Cross grabbed the 46-39 lead on the back of a Mifsud three-pointer (15:00). The Bison again whittled the margin to two points, twice over the next 2:53, as the Crusaders held the 47-45 lead (12:07).
• Holy Cross, however, went on an 11-2 rally to gain its largest lead of the game (58-48), with 8:47 left in the second half. Scott recorded five points during the second-half surge.
• Bucknell tried to mount a comeback, as it worked the deficit to four points on two occasions, but the Crusaders would be able to hold on for the 69-61 victory.

INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS:

• Scott led Holy Cross with team-highs of 24 points and eight rebounds, while Mifsud added 17 points, three assists and three steals.
• Parker totaled nine points and four boards, while junior center Molly Hourigan (Memphis, N.Y.) tallied seven points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
• Freshman guard Katie Doherty (Holbrook, N.Y.) dished out a team and career-high five assists, while classmate Infiniti Thomas-Waheed (Newton, Mass.) posted seven points and four helpers.
• Bucknell was led by Jacquie Klotz, who recorded a double-double with game-highs of 20 points and 13 rebounds. Audrey Dotson (15) and Claire DeBoer (10) also posted double-digit scoring games.

TEAM STATISTICS:

• Holy Cross shot 40.0 percent from the field (24-60), while Bucknell connected on 21-of-54 from the field (38.9%).
• The Crusaders canned 50.0 percent from behind the arc (7-14), while the Bison shot 36.8 from downtown (7-19).
• Holy Cross drained 14-of-20 from the free-throw line (70.0%), while Bucknell hit on 12-of-15 from the charity stripe (80.0%).
• The Crusaders held the statistical edge in assists (15-13), steals (11-4), points in the paint (30-18) and points off turnovers (18-12). Bucknell held the 41-33 advantage in total rebounds.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• The win for Holy Cross was its third consecutive victory and its first home win since Dec. 22, 2014 against UMass Lowell.
• Holy Cross is now 43-16 all-time against Bucknell and completes the regular-season series sweep, as the Crusaders also won in Lewisburg on Jan. 10 by a score of 53-52.
• The Crusaders are 25-5 versus the Bison in games played in Worcester and have now won three in a row over Bucknell.

UP NEXT:

• Holy Cross returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 11, when it hosts Army at the Hart Center for a 7:05 p.m. contest. The game will be televised in the Worcester area on Charter TV3.

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.