THE BASICS:

• Score:  Lafayette 65, Holy Cross 52
• Records: Holy Cross 7-9, 2-3 PL; Lafayette 5-11, 2-3 PL
• Location: Kirby Sports Center, Easton, Pa.
• Date: January 13, 2016
• The Lead: Junior guard Robert Champion scored a career-high 24 points, but the Holy Cross men's basketball team was defeated by Lafayette 65-52 at the Kirby Sports Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Holy Cross started the game hot, jumping out to an early 8-0 lead after the first 3:12 of action.
• Lafayette responded with an 11-3 run to tie up the score, and went on to lead 18-15 with 8:28 remaining in the first half.
• The Leopards then used a 13-4 spurt to claim a 12-point advantage (31-19) with three minutes left before the break.
• The Crusaders came back to score the final seven points of the half, and trailed by five (31-26) heading into the locker room.
• Holy Cross closed to within four points (33-29) early in the second half, before Lafayette scored the next 11 points to go in front by 15 (44-29).
• The Leopards would eventually lead by 16 (50-34) with 11 minutes left to play, but the Crusaders then went on a 10-2 run, including eight points from Champion, to make it an eight-point game (52-44).
• Holy Cross later had the margin down to six points (55-49) with 6:39 on the clock, before once again going cold from the floor.
• The Crusaders would not make another field goal for the remainder of the night, as Lafayette closed out the game on a 10-3 run to claim a 13-point victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Senior guard Cullen Hamilton joined Champion in double figures, finishing with 10 points and five rebounds.
• The Leopards were led by Zach Rufer with 16 points and seven rebounds.
• Lafayette made 46.8 percent of its field goals (22 of 47) and 40.0 percent of its three-pointers (10 of 25) on the night.
• Holy Cross was only able to hit 31.6 percent of its shots from the floor (18 of 57) and 18.5 percent of its shots from behind the arc (five of 27).

UP NEXT:

• The Crusaders return to action on Saturday, Jan. 16, when they play host to Lehigh in a 1:05 p.m. game at the Hart Center.

BE PART OF THE ACTION:

• Single-game tickets and mini plans to see the Crusaders are on sale now. Make sure you don't miss the opportunity to see the best collegiate basketball in Central Massachusetts! Tickets for Holy Cross basketball can be purchased online at GoHolyCross.com/tickets or over the phone by calling 1-844-GOCROSS.
• Purchase a Family 4 Pack of tickets to the Jan. 16 game against Lehigh for just $15.00, and have the opportunity for your child to be on the court during pregame warm-ups and introductions as a Kid Captain! Click here to buy your Family 4 Pack today!

KEEP CONNECTED:

• To stay updated on the Holy Cross men's basketball team, follow the Crusaders on Twitter @HCrossMBB and on Facebook at HolyCrossBasketball.
• You can also subscribe for email alerts for all news and information on the team by clicking here.