THE BASICS:

• Score: Holy Cross 66, Lafayette 49
• Records: HC (7-9, 4-1); LAF (3-12, 1-4)
• Location: Worcester, Mass.
• Arena: Hart Center (906)
• The Lead: Holy Cross senior guard Lisa Mifsud (Erie, Pa.) scored a team-high 16 points, including a 4-of-7 clip from behind the arc, to help lead the Crusaders to a 66-49 victory over Lafayette in Patriot League women's basketball action on Wednesday evening at the Hart Center.

TURNING POINT:

• With the score tied at 31-31 (3:38) in the third quarter, the Crusaders embarked on a 20-4 run that went into the fourth stanza and gave the hosts the 51-35 advantage with 7:53 left in regulation.
• Sophomore guard Katie Doherty (Holbrook, N.Y.) led Holy Cross with five points during the rally.
• The Leopards got no closer than 11 points for the remainder of the contest.
• In all, the Crusaders outscored Lafayette 40-22 in the second-half. 

HOLY CROSS HIGHLIGHTS:

• In addition to Mifsud for Holy Cross, senior center Molly Hourigan (Memphis, N.Y.) filled the stat sheet with eight points, four assists and team-highs of 12 rebounds (seven offensive), five blocks and four steals.
• Sophomore guard Infiniti Thomas-Waheed (Newton, Mass.) totaled 13 points and six rebounds, while classmate Tricia Byrne (Dunmore, Pa.) posted 11 points, three assists and three steals.

FIRST HALF:

• Holy Cross jumped out to an early 5-0 lead just 1:04 into the contest, as Thomas-Waheed scored all five points for the Crusaders during the opening spurt.
• Lafayette, however, went on an 8-0 rally over the next 2:24 to gain an 8-5 lead (6:32). The Crusaders ended the rally on the layup by freshman forward Maggie Locke (Collegeville, Pa.) to make the score 8-7 (5:22), but the Leopards ended the first quarter on a 5-3 run to grab a 14-10 lead.
• Holy Cross cut the deficit to one (19-18) on a three-pointer by Mifsud at the 4:03-mark of the second quarter, but five straight points by Lafayette gave it a 24-18 lead (2:26).
• Over the next 1:16, Holy Cross went on a 6-0 run that was ignited by a Byrne old-fashioned three-point play to tie the game at 24-24. The Leopards edged the Crusaders 3-2 over the final minute-plus to head into the locker room with a 27-26 lead.

SECOND HALF:

• After the intermission, Holy Cross scored four points over the first two-plus minutes to gain a 30-27 lead (7:55). The Leopards tied the game just over four minutes later (31-31), but the Crusaders got back-to-back three-pointers by Doherty and Mifsud to go ahead 37-31 (2:53).
• Lafayette scored on the next possession, but a 6-0 run by Holy Cross to end the quarter gave it a 43-33 lead.
• The Crusaders continued their offensive pressure and gained a 16-point, 51-35 advantage (7:35) on the back of a Byrne layup.
• Lafayette whittled the deficit to 11 points (51-40) with 6:57 left in the fourth quarter, but the Crusaders outscored the Leopards 15-9 the rest of the way to earn the 66-49 triumph.  

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• After a first half where Holy Cross shot only 27.0 percent from the field (10-37), the Crusaders were able to hit on 15-of-33 in the second half (45.5%) for a total game field-goal percentage of 35.7 percent (25-70).
• Holy Cross also drained 7-of-22 from long range (31.8%) and limited the Leopards the 4-of-16 shooting (0-of-8 in the second half) from downtown (25.0%).
• Lafayette hit on 17-of-47 of its shots from the floor (36.2%), but only canned 8-of-24 in the second half (33.3%).
• Holy Cross held the statistical edge in total rebounds (42-40), offensive rebounds (22-13), assists (16-10), steals (13-6), points in the paint (30-20), second-chance points (12-0) and fast-break points (12-0).
• The Crusaders also scored 28 points off 28 Lafayette turnovers, while the Leopards only tallied seven points off 14 Holy Cross miscues.
• Lafayette was led by Ashley Lutz, who recorded a double-double with game-highs of 19 points and 14 rebounds.

NEWS & NOTES:

• The win for Holy Cross keeps it tied with Army West Point for second place in the Patriot League at 4-1.
• The Crusaders have now won 12 straight games over Lafayette and improve to 54-8 in the all-time series against the Leopards.
• Holy Cross head coach Bill Gibbons earned his 575th career victory and is now 575-353 (.620) in his 31 seasons at the helm of the Crusaders.
• Holy Cross set team season-highs in total rebounds (42), steals (13) and turnovers forced (28).

UP NEXT:

• Holy Cross returns to action on Sunday, Jan. 17, when it travels to Lehigh for a 3:00 p.m. contest. The game will be televised on the American Sports Network.

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.

STAY CONNECTED:

• For everything Holy Cross women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter (@HCrossWBB), on Facebook and on Instagram. You can also subscribe for email alerts for all news and information on the team by clicking here.